Philip Merrill College of Journalism | University of Maryland

Former Post Sports Editor George Solomon Named Povich Professor

For immediate release, Feb. 21, 2007

COLLEGE PARK, Md.— George Solomon, former sports editor of The Washington Post and a visiting professor at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, has been named the school’s Shirley Povich Professor, Dean Thomas Kunkel announced.

The endowed professorship commemorates Washington Post sports columnist Shirley Povich, one of sports’ most influential voices during an extraordinary 75-year span. Povich died in 1998.

George Solomon
“The appointment of George Solomon as our first Povich Professor is a perfect fit,” Kunkel said. “George was Shirley’s protégé and friend, and he shared Shirley’s values and passion for cultivating the next generation of sports leaders. He was known for nurturing and promoting some of the most important voices in sports journalism. We’re honored that he continues that work here at the Merrill College.”

Kunkel said Solomon will occupy the Povich professorship until it can be filled permanently by another outstanding sports journalist. The college will begin that search in the fall.

Solomon was assistant managing editor for sports at the Post from 1975 to 2003. He was responsible for major growth in the section and for hiring and developing some of its most distinctive writers, including Thomas Boswell, Tony Kornheiser, Michael Wilbon, Sally Jenkins and Andrew Beyer. Though formally retired, Solomon continues to write a Sunday column in the sports section of the paper.

Shirley Povich
“I do not think anything is more important than teaching students good sports journalism and helping these students develop the skills, values and standards that will stay with them for their entire professional lives,” said Solomon. “In an ever-changing world of journalism, what remains the same are the ideals Shirley Povich preached his entire life: integrity, ethics, loyalty, dedication, fairness, a desire to always try to improve and hard work."

With Povich’s three children, Solomon edited a collection of Povich’s writings entitled “All Those Mornings … at The Post.” Published in 2005, it contains recollections of Povich and 120 columns culled from the more than 17,000 he wrote in his lengthy Post career.

In addition to his column, Solomon remains active in the sports community. In 2005, he was named the inaugural ombudsman for ESPN, and he has been a visiting professor at the Merrill College for four years. He was honored in 2003 by the Associated Press Sports Editors with the organization's prestigious Red Smith Award. He has also been honored by the National Association of Black Journalists and the Associate of Women in Sports Media. Solomon also holds a Eugene Meyer Award, which is given for distinguished service to The Washington Post.

The Povich Professorship and the annual Shirley Povich Symposium are made possible through generous support of Povich’s children—David, a partner at the Washington law firm of Williams & Connolly; Lynn, a veteran journalist and former senior editor of Newsweek; and Maury, longtime television personality and producer—and friends of the Povich family. Maury Povich is married to former CBS and CNN news anchor Connie Chung, a 1969 Maryland journalism graduate

Both the professorship and the symposium further solidify Maryland’s preeminence in sports journalism. Many Maryland graduates have distinguished themselves in the field, including NBC correspondent Jimmy Roberts, ESPN correspondent Tim Kurkjian, Washington Post sports editor Emilio Garcia Ruiz, ABC/ESPN reporter Bonnie Bernstein, ABC sportscaster and WJLA-TV anchor Tim Brant and Baltimore Sun sports columnist David Steele.

Shirley Povich, who died at 92, was an eyewitness to most of the significant sporting events of the 20th century, from the 1927 Dempsey-Tunney fight to Lou Gehrig’s retirement speech at Yankee Stadium in 1939 to Cal Ripken’s breaking of Gehrig’s consecutive game streak 56 years later. He covered 60 World Series and 20 Super Bowls. He also was an early and unwavering voice for the integration of sports. In 1939, he wrote a column advocating the integration of Major League Baseball eight years before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. He regularly criticized then-Washington Redskins owner George Preston Marshall for refusing to hire any black players.

Povich is in the writers’ wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown and is the only sportswriter to receive the National Press Club’s prestigious Fourth Estate Award.

Solomon is a 1963 graduate of the University of Florida. After graduation, he worked in the publications department of the NCAA and was a news aide for the New York Post. He joined the Ft. Lauderdale News and later became sports editor of that city's Sun Sentinel. He joined the Washington Daily News in 1970 and joined the Post in 1972 when the Daily News folded.

Solomon and his wife, Hazel, live in Arlington, Va.

For more information contact: Matthew C. Sheehan at 301.405.8320.