Rick Reilly (ESPN Photo)
SALISBURY, NC (January 9, 2014) – Marv Albert and Rick Reilly have been elected to the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame, executive director Dave Goren announced today. Albert, a longtime network play-by-play announcer, and Reilly, who spent the bulk of his career at Sports Illustrated before moving to ESPN, will be honored during the 55th Annual NSSA Awards Weekend, June 7-9 in Salisbury, NC.
NBC’s Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick has been elected 2013 National Sportscaster of the Year and Sports Illustrated NFL writer Peter King has won his third National Sportswriter of the Year Award in the last four years.
In addition, state sportscasters and sportswriters of the year have been elected by their peers in 48 states, plus the District of Columbia (list below).
Finalists for the award were nominated by NSSA members from mid-October to mid-November. Final balloting took place during the month of December.
Marv Albert (Turner Sports Photo)
Albert began his career as a play-by-play announcer for the New York Knicks, filling in for his mentor Marty Glickman for a game in January 1963. He then served as the full-time “voice of the Knicks” from 1967-2004. Albert has also called play-by-play for the New York Rangers, New York Giants and New Jersey Nets, in addition to his network play-by-jobs for NBC, CBS, Turner Sports, YES and Westwood One. Among his honors, Albert has won three Emmy Awards, six Cable ACE Awards and the Curt Gowdy Award from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. He is a 19-time winner of NSSA’s New York Sportscaster of the Year Award. Currently, Albert serves as a play-by-play announcer for NFL games on CBS and for NBA games on Turner Sports.
Reilly’s journalism path started at the Boulder (CO) Daily Camera, where he worked for two years, before moving to the Denver Post for two years and the Los Angeles Times for two more. In 1985, he moved to Sports Illustrated, where he spent almost 23 years, including the last 10 as the back-page columnist. Since 2007, Reilly has performed a number of roles for ESPN, including writing a front-page column for ESPN.com, hosting Homecoming with Rick Reilly and contributing human-interest stories for Monday Night Countdown. He is an 11-time NSSA National Sportscaster of the Year and has won numerous other awards, including the 2009 Damon Runyon Award for Outstanding Contributions to Journalism. Author of ten books, Reilly also co-wrote the movie Leatherheads, parts of which were filmed in NSSA’s hometown of Salisbury, NC. And the charity that Reilly founded, Nothing But Nets, has raised more than $40 million to provide mosquito nets to hang over children in Africa, where malaria and other mosquito-borne illnesses kill more than 3,000 children each day.
Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick (NBC Sports Photo)
A veteran of 39 years of broadcasting professional hockey, Emrick wins his first National Sportscaster of the Year Award. He moved to NBC and NBC Sports Network full time in 2011, after spending the previous 18 seasons as the TV voice of the New Jersey Devils. A two-time Emmy Award winner for his play-by-play, Emrick was the first broadcaster inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame, and won the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame. Known as ‘Doc’, Emrick earned his PhD from Bowling Green State University. He will work his seventh Winter Olympics for NBC in the upcoming Sochi Games in Russia. But hockey is not Emrick’s only sport. He has also called water polo for NBC in the Summer Olympics. His play-by-play career began in 1973, calling games of International Hockey League’s Port Huron Flags.
Peter King
King becomes the eighth sportswriter to win the National Award in back-to-back years (also won in 2010 and 2012), joining Red Smith, Jim Murray, Will Grimsley, Frank Deford, Peter Gammons, Reilly and Bob Ryan. The longtime pro football writer for Sports Illustrated used the success of his weekly Monday Morning Quarterback column on SI.com to start TheMMQB.com in 2012, a website devoted to the coverage of the National Football League. King’s SI career began in 1989 after stints at Newsday and the Cincinnati Enquirer. He also serves as a reporter for the Football Night in America studio show on NBC.
While there are 46 first-time winners among the state sportscasters and sportswriters of the year, there are seven who have won more than ten state awards, including Indiana University football and basketball play-by-play announcer Don Fischer, who has now won 24 Indiana Sportscaster of the Year Awards.
The three-day NSSA Awards Weekend will feature a welcome reception and dinner, issues forum, seminars, a golf tournament and tennis tournament, as well as the Awards Banquet and Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Information on the Weekend will be posted at nssafame.com as details are finalized.
2013 NSSA Award Winners
ALABAMA SPORTSCASTER
Rod Bramblett, Auburn/IMG Sports Network, Auburn (3)
ALABAMA SPORTSWRITER
Mark McCarter, Huntsville Times/AL.com, Huntsville (4)
ARKANSAS SPORTSCASTER
Bo Mattingly, Sports Talk With Bo, Fayetteville (2)
ARKANSAS SPORTSWRITER
Robbie Neiswanger, Arkansas News Bureau, Fayetteville (1)
ARIZONA SPORTSCASTER
Matt McConnell, Phoenix Coyotes TV/Fox Sports Arizona, Phoenix (1)
ARIZONA SPORTSWRITER
Kent Somers, Arizona Republic, Phoenix (2)
CALIFORNIA SPORTSCASTER
Ken Korach, Oakland A’s Radio/95.7 The Game, Oakland (1)*
CALIFORNIA SPORTSWRITER
Helene Elliott, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles (1)
COLORADO SPORTSCASTER
Drew Goodman, 104.3 The Fan, Colorado Rockies TV/ROOT Sports, Denver (10)
COLORADO SPORTSWRITER
Mike Klis, Denver Post, Denver (2)
CONNECTICUT SPORTSCASTER
Kevin Nathan, WVIT-TV, West Hartford (7)
CONNECTICUT SPORTSWRITER
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, Hartford (3)
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SPORTSCASTER
Tim Brant, WJLA-TV, Washington (1)
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SPORTSWRITER
Mike Harris, Washington Times, Washington (1)
DELAWARE SPORTSCASTER
Sean Greene, WDEL, Wilmington (1)
DELAWARE SPORTSWRITER
Andy Walter, Delaware State News, Dover (3)
FLORIDA SPORTSCASTER
Dewayne Staats, Tampa Bay Rays TV/Fox Sports Florida/Sun Sports, St. Petersburg (1)
FLORIDA SPORTSWRITER
Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburg (1)
GEORGIA SPORTSCASTER
Wes Durham, Atlanta Falcons Radio/790 The Zone, Fox Sports Net, Atlanta (9)
GEORGIA SPORTSWRITER
Steve Hummer, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Atlanta (5)
IOWA SPORTSCASTER
Gary Rima, UNI Radio Network/Learfield, Cedar Falls (2)
IOWA SPORTSWRITER
Steve Batterson, Quad City Times, Davenport (3)
IDAHO SPORTSCASTER
Bob Behler, Bronco Sports Properties/Learfield, Boise (4)
IDAHO SPORTSWRITER
Brian Murphy, Idaho Statesman, Boise (5)
ILLINOIS SPORTSCASTER
John Wiedeman, Chicago Blackhawks Radio/WGN, Chicago (1)
ILLINOIS SPORTSWRITER
Bruce Miles, Daily Herald, Arlington Heights (1)
INDIANA SPORTSCASTER (Tie)
Don Fischer, Indiana Hoosier Sports Network/Learfield, Bloomington (24)
Mike Knezevich, Regional Radio Sports Network, Mishawaka (4)
INDIANA SPORTSWRITER
Bob Kravitz, Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis (2)
KANSAS SPORTSCASTER
Wyatt Thompson, Kansas State Wildcat Sports Network/Learfield, Manhattan (2)
KANSAS SPORTSWRITER
Tom Keegan, Lawrence Journal-World, Lawrence (2)
KENTUCKY SPORTSCASTER
Kent Taylor, WAVE-TV, Louisville (1)
KENTUCKY SPORTSWRITER
Jennie Rees, Courier-Journal, Louisville (2)
LOUISIANA SPORTSCASTER
Doug Mouton, WWL-TV, New Orleans (1)
LOUISIANA SPORTSWRITER
Les East, Advocate, Baton Rouge (1)
MASSACHUSETTS SPORTSCASTER
Dave Goucher, 98.5 The Sports Hub/Boston Bruins, Boston (1)
MASSACHUSETTS SPORTSWRITER
Kevin Paul Dupont, Boston Globe, Boston (2)
MARYLAND SPORTSCASTER
Mark Viviano, WJZ-TV, Baltimore (4)
MARYLAND SPORTSWRITER (Tie)
Dan Connolly, Baltimore Sun, Baltimore (1)
David Ginsburg, Associated Press, Baltimore (2)
MAINE SPORTSCASTER
Bob Lucy, Black Bear Sports Network/Learfield, Orono (1)
MAINE SPORTSCASTER
Pete Warner, Bangor Daily News, Bangor (8)
MICHIGAN SPORTSCASTER
Dan Miller, Detroit Lions Radio Network/WXYT, WJBK-TV, Detroit (1)
MICHIGAN SPORTSWRITER
Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press, Detroit (1)
MINNESOTA SPORTSCASTER
Mike Grimm, Gopher Sports Network/Learfield, Minneapolis (3)
MINNESOTA SPORTSWRITER
Chip Scoggins, Star Tribune, Minneapolis (1)
MISSOURI SPORTSCASTER
Mike Kelly, Missouri Tiger Sports Network/Learfield, Columbia (2)
MISSOURI SPORTSWRITER
Dave Matter, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis (1)
MISSISSIPPI SPORTSCASTER
Jim Ellis, Mississippi State Radio Network, Starkville (3)
MISSISSIPPI SPORTSWRITER
Scott Walters, Columbus Commercial Dispatch, Columbus (1)
MONTANA SPORTSCASTER
Jason Walker, ESPN Radio, Helena (1)
MONTANA SPORTSWRITER
Mike Scherting, Billings Gazette, Billings (1)**
NORTH CAROLINA SPORTSCASTER (Tie)
David Glenn, The David Glenn Show, Raleigh (1)
Jeff Charles, Pirate/IMG Sports Network, Greenville (2)
NORTH CAROLINA SPORTSWRITER
Sammy Batten, Fayetteville Observer, Fayetteville (3)
NORTH DAKOTA SPORTSCASTER
Craig Keating, KMAV/KMSR Radio, Mayville (1)
NORTH DAKOTA SPORTSWRITER
Tom Mix The Forum, Fargo (1)
NEBRASKA SPORTSCASTER
Kevin Sjuts, KOLN/KGIN, Lincoln (1)
NEBRASKA SPORTSWRITER
Dirk Chatelain, Omaha World Herald, Omaha (2)
NEW HAMPSHIRE SPORTSCASTER
Bob Lipman, WTPL Radio/UNH Radio Network, Concord/Durham (4)
NEW HAMPSHIRE SPORTSWRITER
Allen Lessels, Union Leader, Manchester (11)
NEW JERSEY SPORTSCASTER (Tie)
Matt Harmon, Shore Sports Network, Toms River (4)
Tom Williams, Prime Events, Ocean City (5)
NEW JERSEY SPORTSWRITER (Tie)
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer, Cherry Hill (1)
Scott Stump, Shore Sports Network, Toms River (1)
NEW MEXICO SPORTSCASTER
Bob Brown, 101.7 The Team, Albuquerque (1)
NEW MEXICO SPORTSWRITER
Mark Smith, Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque (1)***
NEVADA SPORTSCASTER
Russ Langer, UNLV/IMG Sports Network/LV 51s Baseball, Las Vegas (9)
NEVADA SPORTSWRITER
Todd Dewey, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Las Vegas (1)
NEW YORK SPORTSCASTER
Ian Eagle, YES Network, New York City (1)
NEW YORK SPORTSWRITER
Mike Vaccaro, New York Post, New York (2)
OHIO SPORTSCASTER
Tom Hamilton, Indians Radio Network/WTAM, Cleveland (6)
OHIO SPORTSWRITER
Hal McCoy, Dayton Daily News & Fox Sports Ohio, Dayton (14)
OKLAHOMA SPORTSCASTER
Dave Hunziker, OSU Cowboys Sports Network/Learfield, Stillwater (1)
OKLAHOMA SPORTSWRITER
Jimmie Tramel, Tulsa World, Tulsa (1)
OREGON SPORTSCASTER (Tie)
Craig Birnbach, KATU-TV, Portland (1)
Dwight Jaynes, Comcast Sports Northwest, Portland (1)****
OREGON SPORTSWRITER
John Canzano, The Oregonian, Portland (4)
PENNSYLVANIA SPORTSCASTER
Tom McCarthy, Comcast Sports Net Philadelphia, Philadelphia (1)
PENNSYLVANIA SPORTSWRITER
Jim Salisbury, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, Philadelphia (1)
RHODE ISLAND SPORTSCASTER
Frank Carpano, WJAR-TV, Providence (13)
RHODE ISLAND SPORTSWRITER
Paul Kenyon, Providence Journal, Providence (1)
SOUTH CAROLINA SPORTSCASTER
Jeff McCarragher, College of Charleston Sports Network, Charleston (1)
SOUTH CAROLINA SPORTSWRITER
Josh Kendall, The State, Columbia (1)
SOUTH DAKOTA SPORTSCASTER
Rod Fisher, KGFX Radio, Pierre (2)
SOUTH DAKOTA SPORTSWRITER
James Cimburek, Yankton Press and Dakotan, Yankton (1)
TENNESSEE SPORTSCASTER (Tie)
Mike Keith, Tennessee Titans Radio Network, Nashville (11)
Joe Fisher, Vanderbilt/IMG Sports Network, Nashville (1)
TENNESSEE SPORTSWRITER
Jim Wyatt, The Tennessean, Nashville (6)
TEXAS SPORTSCASTER
Bill Brown, Astros TV Network, Houston (1)
TEXAS SPORTSWRITER
Randy Galloway, Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, Ft. Worth (5)
UTAH SPORTSCASTER
Dana Greene, ABC 4, Salt Lake City (2)
UTAH SPORTSWRITER
Dirk Facer, Deseret News, Salt Lake City (4)
VIRGINIA SPORTSCASTER
Bill Roth, Virginia Tech/IMG Sports Network, Blacksburg (11)
VIRGINIA SPORTSWRITER
David Teel, Newport News Daily Press, Newport News (7)
VERMONT SPORTSCASTER
Mike McCune, WCAX-TV, Burlington (1)
VERMONT SPORTSWRITER
Anna Grearson, Times-Argus, Barre/Montpelier (2)
WASHINGTON SPORTSCASTER
Brock Huard, ESPN 710, Seattle (1)
WASHINGTON SPORTSWRITER
Larry Stone, Seattle Times, Seattle (2)
WISCONSIN SPORTSCASTER
Brian Anderson, Brewers TV Network, Milwaukee (1)
WISCONSIN SPORTSWRITER
Tom Silverstein, Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee (2)
WEST VIRGINIA SPORTSCASTER
Keith Morehouse, WSAZ-TV, Huntington (4)
WEST VIRGINIA SPORTSWRITER
Chuck McGill, Daily Mail, Charleston (2)
WYOMING SPORTSCASTER
Reece Monaco, KFBC Radio, Cheyenne (4)
WYOMING SPORTSWRITER
Jack Nowlin, Casper Star-Tribune, Casper (2)
NATIONAL SPORTSCASTER
Mike Emrick, NBC (1)
NATIONAL SPORTSWRITER
Peter King, Sports Illustrated (3)
HALL OF FAME SPORTSCASTER
Marv Albert, NY Knicks/Rangers, NBC, TNT, YES Network, CBS
HALL OF FAME SPORTSWRITER
Rick Reilly, Sports Illustrated, ESPN
* – also won in NV (2001)
** – also won in ND (1997)
*** – also won once as sportscaster (1984)
**** – also won 5 times as sportswriter (1975, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2004)