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Seymour Siwoff

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Seymour Siwoff
Born(1920-11-09)November 9, 1920
Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
DiedNovember 29, 2019(2019-11-29) (aged 99)
Manhattan, New York City
Alma materSt. John's University
SpouseGertrude Schatzberg
FamilyLela Swift Schwartz (sister}
Stuart Schwartz (nephew)
Dana Bash (great-niece)

Seymour Siwoff (November 9, 1920 – November 29, 2019) was an American statistician and businessman who was the president and chief executive of the Elias Sports Bureau from 1952 to 2019.[1] He was named a finalist for the 2020 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a contributor, however he was not elected.[2]

Biography

Siwoff was born in Brooklyn[3] on November 1, 1920.[4] His sister was television director and producer Lela Swift.[5] In 1943, he graduated from St. John's University with a degree in accounting and then served during World War II in the 88th Infantry Division where he was hit by shrapnel in Italy.[3] He worked as an accountant after the war and in 1948 took a position with the Elias Sports Bureau, the official statistician of the National League, where he had interned during college.[3] In 1952, he purchased the Bureau from the widows of Al Munro Elias and Walter Bruce Elias, who founded the company in 1913.[4] Under Siwoff, the company was known for providing more obscure facts (day/night games, performance against left/right-handed pitchers, home/away, and with runners in scoring position), foreshadowing the modern era's advanced statistics.[4] In 1980, the Elias Sports Bureau became the official statistician of the American League, replacing the Sports Information Center.[4] Siwoff expanded the company into providing statistical support to the NFL, NBA, WNBA, Major League Soccer, and various television and radio networks.[4]

Personal life

He was married to Gertrude Schatzberg (1921–2018); they had two children, Nancy Siwoff Gilston and Ronald Siwoff.[6][7][4] He died at his home in Manhattan on November 29, 2019.[4] His grandson, Joe Gilston, is owner and president of the Elias Sports Bureau.[4]

References

  1. ^ Goldstein, Richard (November 29, 2019). "Seymour Siwoff, Master of Sports Statistics, Is Dead at 99". The New York Times. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  2. ^ "Finalists for Special Centennial Slate Revealed". ProFootballHOF.com. December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Kirshenbaum, Jerry (August 18, 1969). "His Word is the Law of Averages". Sports Illustrated.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Blum, Ronald (November 29, 2019). "Stats maven Seymour Siwoff dead at 99". The Daily Herald.
  5. ^ Patten, Dominic; Pedersen, Erik (August 4, 2015). "Lela Swift Dies: Pioneering TV Director Was 96". Deadline.
  6. ^ "Gertrude Siwoff Author of her own wonderful life dies at age 97". The Star-Ledger. July 17, 2018.
  7. ^ Achudel, Matt (November 30, 2019). "Seymour Siwoff, who knew the score for baseball and other sports, dies at 99". The Washington Post.
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