CLOWSER, JACK (8 March 1901-19 March 1983) specialized in the coverage of track and intercollegiate football during his journalism career on the 2 Cleveland afternoon dailies. His family brought him from his native Barnet, England, to Philadelphia in 1910 and then to ROCKY RIVER, where in 1920 he was a member of Rocky River High School's first graduating class. After attending Ohio Wesleyan University, Clowser broke into journalism with the CLEVELAND TIMES (1922), followed by 3 years with the Lakewood Post. In 1926 he joined the CLEVELAND NEWS, where he became one of the first sports writers to discover Cleveland's track great, JESSIE OWENS†. Clowser became one of 8 founders of the in 1933, serving as its first treasurer. In 1942 he resigned from the News to become publicity director for Case School of Applied Science (see CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY), but a few months later he became a member of the CLEVELAND PRESS sports staff. His scoops included a prediction in 1945 of the Rose Bowl agreement between the Pacific Coast and Big Ten football conferences. Clowser also helped discover another scholastic track runner, Harrison Dillard of BALDWIN-WALLACE COLLEGE, whom he followed to London to cover in the 1948 Olympics. A charter member of the Cleveland Touchydown Club, Clowser also served 6 years on the executive board of the Football Writers Assoc. Following his retirement from the Press in 1966, Clowser wrote for the SUN NEWSPAPERS and waged a personal letter writing campaign against U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Married to the former Mabel Neate, he was father of 2 children.
Last Modified: 14 Jul 1997 03:54:39 PM- Related Article(s)