Joe Mitch |
Send us your Hall of Fame and award nominations
By JOE MITCH / Executive Director
mitch@usbwa.com
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association annually presents awards at the
end of the season honoring individuals for their service to college basketball
and sports journalism.
If you as a USBWA member have a person you wish to nominate, we encourage
you to do so before the end of the year. Please send nominations either
to me or President Andy Katz.
Here's a list of the USBWA awards:
HALL OF FAME: Established in 1988, the USBWA Hall of Fame honors past
and present members who are recognized for their contributions to the organization
and achievements in sports writing.
To be eligible for consideration, an individual must have 20 years of
service in the profession.
The current number of inductees in the Hall of Fame is 49. Last year's
inductee was Frank Boggs, a past president of the USBWA and former sportswriter
for the Daily Oklahoman, Topeka Capital-Journal and Dallas Times-Herald
and sports columnist for the Colorado Springs Sun.
MOST COURAGEOUS: Since 1978, the USBWA has honored individuals who wage
courageous battles in the face of adversity and personal hardships.
Last year's recipient was the Duquesne men's program, which was rocked
when five players were wounded during a shooting following a campus party
in September 2006. Two eligible players who were shot missed the entire
season.
Other award winners include Grant Dykstra, who overcame a farming accident
that left one of his arms mangled as a child to become a standout player
at Western Washington; Trey Schwab, a Marquette assistant who had a double-lung
transplant; the Oklahoma State program following the plane crash that killed
10 members of the team; former Tulsa and Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson
for dealing with racial prejudice in life and the death of his daughter
from leukemia; and Tennessee Tech coach Mike Sutton, who has continued to
coach while battling the paralyzing effects of Guillain-Barre Syndrome.
KATHA QUINN AWARD: This award is presented in memory of Katha Quinn,
the late sports information director at St. John's University who died of
cancer in 1990.
The award honors individuals for their service and contributions to the
USBWA, especially those who have excelled at servicing the media and, like
Katha, are an inspiration to those in the sports journalism profession.
I was fortunate enough to be given the award this past April and am indebted
to the board and officers of the organization who chose to honor me.
Other past recipients include SIDs Tim Tolokan of Connecticut and Steve
Kirschner and Rick Brewer of North Carolina; former NCAA media coordinators
Bill Hancock and Jim Marchiony; Craig Miller of USA Basketball; and Washington
Post sports writer Mark Asher.
|
