WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (January 13, 2020) – Dan Patrick (far left in photo), Tom Verducci (far right), and Michael Wilbon (center) have been voted into the National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame, NSMA executive director Dave Goren announced.
Three deceased legends, Skip Caray, Cawood Ledford, and Dick Young will also enter the Hall, the results of the annual vote of the NSMA’s membership.
The NSMA will also honor the 2019 national sportscaster of the year, Kevin Harlan, 2019 national sportswriter of the year, Adrian Wojnarowski, and 110 state sportscasters and sportswriters of the year from 49 states, plus the District of Columbia. They will be honored at the 61st annual NSMA awards banquet, June 29, 2020 in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Patrick, host of The Dan Patrick Show, got his start in local television, before becoming a sports reporter at CNN. But it was after moving to ESPN and teaming with Keith Olbermann on the network’s nightly SportsCenter shows that he made his mark. After leaving ESPN, Patrick went out on his own with nationally-syndicated radio show. The show is now in more than 300 markets in the U.S., and is simulcast on TV. Patrick is a two-time winner of the NSMA’s national sportscaster of the year award.
Verducci is senior baseball writer at Sports Illustrated, where has written for 27 years. Winner of three straight NSMA national sportswriter of the year awards, he has branched out to television in the last decade, serving as a baseball analyst and sideline reporter for FOX Sports, Turner Sports, and the MLB Network. Verducci is also the author of several books.
Wilbon began his newspaper career at The Washington Post in 1980. While serving as a reporter and columnist in 2001, he ventured into television, co-hosting Pardon the Interruption with Post colleague Tony Kornheiser, a 2019 NSMA Hall of Fame inductee. Wilbon left the Post for a full-time position at ESPN in 2010. During that time, he has filled several reporting and analyst roles.
Caray joins his father, Harry Caray, to become the first father and son duo elected to the NSMA Hall of Fame. After starting out calling play-by-play for St. Louis University and the St. Louis Hawks, Caray moved to Atlanta to call Atlanta Braves’ games on WTBS. WTBS became one of the first local stations carried on other cable systems throughout the country. As a result, Caray became one of the most well-known faces and voices in televised sports. His 33-year career with the Braves ended upon his death in 2008.
Ledford was the 39-year “voice” of the University of Kentucky Wildcats, calling Wildcats’ basketball and football games on a network that stretched beyond the borders of the Commonwealth. Ledford also called play-by-play on the national broadcast of the NCAA Men’s Final Four on the CBS Radio Network, as well as several Kentucky Derbies. Ledford died in 2001.
Young spent 45 years as a sportswriter and columnist at the New York Daily News, before moving to the rival New York Post in 1982. Known for his abrasive personality and style, Young was elected to the writers’ wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978, and was a former president of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. He died in 1987.
NATIONAL AWARDS
Now a two-time winner of the NSMA national sportscaster of the year award, Harlan (left in photo) can be seen and heard on several platforms. He calls NFL football and college basketball on CBS, the NBA on Turner Sports, and Monday Night Football on Westwood One. He spent his early career in Kansas City, where he was the radio and TV voice of the NBA’s Kansas City Kings, then called college basketball on the University of Kansas Jayhawks Radio Network, and spent nine seasons as the radio voice of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs.
Wojnarowski (right in photo) becomes the sixth person to win three straight NSMA national sportswriter of the year awards, joining Verducci, Rick Reilly, Frank Deford, Jim Murray, and Red Smith. Now ESPN’s Senior NBA Insider, “Woj” had a newspaper career that included stops at The Record (Bergen County, NJ), Fresno Bee, and Waterbury Republican-American, before a near 10-year stint at Yahoo Sports. The two-time winner of the Associated Press Sports Editors’ “Columnist of the Year” award is also an award-winning author.
NOTABLE AMONG STATE WINNERS
● Indiana University radio play-by-play announcer Don Fischer was voted Indiana sportscaster of the year for the 27th time;
● Jack Ebling, a three-time Michigan sportswriter of the year, was voted Michigan sportscaster of the year for the second time;
● Davis Potter, who won the 2015 Mississippi sportswriter of the year award, was voted Wyoming sportscaster of the year for the first time;
● John Canzano, who won five Oregon sportswriter of the year awards, was voted Oregon sportscaster of the year for the second time.
HALL OF FAME, NATIONAL AND STATE WINNERS
2020 Hall of Fame Inductees
HALL OF FAME SPORTSCASTERS
Skip Caray, Atlanta Braves TV (D)
Cawood Ledford, Univ of Kentucky radio (D)
Dan Patrick, ESPN, NBC Sports, The Dan Patrick Show
HALL OF FAME SPORTSWRITERS
Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated, Newsday, Florida Today
Mike Wilbon, Washington Post
Dick Young, New York Daily News (D)
2019 NATIONAL WINNERS
NATIONAL SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Kevin Harlan, CBS, Turner, Westwood One (2)
NATIONAL SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN (3)
2019 STATE WINNERS
ALABAMA SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
JD Byars, U. of S. Alabama/Jaguar Sports Properties, Mobile (1)
ALABAMA SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Cecil Hurt, Tuscaloosa News, TideSports.com, Tuscaloosa (3)
ARIZONA SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Dave Pasch, Arizona Cardinals Radio Network/ESPN, Phoenix (4)
ARIZONA SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR (TIE)
Doug Haller, The Athletic, Phoenix (3)
Caitlin Schmidt, Arizona Daily Star, Tucson (1)
ARKANSAS SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Steve Sullivan, KATV-TV, Little Rock (4)
ARKANSAS SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Bob Holt, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/arkansasonline.com, Fayetteville (3)
CALIFORNIA SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Dave Flemming, SF Giants TV/Radio/ ESPN, San Francisco (1)
CALIFORNIA SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles (2)
COLORADO SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Troy Renck, KMGH-TV, Denver (1)
COLORADO SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Ryan O’Halloran, Denver Post, Denver (1)
CONNECTICUT SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Wayne Norman, UConn Sports Properties/Learfield IMG College, WILI-AM/97.9 ESPN, Hartford (1)
CONNECTICUT SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Dave Borges, Hearst Connecticut Media, New Haven (1)
DELAWARE SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Scott Klatzkin, Blue Hens Radio Network/Learfield IMG College, Newark (4)
DELAWARE SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Kevin Tresolini, The News Journal, Wilmington (12)
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Dave Johnson, Wizards/WTOP Radio/NBC 4/DC United, Washington(1)
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR (TIE)
Thomas Boswell, Washington Post, Washington (2)
Brittany Ghiroli, The Athletic, Washington (1)
FLORIDA SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Steve Goldstein, Panthers/FOX Sports Florida, Miami (1)
FLORIDA SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Dave Hyde, South Florida Sun Sentinel, Ft. Lauderdale (3)
GEORGIA SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Steve Holman, Atlanta Hawks Radio Network, Atlanta (4)
GEORGIA SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Steve Hummer, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Atlanta (11)
HAWAII SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Bobby Curran, ESPN Honolulu, Honolulu (6)
HAWAII SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Stephen Tsai, Honolulu Star Advertiser, Honolulu (7)
IDAHO SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Bob Behler, Bronco Sports Properties/Learfield IMG College, Boise (5)
IDAHO SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
B.J. Rains, Idaho Press, Nampa (3)
ILLINOIS SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Pat Foley, Blackhawks/NBC Sports Chicago (1)
ILLINOIS SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, Chicago (3)
INDIANA SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Don Fischer, IU Sports Properties/Learfield IMG College, Bloomington (27)
INDIANA SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Gregg Doyel, Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis (3)
IOWA SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Gary Dolphin, Hawkeye Sports Properties/Learfield IMG College, Iowa City (3)
IOWA SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Mike Hlas, Cedar Rapids Gazette, Cedar Rapids (6)
KANSAS SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Wyatt Thompson, K-State Sports Properties/Learfield IMG College, Manhattan (5)
KANSAS SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Rick Peterson, Topeka Capital-Journal, Topeka (4)
KENTUCKY SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Tom Leach, UK Sports Network, Lexington (6)
KENTUCKY SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Mark Story, Lexington Herald-Leader, Lexington (2)
LOUISIANA SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Ken Trahan, Cumulus NO/Crescent City Sports, New Orleans (1)
LOUISIANA SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR (TIE)
Jeff Duncan, The Athletic, New Orleans (1)
Les East, Crescent City Sports, New Orleans (2)
MAINE SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Bill Green, WCSH-TV, Portland (3)
MAINE SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Travis Lazarczyk, Morning Sentinel, Kennebec (1)
MARYLAND SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Pete Gilbert, WBAL-TV/Radio, Baltimore (3)
MARYLAND SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Pat Stoetzer, Carroll County Times, Westminster (1)
MASSACHUSETTS SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Jerry Remy, Red Sox/NESN (2)
MASSACHUSETTS SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR (TIE)
Mike Reiss, ESPN.com (Boston), Boston (1)
Dan Shaughnessy, The Boston Globe, Boston (14)
MICHIGAN SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Jack Ebling, Spotlight Radio Network & Fox 47, Lansing (2)*
MICHIGAN SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press, Detroit (3)
MINNESOTA SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Mike Grimm, Gopher Radio Network/Learfield IMG College, Minneapolis(4)
MINNESOTA SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR (TIE)
LaVelle E. Neal III, Minneapolis Star Tribune (1)
Michael Russo, The Athletic, Minneapolis (4)
MISSISSIPPI SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Bart Gregory, MSU Bulldog Sports Properties/Learfield IMG College, SEC Network, Starkville (1)
MISSISSIPPI SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Rick Cleveland, Syndicated Columnist, Jackson (12)
MISSOURI SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Mike Kelly, Mizzou Sports Properties/Learfield IMG College, Columbia (7)
MISSOURI SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Dave Matter, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis (2)
MONTANA SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Riley Corcoran, Grizzly Sports Properties/Learfield IMG College, Missoula (2)
MONTANA SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Greg Rachac, 406MTSports.com, Billings (5)
NEBRASKA SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Matt Lothrop, KETV-TV, Omaha (1)
NEBRASKA SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Parker Gabriel, Journal Star, Lincoln (1)
NEVADA SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Chris Maathuis, KLAS-TV, Las Vegas (3)
NEVADA SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Dave Schoen, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Las Vegas (1)
NEW HAMPSHIRE SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Justin McIsaac, Wildcat Sports Properties/Learfield IMG College, Durham (2)
NEW HAMPSHIRE SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Mike Zhe, Portsmouth Herald, Portsmouth (2)
NEW JERSEY SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Mike Frankel, Jersey Sports Zone, Trenton (1)
NEW JERSEY SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Steve Politi, NJ Advance Media, Newark (2)
NEW MEXICO SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Jack Nixon, NM State Sports Properties/Learfield IMG College, Las Cruces (5)
NEW MEXICO SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Will Webber, Santa Fe New Mexican, Santa Fe (2)
NEW YORK SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Ian Eagle, Brooklyn Nets/YES Network/CBS Sports, New York City (5)
NEW YORK SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Mike Vaccaro, New York Post (3)
NORTH CAROLINA SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR (TIE)
John Forslund, Carolina Hurricanes TV/FOX Sports Carolinas, Raleigh (2)
David Glenn, David Glenn Show (2)
NORTH CAROLINA SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Ed Hardin, News & Record, Greensboro (4)
NORTH DAKOTA SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Dom Izzo, WDAY-TV, Fargo (1)
NORTH DAKOTA SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Tom Miller, Grand Forks Herald, Grand Forks (1)
OHIO SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Dan Hoard, Bengals Radio/Bearcats Sports Properties/Learfield IMG College, Cincinnati (3)
OHIO SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati (2)
OKLAHOMA SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
John Holcomb, KOTV-TV & Cowboy Sports Properties/Learfield IMG College, Tulsa (3)
OKLAHOMA SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Bill Haisten, Tulsa World (2)
OREGON SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
John Canzano, 750-AM The Game (Portland), 1050-AM (Eugene), 960-AM (Klamath Falls) (2)**
OREGON SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Jason Quick, The Athletic, Portland (4)
PENNSYLVANIA SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
John Clark, NBC 10/NBC Sports Philadelphia, Philadelphia
PENNSYLVANIA SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Bob Ford, Philadelphia Inquire (7)
RHODE ISLAND SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Ruthie Polinsky, WPRI-TV, Providence (1)
RHODE ISLAND SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Kevin McNamara, Providence Journal, Providence (2)
SOUTH CAROLINA SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Scott Eisberg, WCIV-TV, Charleston (2)
SOUTH CAROLINA SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR (TIE)
Manie Robinson, Greenville News, Greenville (2)
Gene Sapakoff, Post and Courier, Charleston (7)
SOUTH DAKOTA SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Scott Kooistra, KYNT-AM 1450, Yankton (1)
SOUTH DAKOTA SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Ryan Deal, Daily Republic, Mitchell (3)
TENNESSEE SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Pete Weber, Predators Radio Network (102.5 The Game), Nashville (7)
TENNESSEE SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Teresa Walker, Associated Press, Nashville (3)
TEXAS SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR (TIE)
Dale Hansen, WFAA-TV, Dallas (4)
John Morris, Baylor Bear Sports Properties/Learfield IMG College, Waco (1)
TEXAS SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR (TIE)
Kirk Bohls, Austin American-Statesman, Austin (5)
Jenny Creech, Houston Chronicle (1)
UTAH SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Craig Bolerjack, Jazz/AT&T SportsNet, Salt Lake City (2)
UTAH SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Gordon Monson, Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City (2)
VERMONT SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Lauren Walsh, WFFF/WVNY-TV, Burlington (1)
VERMONT SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR (TIE)
Michael Beniash, Caledonian Record, St. Johnsbury (1)
Austin Danforth, Burlington Free Press, Burlington (2)
VIRGINIA SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Mike Burnop, Virginia Tech Sports Properties/Learfield IMG College, Blacksburg (1)
VIRGINIA SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
David Teel, Daily Press, Newport News (13)
WASHINGTON SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Dave Sims, Mariners/ROOT Sports, Seattle (2)
WASHINGTON SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Larry Stone, Seattle Times, Seattle (3)
WEST VIRGINIA SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Steve Cotton, Thundering Herd Sports Properties/Learfield IMG College, Huntington (14)
WEST VIRGINIA SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Chuck McGill, Thundering Herd Illustrated/HerdZone.com, Huntington (8)
WISCONSIN SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Matt Lepay, Badgers Sports Network/Learfield IMG College, FOX Sports Wisconsin, Madison (9)
WISCONSIN SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Tom Haudricourt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee (4)
WYOMING SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR
Scott Mangold, KPOW Radio, Powell (1)
WYOMING SPORTSWRITER OF THE YEAR
Davis Potter, Casper Star-Tribune, Casper (1)***
* – Won Michigan Sportswriter of the Year award 3 times.
** – Won Oregon Sportswriter of Year 5 times.
*** – Won Mississippi Sportswriter of the Year award 1 time.
D – Deceased.
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Tickets for the 61st NSMA Awards Weekend, to be held June 27-29, 2020, will be available at nationalsportsmedia.org beginning February 1.
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About the National Sports Media Association
The National Sports Media Association, Inc.is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, which seeks to develop educational opportunities for those who are interested in pursuing a career in sports media, through networking, interning, mentoring and scholarship programs. The NSMA also honors, preserves and celebrates the diverse legacy of sports media in the United States.
Founded in 1959 as the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association in Salisbury, N.C., the NSSA added its Hall of Fame in 1962, with Grantland Rice as its first member. The organization rebranded to the National Sports Media Association in 2016 and moved to Winston-Salem, N.C. one year later. For sponsorship and membership information, contact Dave Goren at dgoren@nationalsportsmedia.org.
