NEW YORK -- Ben Olan, a sports writer and editor at The Associated Press for more than 50 years who was honored by the NHL Hall of Fame, has died. He was 96.

Known for being nattily dressed during his days when AP headquarters was located at 50 Rockefeller Plaza, Olan passed away early Monday morning at a nursing home in Queens, said his grandson, Trevor Hickey.

Olan started at the AP in 1952, ran the hockey coverage for over a decade and later wrote about baseball, college and pro basketball, and boxing. He then became a special projects editor and retired in 2003.

In 1987, the NHL Hall of Fame presented him with the Elmer Ferguson Award, which honors members of the newspaper profession. He also was a member of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Olan edited The Associated Press Sports Almanac in the late 1970s and several books, including Big-Time Baseball, Baseball's Unforgettable Games, and Pro Football's 100 Greatest Players with famed coach George Allen.

Olan was an editor at Hockey Illustrated Magazine, Pro Football Today, Boxing Today and many other publications.