Leonard Koppett papers, circa 1940-2003

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Summary

Creators:
Koppett, Leonard and Koppett, Sue
Abstract:
Leonard Koppett was a sportswriter and journalist whose career spanned nearly six decades in New York and the San Francisco Bay area.
Extent:
40 Linear Feet (64 boxes)
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[identification of item], Leonard Koppett papers (M1422). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Background

Scope and content:

Koppett's collection centers on his columns rather than books, and includes drafts, clippings and photocopied articles and columns from throughout his career. There are files related to his participation in the New York Baseball Writers annual shows, book proposals and related notes, articles about Koppett and reviews of his books, and a relatively modest amount of correspondence.

Biographical / historical:

Leonard Koppett (1923-2003) was born Leonard Kopeliovitch in Moscow, but grew up in New York City. After graduating from Columbia University in 1946, Koppett worked for the New York Herald Tribune and New York Post before moving to the New York Times in 1963. Koppett relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1973, becoming the Times' first west coast sports correspondent. Koppett then wrote for the Peninsula Times Tribune, assuming the role of executive sports editor in 1980 and then editor-in-chief in 1982. He was also a longtime columnist for The Sporting News. After he left the Times Tribune in 1993, Koppett continued to write columns for newspapers around the country including the Oakland Tribune and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. He wrote over twenty books, including A Thinking Man's Guide to Baseball (later titled The Thinking Fan's Guide to Baseball).

In addition to his prolific writing career, Koppett was interested in statistics and compiled data throughout his career. He was particularly concerned with legal and economic aspects of sports, especially baseball. Koppett taught a few classes at San Jose State and Stanford, mostly about journalism, but also lectures on sports law. He was a member of the writers wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame, and he received the Baseball Writers' Association of America's Spink Award (now called the BBWAA Career Excellence Award) in 1992 and the Basketball Hall of Fame's Curt Gowdy Media Award in 1994.

A life-long music lover, Koppett passed away while attending a concert in San Francisco in 2003.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Sue Koppett, 2004. Accession 2004-043 and 2005-168. Gift of Stephen F. Ross, 2021. Accession 2021-244.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for research. Note that material must be requested at least 36 hours in advance of intended use. Audiovisual materials are not available in original format, and must be reformatted to a digital use copy.

Terms of access:

While Special Collections is the owner of the physical and digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns.

Preferred citation:

[identification of item], Leonard Koppett papers (M1422). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Location of this collection:
Department of Special Collections, Green Library
557 Escondido Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-6004, US
Contact:
(650) 725-1022
specialcollections@stanford.edu
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