Richard J. Schaap (September 27, 1934 - December 21, 2001) was an American sportswriter, broadcaster, and the author or co-author of 33 books. He was known for his elegant prose and had a reputation as something of an intellectual; many columns consisted of broad sports essays, or "thought pieces." His autobiography, Flashing Before My Eyes: 50 Years of Headlines, Deadlines & Punchlines not only recounted some of his adventures, but was an anthology to his habit of name-dropping (531 celebrities). After his death in 2001, the autobiography was reissued under Schaap's original title- "Dick Schaap as Told to Dick Schaap: 50 years of Headlines, Deadlines and Punchlines," to coordinate with many of his previous titles. In 2002, he was inducted into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame.