Seymour Siwoff

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]

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)

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. Kirshenbaum, Jerry (August 18, 1969). "His Word is the Law of Averages". Sports Illustrated.
  4. 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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