Claude Sheetz "Blinkey" Horn (August 28, 1885 – May 20, 1937) was an early 20th-century American sportswriter, known most for his work in the Nashville Tennessean. He was a charter member of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1966.[1] He was later inducted into the Tennessee Sports Writers Hall of Fame.[2]

Blinkey Horn
BornClaude Sheetz Horn
(1885-08-28)August 28, 1885
Tennessee, U.S.
DiedMay 20, 1937(1937-05-20) (aged 51)
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
OccupationSportswriter

Nashville Tennessean

edit

He started at the Tennessean in 1912, held several positions such as police reporter, and in 1919 succeeded John H. Nye as sports editor.[3]

Basketball

edit

He developed the concept of a state high school basketball tournament and prompted the newspaper to sponsor the state tournament from 1921 until 1929.[2]

Baseball

edit

He was considered an authority on baseball,[4] who could readily pluck names and stats from memory.[3] Horn referred to the right field of Sulphur Dell as the "right center dump" for the unusual hill and its accompanying smell of the nearby city dump.[5]

Football

edit

While passersby stopped to watch, Michigan coach Fielding Yost once diagrammed a play for Horn on the sidewalk using groceries.[6]

Death

edit

On May 20, 1937, Horn died unexpectedly of a heart attack.[3]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Horn, Claude S. "Blinkey"". Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Sports Writers Hall of Fame to induct former News Sentinel editor Riggs". May 4, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c "Noted Tennessee Sport Scrivener Called by Death". The Evening Independent. May 21, 1937.
  4. ^ John A. Simpson (17 October 2013). Hub Perdue: Clown Prince of the Mound. p. 261. ISBN 9781476602745.
  5. ^ Skip Nipper (2007). Baseball in Nashville. p. 43. ISBN 9780738543918.
  6. ^ "Morris McLemore Says". The Miami News. January 13, 1951.