Mike Royko

Michael Royko Jr.

• School Wright Junior College
• Born September 19, 1932 in Chicago, IL USA
• Died April 29, 1997 in Chicago, IL USA

Biographical Information

A long-time softball player and fan who once tried out for the St. Louis Cardinals (and was judged a class D player who could hit well but not field or run well), Mike Royko was one of the most popular columnists in America for several decades. He worked for the Chicago Daily News, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune and was syndicated nationally in over 600 newspapers. While he wrote primarily about political and social issues, he devoted many columns over the years to his beloved Chicago Cubs. He also spent one year (1980) as a Chicago White Sox fan, swearing his allegiance on Bill Veeck's wooden leg. His notable contributions to baseball folklore included a piece on the ex-Cubs factor, one of the few columns trying to put Cal Ripken Jr.'s consecutive-game streak in perspective with what non-athletes had to do on a daily basis and an attempted rebuttal of the Curse of the Billy Goat. Royko was the author of several books and after his death two posthumous collections of his writings were published. His memorial service took place at Wrigley Field.

Wikipedia page on Royko