ABRAMSON, JESSE

ABRAMSON, JESSE (1904–1979), U.S. sportswriter. Known as the leading track and field writer in the U.S., Abramson was the first person from the media to be elected to the National Track & Field Hall of Fame, in 1981. He witnessed every Olympics from 1928 until 1976, as a reporter for the New   York Herald Tribune, for the International Herald-Tribune in 1972, and as foreign press liaison at the 1968 and 1976 Games. His obituary in the New York Times noted: "Colleagues called him 'The Brain,' in recognition of his profound knowledge of track and his phenomenal memory for detail." Abramson was honored with the Grantland Rice Award of the Sportsmen Brotherhood, the James J. Walker Award for service to boxing, and the career achievement award from the New York Track Writers Association. He was a founder and long-time president of the N.Y. Track Writers Association, which presents the annual Jesse Abramson Award to the outstanding athlete of the year. Abramson also reported on football and boxing, serving as president of the New York Football Writers Association, and was awarded the Boxing Writers' Association of America Nat Fleischer Memorial Award for Excellence in Boxing Journalism in 1982. (Elli Wohlgelernter (2nd ed.)