Bill Conlin

William T. Conlin, Jr.

• School Temple University
• High School Peekskill Military Academy

• Born May 15, 1934 in Philadelphia, PA USA
• Died January 8, 2014 in Largo, FL USA

Biographical Information

Bill Conlin covered the Philadelphia Phillies for more than 50 years. Beginning on the staff of the student paper at Temple University, Conlin covered many sports in Philadelphia. His first job was with the Philadelphia Bulletin from 1960 to 1965. In 1965, he joined the Philadelphia Daily News as the Phillies beat reporter. He was well known for his acerbic wit and columns that began with: "If I were king of the world..." Conlin also appeared on ESPN's The Sports Reporters and Daily News Live, a daily panel discussion airing in Philadelphia. He was a regular columnist in The Sporting News in the 1970s and 1980s, covering the National League beat while Peter Gammons covered the American League.

Conlin was honored with the 2011 J. G. Taylor Spink Award for outstanding baseball coverage. In December of that year, he had to step down from the Philadelphia Daily News due to allegations of sexual abuse by four people, dating back to the 1970s. With the time limit on abuse charges, no criminal charges could be filed, although the allegations were taken very seriously in the wake of recent similar scandals that had shaken college football and baskeball in previous weeks.