One of the most admired and authoritative sports journalists of his time, William O'Connell McGeehan did much to enhance American sports pages with a dignity and a literary quality they had not enjoyed previously. His powerful columns, in San Francisco and later in New York newspapers, were praised for their honesty as well as for their tough professionalism. While many sportswriters of the period took refuge in clichés, jargon, and boosterism, McGeehan wrote in a style that was direct, clear, and respectful of the reader's intelligence. He crusaded tirelessly for clean sport in an era when charges of bribery and corruption, especially in boxing, were commonplace. Author and journalist Paul Gallico regarded McGeehan as "the greatest sports writer that ever lived."

McGeehan was born in San Francisco, the eldest of six children of Hugh and Theresa O'Connell McGeehan. He attended public schools, then enrolled at Stanford...