Holy Cross Alumnus Dan Shaughnessy ’75 Wins Baseball’s J.G. Taylor Spink Award

“Shaughnessy is headed for the Baseball Hall of Fame,” the Boston Globe reported on Dan Shaughnessy, a College of the Holy Cross English major, a member of the class of 1975, and an award-winning sports columnist for the Boston Globe. On July 23, 2016, Shaughnessy will receive the J.G. Taylor Spink Award and will be included in a permanent exhibit of broadcasters and writers at The Baseball Hall of Fame. The Spink Award is named for the longtime publisher of the Sporting News and has been presented since 1962.

“Members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America recognized Shaughnessy for meritorious contributions to baseball writing during his career,” the Globe said, making Shaughnessy the fifth Globe writer to win the prestigious award. Following his graduation from Holy Cross, Shaughnessy covered the Orioles for the Baltimore Evening Sun from 1977-78 and then went on to become a national baseball writer for the now-defunct Washington Star from 1979-81.

“Dan bravely writes what most others won’t,” Brian McGory, editor of the Globe said. “It’s beyond rewarding to see him get this richly deserved recognition.” Shaughnessy joined the Globe in 1981 and worked as the national baseball writer from 1986-89 along with its various stints covering the Red Sox as a beat writer. As a general columnist, he has written countless Red Sox pieces that reflected New England’s joy, exasperation, and undying passion for its team.

Shaughnessy has written nine books on baseball, including “The Curse of the Bambino” (Penguin, 2004) and “Francona: The Red Sox Years” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013) with former Red Sox manager Terry Francona. Among his many accolades, Shaughnessy has also been named the Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year 11 times, and has been judged as one of America’s top-10 sports columnists by Associated Press Sports Editors nine times. He has won numerous ASPE awards and is a regular contributor to radio and television shows.

“I want to thank the Boston chapter for nominating me, particularly Nick Cafardo,” Shaughnessy told the Globe. “It’s a great honor and I have so much regard for those who have won this award in the past. It’s staggering to be included with those names.”

Read the full article at The Boston Globe.

More information:

Holy Cross Magazine: ReadBoston Features Shaughnessy ’75.

This “Holy Cross in the News” item is by Emma Collins ’16.