Occupation Sportswriter Name Charley Feeney | Died March 17, 2014 Employer Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | |
Born November 26, 1924 ( 1924-11-26 ) Queens, New York Known for "Writers wing," Baseball Hall of Fame, 1997 | ||
Charles V. "Charley" Feeney (November 26, 1924 - March 17, 2014) was an American sportswriter in New York, New York, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for more than 40 years.
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Career
Born in Queens, New York, Feeney broke into the newspaper business at age 16 as a messenger for the New York Sun. During World War II, he served in the Navy from 1942 to 1946, earning a Bronze Star for his work as a radio man on the aircraft carrier USS Essex. Feeney next worked for the Long Island Star Journal, where, starting in 1951, he would cover the Giants' final eight seasons in New York. From 1958, he covered the Yankees, first for the Star Journal, and, from 1964, for the New York Journal American. Following that paper's demise in 1966, when a job opening in Pittsburgh was created by the premature death of longtime Pirates beat writer Jack Hernon, Post-Gazette sports editor Al Abrams promptly turned to Feeney, who would fill the position until his retirement in 1986. In addition, following the retirement of Pittsburgh Press sports editor and longtime Bucs beat writer Les Biederman in March 1969, Feeney succeeded Biederman as The Sporting News' Pirates correspondent, in which capacity he would also serve until his retirement.
In 1997, Feeney was inducted into the "writers wing" of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. After learning of his Hall of Fame selection, Feeney joked, "I always looked at myself as a utility infielder in our business. The next thing you know they're going to be putting Tommy Helms in the Hall of Fame. I'm in and Bill Mazeroski isn't. It's unbelievable."
As of 2009, Feeney had been living in the same apartment in Pittsburgh since 1966. That year, following the death of his wife and health problems, he moved into an assisted living facility in New York.