Mitch Albom

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Mitch Albom graduated from Brandeis University and later from Columbia University with Masters degrees in Journalism and Business Administration. Before entering the world of journalism, he was an amateur boxer and a nightclub singer and pianist.

For over 10 years, Albom has been one of the most highly respected sportswriters/commentators in the world. He is a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist for the Detroit Free Press and has received seven first place APSE honors for feature writing, which is truly remarkable considering the fact that no other columnist has won the APSE award more than once.

Additionally, Albom has won awards from AP, UPI, Headliners Club, and the National Sportswriters and Broadcasters Associations. His work has appeared in numerous national and international publications, including Sports Illustrated, GQ, Sport, the New York Times, TV Guide, USA Today and Germany's popular GEO Magazine, as well as on the Internet with MSNBC.

Albom is a regular commentator on ESPN and a panelist on Sports Reporters. His three radio shows --- The Mitch Albom Show, The Mitch Albom Show on the Weekend, and The Monday Sports Albom --- are nationally syndicated. He broadcasts out of Detroit's WJR-AM, an ABC flagship that reaches 38 states and much of Canada.

Albom is the author of eight books, including Live Albom I (1987), Live Albom II (1990), Live Albom III (1992), Live Albom IV (1995), Bo --- the autobiography of Bo Schembechler (co-written with Schembechler and also a New York Times bestseller), and Fab Five, the inside story of the University of Michigan's basketball team, whose recruits all became starters as freshmen in the early 1990s.

However, it was 1997's Tuesdays With Morrie that propelled Albom to literary superstardom. Based on conversations with his Brandeis college professor Morrie Schwartz, who was dying of Lou Gehrig's disease, the novel is an emotional portrait of a life lived and a guide to how life should be lived. Tuesdays With Morrie remained on the New York Times bestseller list an astounding four years after its publication and was adapted for the small screen by the ABC Television Network in the 1999 movie of the same name, starring Jack Lemmon and Hank Azaria. The book has also been turned into a play, which can be seen in theaters around the country.

Albom's latest effort, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, centers on an 83-year-old wounded war veteran who is killed in a tragic accident. He soon discovers that heaven isn't merely a destination but a place where five people help the deceased understand the significance and value of their life on earth.

Despite his busy schedule, Albom always finds time to help those who are less fortunate. He serves on the boards of various charities, including CATCH (Caring Athletes Team for Children's and Henry Ford Hospitals), Forgotten Harvest, and Michigan Hospice Organization. In 1999 he was named National Hospice Organization's Man of the Year.