Leigh Montville (born July 20, 1943) is an American writer and former newspaper columnist who worked forThe Boston Globe andSports Illustrated.
Montville was born inNew Haven, Connecticut. He graduated from theUniversity of Connecticut.[1]
Montville was a longtime print journalist as a columnist forThe Boston Globe as a senior writer withSports Illustrated. He spent 21 years at theGlobe, many of them withPeter Gammons,Bob Ryan, andWill McDonough.
He has authored many books, including best-sellers such asThe Big Bam, a biography ofNew York Yankeesbaseball legendBabe Ruth, andTed Williams: The Biography of an American Hero, about the Hall of Fame left fielder for the Red Sox, which won the 2004CASEY Award for best baseball book of the year.[2][3] He also wroteAt the Altar of Speed: The Fast Life and Tragic Death ofDale Earnhardt, andManute: The Center of Two Worlds, about former 7'7"NBA centerManute Bol.
He wrote the bookWhy Not Us? following the2004 World Series won by the Red Sox after 86 years of fan suffering. Montville recounts the stories of long-suffering fans, including himself, and includes a large section from the Red Sox web siteSons of Sam Horn where fans posted their own stories.
Montville co-authored the bookDare to Dream: Connecticut Basketball's Remarkable March to the National Championship withUConn head coachJim Calhoun. Calhoun, along with Montville, a UConn graduate, recounts his humble beginnings atNortheastern University through his move to the University of Connecticut and finally the men's program's first title in 1999.
In the 1990s, Montville provided commentary for the short-lived cable networkCNN/SI. He was featured in episodes ofThe Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame...,Costas Now,American Masters, and theHBO Sports documentaryThe Curse of the Bambino.[4]
His 2008 bookThe Mysterious Montague: A True Tale of Hollywood, Golf and Armed Robbery told the true story ofJohn Montague, a 1930sCalifornia-based amateur called "the greatest golfer in the world" byGrantland Rice, who later turned out to be a fugitive wanted for armed robbery inNew York state.
Most recently, Montville wroteSting Like a Bee: Muhammed Ali vs. the United States of America, 1966-1971 which focuses on the cultural and political implications of Ali's refusal of service in the military andTall Men, Short Shorts: The 1969 NBA Finals: Wilt, Russ, Lakers, Celtics, and a Very Young Sports Reporter (2021).[5]
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