Although he was a self-proclaimed “bench-warmer” in football at the University of Virginia, Wirt Henry Gammon was nothing less than a star as a sportswriter and editor for the “Chattanooga Times” for over four decades. A native of Bristol, Tennessee, Gammon joined the “Times” staff in 1930 and became sports editor in 1932. He was a pioneer in the reporting of softball in Chattanooga and subsequently became an authority on baseball and softball rules interpretation. He wrote a scorer’s manual for the Amateur Softball Association and for the National Baseball Congress. Gammon distinguished himself at writing as well as in the interpretation of diamond mechanics. He had stories selected in the annual E.P. Dutton anthology of “Best Sports Stories” for 1949 and 1964. A member of national writers’ associations in softball, baseball, golf, tennis, bowling, football, and basketball, Gammon was also a former president of the Southern Association of Baseball Writers and authored a book on the Lookouts, chronicling the history of professional baseball in Chattanooga. Even when in retirement, Gammon published a monthly softball scorers’ newsletter that was distributed nationally. Throughout his life and distinguished career, Wirt Henry Gammon was a vital member of the Chattanooga community and won various awards and citations not only for his sports writing and professional accomplishments, but for his civic involvement as well.
