Columnist recalls days at Star-Ledger with famed sports writer

You have to know Jerry Izenberg to understand why it took him 32 years to write a book about Pete Rozelle, the late, great National Football League commissioner responsible for turning the NFL into the most successful conglomeration of team franchises in the history of American sports.

For one thing, Izenberg, who lives in Henderson, wasn’t in any hurry to finish writing Rozelle’s biography, aptly named “Rozelle.” The book was released by the University of Nebraska Press several months prior to Super Bowl XLIX. It became such a hot item in advance of the most recent Super Bowl that it took a second printing to keep up with the demand.

For another thing, some of Las Vegas’ major casinos bought quantities of the book for some of their heavy hitters. In fact, prior to the two conference championship games last month, Izenberg signed copies of his book at Red Rock Resort in Summerlin for anyone who donated $20 or more to the Wounded Warrior Fund. The fund has a profound meaning to Izenberg, who served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

The book sold out in a hurry that morning and for good reason. It’s not only a great read for sports junkies, it’s a bible for those who worship NFL football. Among other things, it parallels the popularity and success of professional football in the second half of the 20th century with the achievements of Rozelle.

Many called Rozelle a wizard for being able to accomplish what he did, irrespective of the greed, jealousy and narrow-mindedness of many NFL club owners — some of whom were power brokers — during that period. Izenberg, who interviewed those closest to Rozelle, including his father and daughter, calls him “a man who, above anyone else, gave America a brand new national game.”

You also have to know Izenberg to understand his burning desire to attend and write about Super Bowl 50, which is scheduled for Feb. 7, 2016, in Santa Clara, Calif. That shouldn’t be too difficult to understand when you consider that this nationally known sports columnist, who relocated to Southern Nevada from New Jersey several years ago, has attended and written about each of the first 49 Super Bowls, a feat matched only by Jerry Green, who writes for the Detroit News.

I think I know Izenberg well enough to understand what makes him run, although it has taken me 63 years to reach that plateau. That’s because he and I spent the better part of our newspaper careers working for the Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J. Izenberg and I also attended Rutgers University in Newark, although he graduated two years before me.

And there’s another factor in a friendship that was spawned in 1952. Izenberg was my boss during my fledgling days as a sportswriter. He was in charge of the Star-Ledger’s school sports section, which in those days was the most informative high school and college sports section in New Jersey. I was still a student at the time, but Izenberg had just graduated and was awaiting his induction into the U.S. Army.

Early on, Izenberg, who retains the title of sports columnist-emeritus for the Star-Ledger, showed his innate flair for humor, and not only in his unique style of writing. I recall an incident when one of the copy readers at the Star-Ledger called over to the school sports department, which was in another building, to question the identity of some high school basketball player. They needed the kid’s name for a photo caption.

Izenberg asked the copy reader what the kid’s number was. He was told that they couldn’t make out the number.

“All I can tell you is that he looks like a horse,” the copy reader said.

Jerry’s quick-witted response was, “Oh, that’s Seabiscuit,” and he hung up the phone. Seabiscuit was the darling of millions of Americans who sought a diversion from the misery of the Great Depression. He was chosen as the racehorse of the year in 1938, after easily beating War Admiral, a Triple Crown winner, in a match race.

Will Super Bowl 50 be Izenberg’s finale? I wouldn’t bet on it.

Herb Jaffe was an op-ed columnist and investigative reporter for most of his 39 years at the Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J. His most recent novel, “Double Play,” is now available. Contact him at hjaffe@cox.net.