Sam King

Sport: Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism

Induction Year: 2000

University: LSU

Penning a column appropriately dubbed “Sam’s Kingdom of Sports,” Gordon “Sam” King entertained sports fans in south Louisiana for nearly 50 years — including 40 as a full-time sports writer — for the Baton Rouge State-Times and The Advocate. King retired in 2000, but continued to write a weekly general sports column for another eight years — interjecting his wit and humor as he had done for decades. He extensively covered LSU sports for 35½ years, witnessing both the best and worst of times at the state’s flagship university. In addition to covering LSU football, basketball and baseball, he reported on high schools and also wrote on his vast knowledge of the outdoors — particularly fishing and camping. King won numerous writing awards along the way, including Story of the Year honors in the Louisiana Sports Writers Association in 1979. He also was named the LSWA’s Columnist of the Year twice in the 1990s. In 1991, King was named by the LSWA as the winner of the Mac Russo Award, which is given annually to the person who has contributed to the progress, ideals and fellowship of the state’s sports writers. He covered 375 LSU football games and twice as many Tigers basketball games and interviewed some of the all-time great coaches and athletes — including Bear Bryant, Eddie Robinson, Adolph Rupp, John Wooden, Dizzy Dean, Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, Ted Williams, Roger Maris, Jimmy Connors, Roger Staubach, Tom Landry, Billy Cannon, Jimmy Taylor, Y.A. Tittle, Pete Maravich, Shaquille O’Neal, Joe Namath, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player.