John James Marshall

Sport: Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism

Induction Year: 2026

University: Louisiana Tech

A versatile Shreveport journalist, John James Marshall has been involved in local media since 1974 when he began covering American Legion baseball games for the Shreveport Times. He was 15. He has become a 4-time LSWA Prep Writer of the Year, a 2-time Columnist of the Year, and with his brother Ben, has twice won the LSWA’s Best Radio Show contest. In 2023, Marshall won the LSWA’s Story of the Year award.

Notably, once the Shreveport Journal folded and his radio show was deemed competition by his new employer, The Times, Marshall did not enter the LSWA writing contest for 27 years but has won multiple awards in the last four years writing for the Shreveport-Bossier Journal. Meanwhile, ”SportsTalk with Bonzai Ben and JJ” on 50,000-watt KWKH-AM is the longest running radio sports talk show in Louisiana. He was a co-winner in 1987 of the APSE’s national Best Feature Sports Story award.

After graduating from Louisiana Tech in 1981 (where he worked with DSA winner Teddy Allen as sports editor of The Tech Talk), he began at the Shreveport Journal and went on to become the Executive Sports Editor in 1988, alongside DSA icon Jerry Byrd as senior columnist.

When the Journal ceased publication in 1991, Marshall moved to the Times for two years until the paper’s management made him choose between the year-old radio show and his job with the paper. As a documentary producer, Marshall won two CASE awards for video production/story telling. He has been the play-by-play announcer in radio/TV in professional football (CFL’s Shreveport Pirates) and Division I basketball (Centenary College). He was a PA announcer for the Shreveport Captains for eight years and was a part-time PA voice for the Houston Astros. The baseball press box at Loyola College Prep is named for him.

Marshall has been media director/instructor at Loyola College Prep, his alma mater, for 29 years, and in 2014 was inducted into the Loyola Hall of Honor. At age 31, he became the youngest to serve as LSWA president. He also served on, and currently serves on, the LSWA’s Hall of Fame committee. At Jesuit High (now Loyola), he played quarterback for the Flyers’ Class 3A state championship team in 1976. He was also an All-City third baseman. Born 9-2-59 in Shreveport.