John Underwood papers

Identity elements

Name and location of repository

Level of description

Collection

Title

John Underwood papers

Date(s)

  • circa 1940s-2000s (Creation)

Extent

19.50 linear feet (18 record storage cartons, 1 document case, 1 flat archival box)

Name of creator

Biographical history

John Underwood (1934-2023) was a well-known sports writer based out of Miami, Florida. He began writing for The Miami News while he was in high school and later went on to graduate from University of Miami in 1956 with a Bachelor's degree in English. Afterwards, he would write for The Herald and Sports Illustrated, the latter of where he achieved the most renown. He continued writing for Sports Illustrated up until his resignation in 1985 to pursue freelancing full time. He also collaborated with famed baseball player Ted Williams to write three books, My Turn at Bat: The Story of My Life, The Science of Hitting, and Fishing "The Big Three," as well as collaborated with Arthur and Peyton Manning to write Manning.

Content and structure elements

Scope and content

This collection contains articles, screenplays, research notes, drafts, and other writings by John Underwood, as well as research files, audiovisual materials, and clippings. His research topics included former Florida State Senator George A. Smathers, sports, Disney, and South Florida. His collection also contains correspondence, his personal files, photograph albums, scrapbooks, his University of Miami files, and ephemera.

System of arrangement

Conditions of access and use elements

Conditions governing access

This collection is unprocessed but open for research.

Physical access

This collection is kept in an off-campus storage facility. Please contact Special Collections at asc.library@miami.edu with the boxes you are interested in prior to your visit, and allow up to 1 week for delivery of materials.

Technical access

Conditions governing reproduction

John Underwood Papers Finding Aid © 2024 University of Miami. Requests to reproduce or publish materials from this collection should be directed to asc.library@miami.edu.

Languages of the material

  • English

Scripts of the material

  • Latin

Language and script notes

Finding aids

Acquisition and appraisal elements

Custodial history

Immediate source of acquisition

Gift of Donna S. Underwood, 05-03-24.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information

Accruals

Related materials elements

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related archival materials

The following books and periodicals were added to the cataloging backlog:

  • Fishing "The Big Three" by John Underwood and Ted Williams, 1988
  • My Turn at Bat: The Story of My Life by Ted Williams with John Underwood, 1988
  • Manning: Archie and Peyton Manning with John Underwood, 2000
  • Tales out of School: Joseph Fernandez's Crusade to Rescue America Education by Joseph A. Fernandez with John Underwood, 1993
  • It's Only Me: The Ted Williams We Hardly Knew by John Underwood, 2005
  • The Science of Hitting by Ted Williams and John Underwood, 1986
  • Fifteen issues of Florida Trend Magazine featuring articles by John Underwood, 1992-1998

Related descriptions

Notes element

Specialized notes

Alternative identifier(s)

Description control element

Rules or conventions

Sources used

Archivist's note

Finding aid created by Yvette Yurubi, Processing Archivist, 06-10-24.

Access points

Place access points

Accession area