Lawrence Ritter

Lawrence Stanley Ritter

• Born May 23, 1922 in New York, NY USA
• Died February 15, 2004 in New York, NY USA

Biographical Information

"The strongest thing that baseball has going for it today are its yesterdays." - Lawrence Ritter

Lawrence Ritter was a Professor of Finance at New York University, who was also a skilled author. His most famous work was the book The Glory of Their Times, in which he published interviews of two dozen turn of the century ballplayers in 1966. It was the first attempt at an oral history of baseball and a groundbreaking work in the field of baseball history. The book has had several printings. Ritter collaborated with Donald Honig on two other books on baseball. In 1992, his book Lost Ballparks, a tribute to baseball stadiums of the past, was published. He also wrote dozens of articles on economics.

In 2010, Ritter was among the first recipients of the Henry Chadwick Award.

Further Reading

• Lee Lowenfish: "Lawrence S. Ritter", in The Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Volume 39, Number 1 (Summer 2010), p. 129.
• Larry Mansch: "The Glory of Our Friendship: Lawrence Ritter and Me", in Michael J. Haupert, ed.: Baseball in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, The National Pastime, 2024 Edition, pp. 68-70.

Related Sites

• SABR tribute page