2008 J. G. Taylor Spink Award Winner Larry Whiteside

Larry Whiteside, a pioneer among African-American sports journalists, was elected the 2008 winner of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award

Whiteside, who died June 15, 2007, of complications from Parkinson's disease, is the third African-American winner of the Spink Award, following Wendell Smith (1993) and Sam Lacy (1997).

Spending most of his 30-year career as a beat writer, Whiteside began writing for The Kansas City Kansan (1959-63) and later went to the Milwaukee Journal (1963-73) where he was a beat writer covering the Braves in the 1960s and the Brewers in the 1970s. He joined the staff of The Boston Globe in 1973. In 1980, "Sides" became the first
African-American Hall of Fame voter.

In 1971, Whiteside created "The Black List" of African-American reporters and copy editors designed to aid sports editors in helping hire black journalists. By 1983, the list had expanded from nine to 90 names. "Sides" not only covered the Red Sox and was a national baseball writer for the Globe, but also made four trips to Japan and two to Australia covering the sport.

A three-time chairman of the BBWAA Boston chapter, Larry was a recipient of the Dave O'Hara Award for long and meritorious service to the chapter. The National Association of Black Journalists honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999.