Bill Bumgarner

Sport: Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism

Induction Year: 2012

University: LSU

Hired on a six-month trial basis at the old New Orleans States-Item in 1972, he and sports editor Art Burke each forget about the temporary deadline. One year later when Burke learned of the dual oversight, he said, “Well, I guess you’ll be here for a while.” Burke was correct – Bumgarner remained at The States-Item and later The Times-Picayune for another 36 years before retirement in 2009. In eight years at The States-Item, he covered state school football for one year and local golf for eight years, as well as LSU and high school football and basketball for five years until the afternoon paper merged with The Times-Picayune in 1980. Bumgarner authored Blue-chip recruiting lists and covered college football recruiting from 1975 until 2009 and voted at more than 100 All-State meetings in high school football, basketball and baseball. He has attended every state football championship since 1975 and each Top 28 basketball tournament and state baseball tournament between 1975 and 2009. He is a former president of the Louisiana Sports Writers Association and votes on the selection committees for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the Greater New Orleans Hall of Fame. A former recipient of the LSWA’s Mac Russo award in 1990 and the Louisiana Mr. Basketball award presented by the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches in 2012, Bumgarner remains a columnist for Sportsnola.com in the New Orleans area.