Wayne Stewart: Author of - 1960 When the Pittsburgh Pirates Had Them All the Way

By Paula Green

Donora is a small community in Washington County. Even though it is small in stature, this local town was the home of two baseball greats, Stan Musial and Ken Griffey, Jr. Both men are inductees of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Sportswriter and book author Wayne Stewart attended Donora High School (Class of 1969) with Ken Griffey, Sr. The two were classmates and played baseball together. Stewart has written a biography on Musial, and the senior and junior Griffeys were featured in Stewart’s book Fathers, Sons, and Baseball: Our National Pastime and the Ties that Bond.

Stewart’s latest release is a book on the Pirates called 1960 When the Pittsburgh Pirates Had Them All the Way (Sunberry Press). The book highlights and recreates a glorious baseball era, topped off with one of the most dramatic home runs ever—Bill Mazeroski's walk-off World Series-ending home run in Game 7 against the New York Yankees.

“Coming from Donora, the home of Hall of Famers Musial and Griffey Jr., was exciting. I’ve always loved baseball. Playing on the same high school baseball team as Ken Griffey Sr. helped, too. I became a fan of the game in first grade in 1957, so I have some memories of the 1960 Pirates,” Stewart said.

Stewart was fortunate enough to interview some memorable, dynamic players for the book.

“Getting to interview such greats as Dick Groat, Vern Law, Roy Face, Hal Smith, and Dick Schofield made writing the book enjoyable. They were so friendly, down-to-earth, and accommodating. Many ended our conversation by telling me to call back anytime,” Stewart said.

Stewart has authored 40 books; none of them were self-published, and most have been baseball themed. “Two of my favorites are Stan the Man: The Life and Times of Stan Musial and one with a focus on humor, Wits, Flakes, and Clowns: The Colorful Characters of Baseball. However, I’ve also written a handful of books on basketball and football—one, America’s Football Factory, should interest local readers because it’s all about great players, mainly quarterbacks out of western Pennsylvania – such as Joe Montana and Dan Marino,” said Stewart.

During his writings, Stewart encountered some famous athletes. “I’ve interviewed 56 Hall of Famers from Nolan Ryan and Willie Stargell to Bob Gibson and Joe Torre. A few that stand out are talking with the Griffeys for my books Fathers, Sons, and Baseball, as well as my interview with Tony Gwynn, who explored the topic of hitting for my upcoming book (in December) entitled Talking Baseball with Major League Stars,” Stewart said.

Stewart began his sports writing career in 1978 with a story for Baseball Digest. In addition to writing, Stewart spent 31 years teaching secondary education in Lorain, Ohio. He is married and is the father of two sons and one grandson. He resides in Amherst, Ohio, near Cleveland. Stewart’s books are available on Amazon, most Barnes & Noble locations, and other outlets.