Phil Berger (1943–2001)

Phil Berger, 1943 - 2001 Phil Berger was born in 1943 in Brooklyn, New York, but raised in Stamford, Connecticut. He graduated with a BA from Johns Hopkins University in 1964 and a Master's degree in Creative Writing from Hollins College in 1965. He was best known for his books on sports and the sports industry, particularly basketball and boxing. After graduating college, Berger began his career as a reporter at The Greenwich (Conn.) Times, then moved on to an associate editor position at Sport magazine. In 1986, after freelancing for a number of years, Berger became part of the New York Times reporting team. It was there that he discovered his love for boxing and basketball could be put to good use. While acting as a boxing reporter from 1986 to 1992, Berger wrote more than a dozen books, as well as a screenplay about boxing. Berger's books were written in the spirit of sports, including titles such as "Knight Fall: The True Story Behind America's Most Controversial Coach, a story about basketball, and "Punch Lines: Berger on Boxing". He also wrote about comedy and mystery, as well as his job as a sportswriter for the Times. Phil Berger died of colon cancer on March 12, 2001 at his home in Jackson Heights, Queens New York at the age of 58. — biography from The Last Laugh: The World of Stand-Up Comics… (més)