James Drake Photography

Four Decades of Iconic Images

James Drake (1932-2022) was an editorial photographer based in Philadelphia where he grew up and studied journalism at the University of Pennsylvania. He became interested in photography as a teenager, and started working as a photojournalist in the 1950s after graduating from college and serving in the Army. He started out shooting for a local travel magazine and the alumni magazines of area universities. He moved on to the Trentonian, the Saturday Evening Post, and Life. But he found his stride shooting for Sports Illustrated, where the natural drama of sports suited his talents and tastes.

At Sports Illustrated, and later Inside Sports and Time, Jim captured some of the most memorable moments in classic sports: Sandy Koufax striking out a record-setting fifteen batters at the 1963 World Series, Muhammad Ali defeating Leon Spinks to become heavyweight champion of the world for the third time in 1978, and President Reagan celebrating Dennis Conner's return of America's Cup to the US in 1987 -- to name just a few. Jim's iconic images helped define the sports experience for magazine readers in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. His famous photo of Joe Namath standing in front of the bright lights of Time Square in New York earned Namath the nickname “Broadway Joe,” and trumpeted the dawn of the current era of glitz, glamour and big money in professional sports.

In 2010, Jim was awarded the prestigious Lucie Award, still photography's version of the Oscars, for a lifetime of achievement in sports, in a ceremony with other honorees at Lincoln Center in New York. Jim passed away in 2022, but his beautiful and captivating photos live on, keeping the past alive and as vibrant as ever.

Jim at his home in Philadelphia in the 1960s, photo by James Purring.

Read more about Jim in Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Pennlive.com.