Washington Post sports columnist THOMAS BOSWELL, former Univ. of North Carolina football and men's basketball radio announcer WOODY DURHAM, HBO's BRYANT GUMBEL and former N.Y. Daily News sports writer DICK WEISS will be inducted to the National Sports Media Association HOF in June. CBS' KEVIN HARLAN was voted the '17 National Sportscaster of the Year, and ESPN's ADRIAN WOJNAROWSKI the Sportswriter of the Year (NSMA)....Longtime golf writer LORNE RUBENSTEIN will receive the '18 PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism on April 4 in Augusta at the Golf Writers Association of America Annual Awards (PGA of America).
THE GOOD STUFF: Bruins President CAM NEELY has helped open the new Marlene Neely Center for Digestive Health, named in memory of his mother, who died of colon cancer in '87. The new facility, located at Tufts Medical Center, was partially funded by a $1.5M donation from the Cam Neely Foundation for Cancer Care (BOSTON HERALD, 1/17)....Thunder Exec VP & GM SAM PRESTI has “made a record donation to fund a new youth-police initiative in Oklahoma City.” Presti and his wife SHANNON “provided $140,000 -- the largest donation” in OKC Police Athletic League history -- to launch the initiative (NEWSOK.com, 1/15)....About 50 staff members from both the NHL Panthers and Lightning yesterday participated in “efforts with Habitat for Humanity of Collier County to build affordable housing for those whose homes were destroyed” by Hurricane Irma (South Florida SUN SENTINEL, 1/17).
NAMES: The proposed contract for new Arizona football coach
KEVIN SUMLIN will be worth $14.5M in “base salary over five years.” Sumlin will get $2M per year for his first two years at Arizona, increasing to $3.5M a year in “years three through five” (
AZCENTRAL.com, 1/16)....The Lakers will “unveil a statue" honoring Basketball HOFer
ELGIN BAYLOR outside Staples Center on April 6 (
OCREGISTER.com, 1/16)....Alabama football coach
NICK SABAN has “joined the ownership group of the Waterfall Club, an exclusive golf club near his lake home in the mountains of northeast Georgia.” Saban is “one of five new owners,” a group that includes Chargers offensive coordinator
KEN WHISENHUNT (
AL.com, 1/16).
IN MEMORY: Sportswriter BOBBY MYERS, who “chronicled motorsports in award-winning fashion for the Charlotte News and Charlotte Observer for nearly three decades,” died at the age of 84 over the weekend. Myers won the National Motorsports Association Press’ Henry McLemore Award in ’70 (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 1/17).
