Keith Prince

Sport: Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism

Induction Year: 2004

University: Louisiana TechUL-Monroe

Prince spent virtually his entire adult life in North Louisiana where he worked for over 45 years in the field of sports journalism. Beginning his career in the sports department of the Monroe Morning World in 1961 as an 18-year-old freshman at then Northeast State College where he played baseball, he became the Morning World sports editor in 1964 and remained in that slot until graduating in 1966 when he returned to his hometown of Nacogdoches, Tex., as sports editor of The Daily Sentinel. In June of 1969, Prince accepted the position of Sports Information Director at Louisiana Tech, setting in motion a 25-year run that saw him publicize many championship teams and the careers of several Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame members such as Joe Aillet, Terry Bradshaw, Karl Malone, Mike Green, Leon Barmore, Kim Mulkey, Sonja Hogg, Fred Dean, Willie Roaf, Maxie Lambright, Teresa Weatherspoon, Pam Kelly and Janice Lawrence. Still, Prince always considered his most noteworthy professional achievement to be the development of his many talented student assistants who graduated from Louisiana Tech and went on to great success in either sports journalism or sports administration. Some of those included Tom Burnett, commissioner of the Southland Conference; Larry White, SID at Alabama; Malcolm Butler, SID at Louisiana Tech; Teddy Allen, award-winning columnist for The Shreveport Times and Monroe News-Star; Bill Campbell, sports writer and investigative reporter for The Dallas Morning News; Don Graham, director of communication for the SLC; Brian McCallum, SID at Louisiana Tech; and Chris Cook, director of communications and marketing at Texas Tech.