Jerry Levine, storied NYC sports writer, Pro Bowlers Association PR manager, dies at 95

Jerry Levine, well-known New York City sportswriter and public relations manager for the Professional Bowlers' Association, died from natural causes at his home in Boynton Beach on Oct. 6.

Fittingly for the die-hard New York Yankees fan, the last words he heard from his daughters, Marcia Levine and Beth Freed, was that Aaron Judge had hit his 62nd home run, eclipsing Roger Maris' record.

"He smiled faintly and my sister and I knew that he was supremely content. He passed a day and half later ... comfortably in his bed, with the sports pages on his covers," Marcia said.

Levine's two fingered "hunt & peck" typing style on a Smith Corona was his trademark in a 60-year writing career that included mentoring young writers such as his lifelong friend, Jimmy Breslin.

He later became PR director for the PBA, wrote three books about bowling, co-written with legends Billy Welu and Nelson Burton Jr., and is a member of the Bowling Writers Hall of Fame. He often was seen on ABC's "Wide World of Sports" when bowling opened the weekly show.

His newspaper career started in 1942, when he was rejected by the U.S. Army for a congenital hip disorder, and he became a copy boy on the Sports desk at the New York Journal American. This was at a time when NYC had at least 10 major daily newspapers.

Over the course of the next 20 years, Levine wrote under his own byline covering many sports including harness racing (when there were three racetracks in the New York area) boxing, tennis, golf, skiing and basketball.

By 1965, with the increasing popularity of TV, the newspaper business was in serious decline and many papers folded, including the storied Journal American, the Herald Tribune and the World Telegram. An ill-fated merger of the three papers failed a year later.

With many in the industry unemployed, Levine turned to public relations and spent the next 30 years working for sports franchises, including the New York Knicks, and other industries. He particularly loved his stint in 1967 at Las Vegas' Stardust Hotel and then at the PBA and his move to Akron, Ohio with Millie, his beloved wife of 40 years.

Levine was proud of his sports memorabilia collection, including a Joe DiMaggio signed baseball bat. His close friend, Willis Reed, the former center of the New York Knicks, gifted him his giant-sized jersey and shorts.

A lifelong news aficionado, he read The Palm Beach Post, the New York Times, Miami Herald, and Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel daily until his death.

Levine is survived by his daughters, Marcia Levine and Beth Freed, both from Boynton Beach, and grandchildren, Pamela Klein and Michael Freed.

Funeral services are pending.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jerry Levine New York City sports writer, PBA PR manager has died