Claude Sheetz "Blinkey" Horn (August 28, 1885 – May 20, 1937) was an early 20th-century American sportswriter, known most for his work in the Nashville Tennessean. He was a charter member of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1966.[1] He was later inducted into the Tennessee Sports Writers Hall of Fame.[2]
Blinkey Horn | |
|---|---|
| Born | Claude Sheetz Horn (1885-08-28)August 28, 1885 Tennessee |
| Died | May 20, 1937(1937-05-20) (aged 51) Nashville, Tennessee |
| Occupation | Sportswriter |
He started at the Tennessean in 1912, held several positions such as police reporter, and in 1919 succeeded John H. Nye as sports editor.[3]
He developed the concept of a state high school basketball tournament and prompted the newspaper to sponsor the state tournament from 1921 until 1929.[2]
He was considered an authority on baseball,[4] who could readily pluck names and stats from memory.[3] Horn referred to the right field of Sulphur Dell as the "right center dump" for the unusual hill and its accompanying smell of the nearby city dump.[5]
While passersby stopped to watch, Michigan coach Fielding Yost once diagrammed a play for Horn on the sidewalk using groceries.[6]
On May 20, 1937, Horn died unexpectedly of a heart attack.[3]