The most prestigious honor offered to sports media personnel in Louisiana by their peers is the Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism.
The Louisiana Sports Writers Association presents the award each year during the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame ceremonies.
Recipients are chosen by the 30-member Hall of Fame selection committee each year after the annual winter meeting.
Nominees are drawn from the ranks of the LSWA based on their professional accomplishments and impact in local, state, regional and even national arenas. Candidates must be 60 years old, or have three decades of Journalism credentials, reflecting a lifetime of service in the profession.
Names of the Distinguished Service Award winners have been displayed in the Hall of Fame. There will be a “writer and broadcasters wing” of the Hall of Fame Museum, much as there is in the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown.
1982
Bill Keefe, New Orleans Time Picayune
Paul Martin, Monroe News-Star
Bud Montet, Baton Rouge Morning Advocate
Truman Stacy, Lake Charles American Press
1983
Jack Fiser, The Shreveport Times
1984
John Ferguson, LSU and New Orleans Saints radio
1985
Dan Hardesty, Baton Rouge State Times
1986
Paul Manasseh, LSU Sports Information
1987
Ted Castillo, Baton Rouge Advocate
1988
Bill Carter, Alexandria Daily Town Talk
1989
Peter Finney, New Orleans Times-Picayune
Bob Roesler, New Orleans Times-Picayune
1990
Collie Nicholson, Grambling State Sports Information
Hap Glaudi; WWL-Radio/TV, New Orleans Item
1991
Fred Digby; New Orleans Item, Sugar Bowl Classic
Bill McIntyre, The Shreveport Times
1992
Connie Kaplan, The Kaplan Herald
Mike Cook, Baton Rouge Advocate
1993
M. L. Lagarde, Tulane University Sports Information
Austin Wilson, Associated Press
1994
M. L. Lagarde, Tulane University Sports Information
Austin Wilson, Associated Press
1995
Jim McLain, The Shreveport Times
1996
Jerry Byrd; Bossier Press-Tribune, Shreveport Journal
Joe Planas; The Catholic Commentator, Baton Rouge Advocate
1997
Roger Brandt, Oplepusas Daily World
1998
Hal Ledet, L’Observerteur
1999
Bob Hendreson, University of Southwestern La. Sports Information
Al Nassif, Alexandria Town Talk
2000
Sam King, Baton Rouge Advocate/State-Times
Jerry Pierce, Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame/Northwestern State
Gerry Robichaux, The Shreveport Times
2001
Bud Johnson, SLU/LSU/Tulane
2002
Louis Bonnette, McNeese State Sports Information
George Sweeney, New Orleans Times Picayune
2003
Bill Curl, Tulane/The Louisiana Superdome
2004
Keith Prince, Louisiana Tech/Monroe News-Star
2005
Buddy Diliberto, WWL-Radio, WDSU-TV
2006
Jim Wynn; McNeese State, Abbeville Meridional, Alexandria Town Talk, LSWA President
Marty Mule’, New Orleans Times-Picayune
2007
Pete Dosher; Louisiana Tech, Grambling
Arthur Schott; New Orleans Times-Picayune, States-Item, State sports historian
2008
Ed McHale, Associated Press
R. L. Stockard; Southern, SWAC, New Orleans
2009
O. K. “Buddy” Davis; Ruston Daily Leader
Bob Griffin; Shreveport sportscaster and writer
2010
Norm Fletcher; Natchitoches Broadcast Legend
Ted Lewis; Times-Picayune, Baton Rouge Advocate
2011
Ron Brocato; States-Item, Times-Picayune, Clarion Herald
Larry Hymel; Southeastern La. University Sports Information
2012
Bill Bumgarner; States-Item, Times-Picayune
Butch Muir; Baton Rouge Advocate
2013
Bob Marshall; Times-Picayune
2014
Joe Macaluso; Baton Rouge Advocate
2015
Bobby Dower; Lake Charles American Press
Glenn Quebedeaux; The Daily Iberian/Baton Rouge Advocate
2016
Jim Hawthorne, LSU Sports Network Broadcast Legend
Bob Tompkins, Alexandria Town Talk
2017
Jim Henderson, New Orleans Sportscaster, Saints Network Broadcast Legend
Dan McDonald, Media Relations and Journalist
2018
Scooter Hobbs, Lake Charles American Press
Lyn Rollins, Louisiana Television Broadcast Legend
2019
Dave Nitz, Louisiana Tech Broadcast Legend
Philip Timothy, Gannett Louisiana/Longtime Louisiana sportswriter
2020
C. Kent Lowe, LSU Athletics
Robin Fambrough, Baton Rouge Advocate
2021
Ro Brown, New Orleans Sportscaster
Doug Ireland, Northwestern State Sports Information/LSHOF Chairman
Sheldon Mickles, Baton Rouge Advocate
2022
Teddy Allen, north Louisiana columnist and broadcaster
Garland Forman, The Bunkie Record/Louisiana State Newspapers
2023
Bruce Brown, Acadiana area reporter
Lori Lyons, New Orleans bayou and river parishes reporter
