David Condon was more than a sportswriter. He knew presidents and princes, actors and aldermen, heroes and hucksters. He was a Chicago legend, a man about town, as recognizable as many of the notable men he wrote about in the 27 years he wrote In the Wake of the News for the Tribune.

Mr. Condon, 70, died at 5:55 p.m. Monday at Barr Pavilion, 66 W. Oak St., after a long illness.

From his front-page forum in the Tribune's sports section he would by turns skewer the pompous and write caressingly of the hard-luck guys who wander the back alleys of the world of sport.

But he was a well-rounded newspaperman who could and did cover such wide-ranging stories as the coronation of Queen Elizabeth, a prison riot in New Mexico and a visit to his hometown by the late Cardinal Stritch.

When the Harlem Globetrotters played a charity game in London in 1963, Prince Phillip told Trotters owner Abe Saperstein, "Give my regards to Dave Condon at the Chicago Tribune."

He was a personal friend of President John F. Kennedy and interviewed Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Lyndon B. Johnson for his column.

Although the pristine clarity of his prose as he described a dawn breaking over the stable area at Churchill Downs could bring a tear to the eye, he was more likely to evoke laughter with his humorous style.

He was a funny man in his personal life, too, a legendary prankster, who once convinced a Tribune security guard that he might be receiving a visit from Mr. Condon's deranged twin brother. After a quick change of clothes, Mr. Condon did, indeed, confront the guard as his demented twin.

Another time when the same guard left his post for a few minutes, Mr. Condon pushed the security desk into an elevator and sent it to the lobby. When the guard returned, Mr. Condon was there to ask him, "Say, you didn't happen to see an elephant go by here, did you?"

Once at the Kentucky Derby, Mr. Condon and another Tribune writer drove to Churchill Downs, arriving only minutes before the start of the race. Approaching the overfilled parking lot, Mr. Condon pointed to his colleague and said, "I've got the governor of Illinois here." He was ushered to a prime parking spot.

His most famous public prank came when, in collusion with his pal, Oakland A's owner Charlie Finley, he appeared on the field at Comiskey Park in a wig and dress as Morganna the Kissing Bandit and planted a smooch on a startled Joe Rudi.

"Dave was mischievous, a character out of `Guys and Dolls' and `The Front Page,' " said George Langford, the Tribune's public editor and former sports editor. "He was the best I ever saw on deadline, writing obituaries, chewing unlit cigars and playing practical jokes.

"His imagination, talent and dedication to journalism were unsurpassed. He was as expert in politics as he was in sports. And he was a soft touch. Of all the wonderful characters I've encountered, Dave was in a league of his own."

Mr. Condon was born in Las Vegas and attended Notre Dame University before joining the Tribune in 1944. In 1955 he succeeded Arch Ward as conductor of the Wake column, a post he held until his retirement in 1982.

"Whenever there was a big story," remembers Cooper Rollow, former Tribune sports editor, "you'd look around the room and Dave Condon was the first guy you'd go to. You knew you were going to get a first-rate job."

Mr. Condon is survived by his former wife, Patricia; five daughters, Susan, Colleen Green, Barbara Marrs, Kathleen Lorenz and Mary Harris; a son, David, and 14 grandchildren.

Arrangements are pending at John Carroll Sons funeral home, 1035 N. Dearborn St.

David Condon (1924)