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MLB: Royals to name press box after Joe McGuff

/noticias.info/ KANSAS CITY -- The Kansas City Royals announced Tuesday that the Kansas City Royals will name the Kauffman Stadium press box after Hall of Fame writer and former Royals board member, Joe McGuff. The Royals will honor the McGuff family in a ceremony in the press box at 4:30 p.m. prior to Friday's game against the Cleveland Indians.

McGuff was a prominent member of the Kansas City Sports scene for 40 years after joining the Kansas City Star in 1948 as a sports writer. He was named sports editor in 1966 and served as vice president and editor from 1986 until his retirement in 1992. "Joe McGuff was not only a Hall of Fame sports writer, he was one of two individuals most responsible for having Major League Baseball in Kansas City," Royals Owner and Chairman of the Board David Glass said. "Add to that fact, he was just a great human being and it's no wonder we all miss him."

McGuff's distinguished career as a writer took him around the world to cover a wide variety of major sporting events, including six Olympics, 16 Super Bowls and 31 World Series. But it was his reputation in baseball that earned him a spot in the writers' wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, in 1986.

After covering the minor league Blues of the Yankees farm system, McGuff became baseball's youngest traveling Major League beat writer when the Athletics came to town in 1955. His career culminated with when The Star won a Pulitzer Prize in 1992, just days after his retirement.

The Tulsa, Oklahoma native authored two books, "Winning It All" and "Why Me? Why Not Joe McGuff." The first book was written about the Kansas City Chiefs championship season of 1969 and their victory in the 1970 Super Bowl. The second book is a collection of his columns.

He was named Outstanding Sports Writer in Missouri six times by the National Sportswriters Association and he served as National President of the Baseball Writers and Associated Press Sports Editors. He is also a member of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

McGuff also played a vital role in the existence of the Royals, helping the city secure the expansion franchise in 1969, while his columns helped stir support for the construction of the Truman Sports Complex. He served on the Royals Board of Directors from 1994-2000 after he was unanimously elected to the board on July 6, 1994. He succeeded Gene Budig, who became the American League President.

McGuff's wife, Kay, and family will be present for the ceremony in the press box on Friday. notas_de_prensa_archivo