1972 BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner Dan Daniel

Born in New York City, June 6, 1890, Daniel Markowitz (he chose to use the redundant "Dan Daniel" for his byline in the Sporting News) left medical school to pursue a career in sports journalism that lasted some 50 years.

Though he wrote columns for the New York World Telegram and Sun, he is best known for his work in the Sporting News under the byline "By Daniel." Indeed, it is possible that no one wrote more stories for the Sporting News than Daniel.

Daniel was recognized as an authority on the history of the Yankees as he covered the club from the pre-Babe Ruth era through the days of Mickey Mantle. A former president of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, the versatile Daniel was also chairman of the Football Writers' Association and the Boxing Writers' Association. He was a member of baseball's rules committee and served for many years on the Hall of Fame Committee on Baseball Veterans.

As Bob Broeg recalled: "Daniel wrote so voluminously that he rarely showed the quality of prose of which he was capable. But when a story moved him to take the time, or when he rose to speak in his rasping voice, the old baseball writer best demonstrated the wit and warmth he kept covered under a gruff exterior."

Daniel passed away on July 1, 1981.