Jim Wynn

Sport: Sports Writers

Induction Year: 2006

University: McNeese

Wynn was one of the founding fathers of the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. He served in the U. S. Army for 3 years and then enrolled at the New Orleans Academy of Art, planning to be a cartoonist. From there he went to work for the Houma Courier (1950) and later worked for the New Iberia Daily Iberian (1952-56, 1977-81), the Beaumont (TX) Enterprise (1956-57), the Alexandria Town Talk (1957-58) and the Abbeville Meridional (1975-77). He would go on to become the director of the news bureau at McNeese State (1958-72) and later join the Georgia Tech news bureau (1972-75) and the Calcasieu Parish School board (from 1981 until his retirement in 1993). At the Alexandria Town Talk he served as sports editor.

Among his professional awards are those for best college sports information overall program in 1965 and 1966 and best radio play-by-play broadcasts in 1969 from the LSWA. He also won best editorial page and best column awards from the Louisiana Press Association, the Hal Boyle Award for best column from the Associated Press, best column award from Wick Newspapers and All-American brochure awards from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Wynn was president of the LSWA in 1957 and served as treasurer from 1958 to 1972. He was chairman of the Louisiana Press Association Freedom of Information Committee for seven years. He was a member of the Rotary Club of Lake Charles and a Rotarian of the Year. He is also a prize winning chef, his prize winning dish a Sauerbraten.