Jane Gross

Jane Gross (September 10, 1947 – November 9, 2022) was an American sportswriter, journalist, and author. She was the first female sportswriter known to have entered a professional basketball locker room.[1][2][3] In February 1975, as a reporter for Newsday she asked New York Knicks coach Red Holzman to enter the locker room at Madison Square Garden, to which he agreed.

Gross was born in 1947 in Manhattan, and graduated from Skidmore College in 1969 with a degree in literature.[4] Her first journalism job was with Sports Illustrated, and she also worked for Newsday, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times.[5] After spending her earliest years in journalism as a sportswriter, she expanded into general reporting and also wrote about the AIDS crisis, abortion, and the challenges faced by adults caring for their aging parents.[4]

In 2011 Gross authored the book Bittersweet Season: Caring for Our Aging Parents – and Ourselves.[6]

In 2018 she was given an award by the Association for Women in Sports Media.[7]

She was the daughter of sportswriter Milton Gross of the New York Post.

  1. ^ Sandomir, Richard (November 10, 2022). "Jane Gross, Sportswriter Who Opened Locker Room Doors, Dies at 75". The New York Times.
  2. ^ "Jane Gross, pioneer for female sportswriters, dies at 75". TODAY.com. November 13, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  3. ^ Chavkin, Daniel (November 11, 2022). "Groundbreaking Sportswriter Jane Gross Has Died". Sports Illustrated.
  4. ^ a b Sandomir, Richard (November 11, 2022). "Jane Gross, Sportswriter Who Opened Locker Room Doors, Dies at 75". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  5. ^ Chavkin, Daniel (November 11, 2022). "Groundbreaking Sportswriter Jane Gross Has Died". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  6. ^ Paul, Annie Murphy (May 27, 2011). "How to Care for Your Mother". The New York Times.
  7. ^ Best, Neil (November 11, 2022). "Jane Gross, pioneering Newsday sportswriter who broke gender barrier in NBA locker rooms, dies at 75". Newsday. Retrieved November 15, 2022.