Lewis Grizzard

Lewis McDonald Grizzard

• Born October 20, 1946 in Fort Benning, GA USA
• Died March 20, 1994 in Atlanta, GA USA

Lewis Grizzard was an American sportwriter, humorist, and editor. He began his career writing about his little league games in Newnan, Georgia. He became sports editor of the Atlanta Journal at the age of 23. It was there he covered Hank Aaron's 715th home run. Shortly afterward, he moved to the Chicago Sun-Times where his brief tenure was quite acrimonious.

In 1977, Grizzard returned to Atlanta, this time with the Atlanta Constitution. He began writing a humor column with the Constitution and later with the Journal-Constitution when the papers merged. As a humor writer, Grizzard wrote more than a dozen books and became a nationally recognized figure who was beloved in the Atlanta area.

Unfortunately, Grizzard was born with just two heart valves rather than three. He had four surgeries to correct the problem. Shortly after the fourth surgery, he suffered a fatal heart attack at age 47. His ashes were scattered at the football stadium at the University of Georgia.