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In October 1996 Herman L. Masin marked his sixtieth year as Editor-in-Chief of Coach & Athletic Director Athletic director (commonly, "athletics director") is a position at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, which oversees the work of the coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic  - an unprecedented run in publishing history. Herman has edited this magazine since 1936 without ever missing an issue, and you can count the number of days he missed on one hand, and have sufficient leftover digits to signal for a knuckleball.

To put Herman's run in proper perspective, if Cal Ripken plays another 45 years without missing a game, Coach & Athletic Director will consider him for a longevity award.

On Herman Masin's first day as Editor of Coach, he paid a nickel to ride the subway, and another nickel for his morning paper. The Yankees were champions of baseball and the Packers were champions of football, just as they are today, but little else has stayed the same. FDR was completing his first term, Jesse Owens had just dominated the Berlin Olympics, and the jet engine had just been invented. No one had yet seen Gone With the Wind, heard The Beatles, or knew where Vietnam was; no one had ever watched ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network , listened to a walkman, drove a minivan, or worked on a personal computer. (And Herman still doesn't - he types every word that you see in this magazine on a 1956 Royal manual typewriter.)

Over the past ten years, Herman has been lionized by New York's Downtown Athletic Club The Downtown Athletic Club was an athletic club in a 35-story building located at 19 West Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It was founded in 1926. By 1927, it had purchased this site next to the Hudson River to construct its own building. , the National High School Hall of Fame, and Sports Illustrated Sports Illustrated is the largest weekly American sports magazine owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. It has over 3 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men, 19% of the adult males in the country.  - none of which he has taken all too seriously. At 83 (going on 84 on June 21), he's still here every day, making sense of coaching manuscripts, creating the best prose in sports in Here Below, and offering advice and counsel to budding Bill Walshs and John Woodens everywhere - a coach of the coaches, if you will. And on the occasion of his anniversary, when Scholastic's staff and management honored the venerable Masin, some of his former authors took their hats and headsets off to their boss.

To a writer, Herman is a blessing of an editor - he respects good writing and writers. To the writers he has worked with, he is the perfect Coach, making all around him better at what they do while reminding them why they do it.

Ten years ago, on Herman's 50th Anniversary, Publisher Bruce Weber Bruce Weber may refer to:
  • Bruce Weber (photographer) (b. 1946)
  • Bruce Weber (coach) (b. 1956)
  • Bruce Weber (administrator) (1951-2006)
 said it was his "pleasure to salute this giant on his milestone, with the sincere hope that we'll be able to do a 60th anniversary special as well." At this rate, can 70 be far behind?

DALE BROWN
For the former college basketball coach, see Dale Brown (basketball).
For the cruiserweight boxer, see Dale Brown (boxer).


Dale Brown (b.
 

Herman Masin, as solid as Mount Rushmore. Not only a great journalist, but a fine human being, and a man that I respect for his ethics, professionalism, and ability.

AL DAVIS For other persons named Al Davis, see Al Davis (disambiguation).
Allen "Al" Davis (born July 4, 1929 in Brockton, Massachusetts) is an American football executive, who currently serves as the president and managing general partner of the NFL's Oakland Raiders.
 

Your commitment to excellence, to your work at Coach magazine, will be forever etched etch  
v. etched, etch·ing, etch·es

v.tr.
1.
a. To cut into the surface of (glass, for example) by the action of acid.

b.
 in my mind. For forty-five years, I have had a debt of gratitude to you, for your belief in a young football coach and, most important of all, inspired in him, the will to do great. It is a debt of gratitude that we will never forget. Godspeed, Herman.

DICK COURY

I can't believe it's your 60th year as the editor. I can remember Coach Sid Gillman Sidney "Sid" Gillman (October 26, 1911 - January 3, 2003) was an American football coach and innovator. Gillman's insistence on stretching the football field by throwing deep downfield passes, instead of short passes to running backs or wide receivers at the sides of the line of , introducing us at Charger training camp, some 36 years ago. A lot of wonderful things have happened over the years, and you've certainly accomplished a lot over these many years, and hopefully the next sixty will be as great as the past sixty. Congratulations again on a fabulous career, and enjoy the evening with your friends. God bless you.

ROD DELMONICO

I wouldn't be where I am today, as head baseball coach at the University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (UT), sometimes called the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UT Knoxville or UTK), is the flagship institution of the statewide land-grant University of Tennessee public university system in the American state of Tennessee. , if it weren't for Herman. He is no doubt the best editor in the business. I owe a lot to him.

HAYDEN FRY John Hayden Fry (born February 28, 1929) was an NCAA Division I-A college football coach from 1962-1998 at SMU, North Texas, and the University of Iowa. He compiled a record of 232 wins, 178 losses, and 10 ties during his 37 year career as a head coach and has been inducted into  

I'd like to add my congratulations to my good friend Herman Masin as he celebrates sixty years as editor of coach. I remember, some 45 years ago, when I first broke into coaching, I started reading Coach. The inspiration and education that he's given high school and college coaches across America has just been phenomenal. I think I have every volume of Coach, and to this day, still utilize its articles in my coaching. Herman, congratulations on a wonderful career, and may God bless you.

JOE GARAGIOLA Joseph Henry Garagiola, Sr. (born February 12, 1926 in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American former catcher in Major League Baseball who later became an announcer and television host, popular for his colorful personality.  

Sixty years as editor! I cannot believe it! I know one thing, you wouldn't be there sixty years if George Steinbrenner George Michael Steinbrenner III (born July 4, 1930 in Rocky River, Ohio), often known as "The Boss", is an American billionaire businessman and the principal owner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees.  owned the magazine! I feel privileged to consider you my friend, and to have been able to talk about framing pitches and the proper way to bunt and get leads and everything else. I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed)

"Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party.
 what kind of Hall of Fame they have in your profession, but if they don't have one they should have one and you'd be the first one I'd put in, and if they do have one and you're not in I'd put you in.

SID GILLMAN

I remember how impressed and flattered I was when you asked me to write a football column for Coach, which at that time was my football bible. In my formative years, as a young football coach, I read every line that was printed in Coach in order to stay informed on everything regarding football. You have been an inspiration for us all in the sports world Sports World are a British sports Retailer, formerly called Sports Soccer.

Founded in the late 1970's by former county squash coach Mike Ashley, the group Sports World International is now the UK's largest retailer of sports clothing and accessories.
. I go back sixty years with you, and it is remarkable that you had the strength and stamina to be at your desk every day all these many years. What a legacy! And you're not finished yet!

JOE PATERNO Joseph Vincent Paterno (born December 21, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York), nicknamed JoePa, is the head coach of Pennsylvania State University's college football team, a position he has held since 1966.  

When we were both kids back in the stone ages I never thought you'd last sixty days, not to mention sixty years. On a serious note, you've done a wonderful job for athletics on college and scholastic levels. Everyone who has ever been sincerely interested in the welfare of kids and the quality of coaching and the overall good of our games owes you a great deal. Congratulations, friend.

JOHN McKAY There are several different notable people named John McKay:
  • John McKay (UK politician) (1885–1964), British Labour Party MP for Wallsend 1945–1964.
  • John B. McKay (1922–1975), a test pilot.
 

Congratulations, Herman. It's great to know that we're both still above ground. I remember doing articles for Coach but above that, I remember reading articles in Coach when I was a young coach that helped me enormously in my career. I salute you on your special achievement, and wish you the best.

JACK RAMSAY
This article refers to the basketball coach. For the Canadian politician, see Jack Ramsay (politician).
Dr. John T. Ramsay (born February 21, 1925 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States) is an American former professional basketball coach in the
 

You probably don't realize the tremendous impact you have had on the lives of countless athletes and coaches through your expertise as editor of Coach. You've afforded coaches in all sports a forum for presenting their views of their game, how it should be played, how to teach it and how to improve their teaching techniques and upgrade their chances for success. Those coaches then transmitted that information to their players. You have served those of us who have made careers of coaching in a special way. You have been an outstanding professional in your work, as well as personal friend. We coaches love you for being who you are and for what you have done for sports.

HUBERT VOGELSINGER

It doesn't seem like thirty years ago that we first met, when t sent you an article on soccer to be publish by Coach. You cut the piece just about in half, but to my amazement, it still said everything I wanted it to say. I realized then and there that I had met a mentor who could lead me in my passionate mission to educate Americans about soccer. I felt intuitively that you, too, had such a mission, not just about soccer, but about sports in general. Our relationship continued over many years and many articles for Coach. You are such a great teacher, and I want you to know that you were and still are the single most influential person in my development as a coach, teacher, and missionary in soccer.

JOHN WOODEN

Congratulations on your long years of real service to interscholastic in·ter·scho·las·tic  
adj.
Existing or conducted between or among schools.



inter·scho·las
 athletics. I don't think anyone has ever been more supportive or helpful towards the advancement of interscholastic athletics than you have. I've enjoyed Coach over the years, as well as the friendship and association that I had with you. Of course, you have many years to go, because you're only 83 and I'm 86.
COPYRIGHT 1997 Scholastic, Inc.
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 1997, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Title Annotation:'Coach & Athletic Director' editor-in-chief Herman L. Masin
Publication:Coach and Athletic Director
Article Type:Biography
Date:Apr 1, 1997
Words:1367
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