# Phil Collier

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{{Short description|American sportswriter (1925–2001)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Phil Collier
| image=Phil Collier.JPG
| image_size=
| caption = 
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1925|12|7}}
| birth_place = [Stanton, Texas](/source/Stanton%2C_Texas), U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2001|2|24|1925|12|17}}
| death_place = [San Diego, California](/source/San_Diego%2C_California), U.S.
| alma_mater = [Texas Christian University](/source/Texas_Christian_University)
| occupation = Sportswriter
| spouse = Ruth Collier
| children = 4
| awards= [J. G. Taylor Spink Award](/source/J._G._Taylor_Spink_Award) (1990)
}}

'''Philip Collier''' (December 7, 1925 – February 24, 2001) was an American [sportswriter](/source/sportswriting) who worked in the [San Diego](/source/San_Diego) area for many years. Along with sports editor [Jack Murphy](/source/Jack_Murphy_(sportswriter)), he was instrumental in bringing [Major League Baseball](/source/Major_League_Baseball) to the city in the form of the expansion team [San Diego Padres](/source/San_Diego_Padres).<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 25, 2001 |title=Phil Collier, baseball writer, dead at 75 |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/2001/02/25/Phil-Collier-baseball-writer-dead-at-75/3655983077200/ |work=[United Press International](/source/United_Press_International)}}</ref>

Born in [Stanton, Texas](/source/Stanton%2C_Texas), Collier began his career as a sportswriter in [Baytown, Texas](/source/Baytown%2C_Texas), in 1939. After military service, he attended [Texas Christian University](/source/Texas_Christian_University) and, between classes, worked at the ''[Fort Worth Star-Telegram](/source/Fort_Worth_Star-Telegram)''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Phil Collier: BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winner |url=https://baseballhall.org/discover-more/awards/spink/phil-collier |publisher=[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum](/source/National_Baseball_Hall_of_Fame_and_Museum)}}</ref>

In 1953, Collier joined the ''[San Diego Union](/source/San_Diego_Union-Tribune)'' where he covered the [San Diego Padres](/source/San_Diego_Padres_(PCL)) of the [Pacific Coast League](/source/Pacific_Coast_League) until the [Brooklyn Dodgers](/source/Brooklyn_Dodgers) moved to Los Angeles in 1958. For the next decade, he covered both Dodgers and [Los Angeles Angels](/source/Los_Angeles_Angels) games for the ''Union''.<ref name=latimesobit/>

Collier was the sportswriter who [Sandy Koufax](/source/Sandy_Koufax) first told about his decision to retire, during the 1965 season. Koufax, who was close friends with Collier, told him that 1966 would be his final season and requested he keep the news confidential; he called the day before announcing his retirement in a press conference so that Collier could break the story.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Leavy, Jane |url=https://archive.org/details/sandykoufaxlefty0000leav |title=Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy |publisher=HarperCollins |year=2002 |isbn=0-06-019533-9 |pages=163, 238–239 |via=Archive.org}}</ref>

When San Diego was awarded the expansion San Diego Padres in 1969, Collier began covering the team, which he would do for 18 seasons. In 1987, he became the national baseball columnist for the ''Union''. He continued to write for the ''Union-Tribune'' after its merger with the ''San Diego Tribune'' in 1992. He retired from the paper in 1996.<ref name=latimesobit/>

He was awarded the [J. G. Taylor Spink Award](/source/J._G._Taylor_Spink_Award) by the [Baseball Hall of Fame](/source/Baseball_Hall_of_Fame) in 1990.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBWAA Career Excellence Award Winners |url=https://bbwaa.com/cea/ |website=bbwaa.com |publisher=[Baseball Writers' Association of America](/source/Baseball_Writers'_Association_of_America)}}</ref>

Collier died in [San Diego, California](/source/San_Diego%2C_California), of [prostate cancer](/source/prostate_cancer).<ref name="latimesobit">{{Cite news |date=February 27, 2001 |title=Phil Collier; Hall of Fame San Diego Sportswriter |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-feb-27-me-30920-story.html |work=[Los Angeles Times](/source/Los_Angeles_Times)}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Baseball}}
*[http://baseballhall.org/discover/awards/j-g-taylor-spink/phil-collier Phil Collier: 1990 J. G. Taylor Spink Award winner] at the [Baseball Hall of Fame](/source/Baseball_Hall_of_Fame)

{{1991 Baseball HOF}}
{{J. G. Taylor Spink Award}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collier, Phil}}
Category:1925 births
Category:2001 deaths
Category:20th-century American journalists
Category:Baseball writers
Category:BBWAA Career Excellence Award recipients
Category:Deaths from prostate cancer in California
Category:People from Stanton, Texas
Category:Writers from San Diego
Category:Sportswriters from California
Category:Sportswriters from Texas
Category:Texas Christian University alumni
Category:The San Diego Union-Tribune people

{{US-sportswriter-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Phil Collier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Collier) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Collier?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.