In 1958, Exley was admitted briefly to Stony Lodge, a private mental institution in Westchester County, New York, where he met Francena Fritz, whom he began courting. Itinerant life and instability Įxley was institutionalized three times in the 1950s after entering an itinerant period marked by acute alcoholism, obsession with New York Giants football, mental instability and schizophrenia that was to provide much of the autobiographical material for his first book, A Fan's Notes. Exley soon took over as managing editor of the railroad's employee magazine, The Rocket, where his first published writing appeared. After a year there he relocated to their Chicago office, then began working for Rock Island Railroad in the same capacity. He returned to New York to work in public relations for New York Central Railroad. In 1952, Exley dropped out of USC and moved to New York City to find employment, only to return a year later to complete a BA in English. Exley avoided being drafted in 1951 when he failed his Selective Service examination on account of injuries sustained in the car accident. The next year he transferred to the University of Southern California, where he began to follow the career of fellow student and future football legend Frank Gifford. Įxley entered Hobart College in the pre-dental program in 1949. Exley had a brief stint at Katonah High School in Katonah, New York, where he was named to the conference all-star basketball team. A car accident the following year injured Exley and prevented him from graduating high school on schedule. His father, who died in 1945 when Exley was 16, was a celebrated former athlete and local basketball coach whose legacy would be a dominating influence on Exley's early life. He was the third of four children, including a twin sister, Frances, born to Earl and Charlotte. He followed it up with two more fictional memoirs.Įxley was born (Frederic) March 28, 1929, in Watertown, New York. His fictional memoir A Fan's Notes received critical acclaim and awards. Frederick Earl 'Fred' Exley (Ma– June 17, 1992) was an American writer.

A Fan's Notes by Frederick Exley