William Morgan Blake (February, 1889 – July 26, 1953) was an early 20th-century American sportswriter in the South who in his 24 years on the job covered seven Rose Bowl games. He also taught the south's largest Sunday School class.[1][2]

Morgan Blake
BornWilliam Morgan Blake
February 1889 (1889-02)
Fayetteville, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedJuly 26, 1953(1953-07-26) (aged 64)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
OccupationSportswriter
Alma materVanderbilt University

Early years

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A law graduate and member of Phi Kappa Psi from Vanderbilt University in 1911, he began newspaper work on the Nashville Tennessean. He then switched to the Nashville Banner as a political writer, until eventually becoming a sports editor of the Atlanta Journal in 1916.[1][3] He was converted by Billy Sunday in 1922.[1]

Sportswriter

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Blake ranked Don Hutson led Alabama as the best football team he ever saw. He is one proposed originator of the "Golden Tornado" nickname for Georgia Tech.[4] He is also one for the Georgia Bulldogs. He wrote a story about school nicknames for football teams and proposed:

The Georgia Bulldogs would sound good because there is a certain dignity about a bulldog, as well as ferocity.[5]

Blake was known for his coverage of golfer Bobby Jones.[6] He retired in 1951.

Agoga's Men's Bible Class

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Teaching at the Agoga Men's Bible Class at the Baptist Tabernacle of Atlanta, his class frequently reached 2,000 and was rated as the largest in the south.[1] He also wrote religious news columns.

Bibliography

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  • A Sports Editor Finds Christ. Hale Publishing Company. 1952.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Morgan Blake, Columnist, Sports Writer To Retire". The Tuscaloosa News. July 29, 1951.
  2. ^ "Funeral Rites For Religious Writer Today". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. July 28, 1953.
  3. ^ Harold H. Martin (March 2011). Atlanta and Environs: A Chronicle of Its People and Events, 1940s-1970s. p. 202. ISBN 9780820339061.
  4. ^ "Golden Tornadoes". Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  5. ^ "Georgia Traditions from Georgiadogs.com". Archived from the original on 2013-01-18. Retrieved 2007-03-29.
  6. ^ "Personnel 1930-1939".