Butch Muir

Sport: Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism

Induction Year: 2012

University: LSU

Muir was the longest serving sports editor at one of the state’s major newspapers when he retired from The (Baton Rouge) Advocate in April of 2012, just one week shy of 33 years in that position. He became sports editor in April of 1979 after joining The Advocate in the summer of 1974. He worked with a number of outstanding journalists at The Advocate, including Distinguished Service Award winners Bud Montet, Ted Castillo, Bernell Ballard, Joe Planas, Sam King and Mike Cook. During his tenure, The Advocate staff won a number of honors from the LSWA, Louisiana Press Association and Associated Press Sports Editors.

While Muir was sports editor, The Advocate went through several major changes, including merging with its sister paper, the State-Times, in 1991, a move to new offices in the fall of 2005 and the switch to a new printing press in 2006.

During his years as The Advocate’s sports editor, he directed his section’s coverage of many major sports achievements, including all six LSU baseball titles, two football BCS championships, eight Final Four appearances by the men and women’s basketball teams and a number of men and women’s track and field championships. Nine men served as LSU’s head football coach and five others as athletic director during his tenure.

Muir spent the first 10 years of his career at the Monroe Morning World, joining that staff in 1964 before graduating from West Monroe High School. He was sports editor of that paper from 1969 to 1972, and was with the Monroe News-Star before making the move to Baton Rouge in 1974.

He has been a long-time member of the Louisiana Sports Writers Association and received the “Mac Russo Award” for “contributions to the progress and ideals” of the LSWA in 2006.