For the 28th year, the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association is pleased to
announce its incoming Hall of Fame Class, set to be inducted at its annual awards
banquet to be held on Sunday, April 7th at Valle Vista Country Club in Greenwood.
This year’s Class of 2024 includes the following people who have graced Hoosier
newspapers, radio stations, and television airwaves during the past several decades:
John Bansch (deceased), Indianapolis Star _ Affectionately known as ‘The Captain,’
John served as a writer and editor for the Star for over four decades. Of his many job
responsibilities over those years with the Star, John was on the Colts beat from the days
of the team moving to Indy in 1984 through the 1990s. John also served as the
coordinator of the Star’s 500 coverage for many years. John retired from the Star in 1999,
passing away in 2017. John also assisted with the Golden Gloves boxing event in
Indianapolis for nearly six decades.
Russ Brown, Louisville Courier-Journal _ While Russ’s career has taken him just
across the river from the Hoosier state, he’s spent many years writing about Indiana
sporting events. Russ covered Indiana University basketball for the first 15 years of Bob
Knight’s legendary tenure in Bloomington, which included three national championships.
There was also plenty of time covering the University of Louisville’s three national titles
that spanned 33 years. While Russ left the Courier-Journal in the early 2000s, he remains
actively writing to this day. Russ is a native of Salem and wrote for both the Republic in
Columbus and the Seymour Tribune before joining the staff of the Courier-Journal, where
he’d be named the Indiana Sports Editor.
Steve Herman, Associated Press _ The Indianapolis native left law school after a year
and a half to follow his passion for journalism, which led him to a career that lasted
nearly four decades. After first joining the AP in 1970, five years later Steve would
become the sports editor for Indiana, a position he held for 25 years. While covering all
the major teams and events, the beat that brought Steve the most joy was high school
sports, writing a weekly ‘Prep Notes’ column. Steve also is a recipient of the
Distinguished Media Service Award from the IHSAA.
Mark Jaynes, IndyCar Radio Network _ The sixth man to hold the title of ‘Voice of
the 500’ is also a key contributor to the IHSAA Champions Network, and the 2018
winner of the Marv Bates Indiana Sportscaster of the Year from the ISSA. Mark began
his broadcast journey as a high school student at WCBK in Martinsville, and following
his days as a student at Indiana State, became a staple of the Terre Haute radio scene
during the 90s. Mark joined the Indy Racing League Radio Network early in the IRL
days, and has been part of the apex of open wheel radio coverage ever since. When not
broadcasting, Mark is a teacher at his high school alma mater in Monrovia.
John Montgomery, WNDI Radio, Sullivan _While not a native Hoosier, it may feel
like that for residents of Sullivan and the Wabash Valley for John, who has been one of
the voices of local sports broadcasting since taking ownership of WNDI in 1994. John
won the organization’s Marv Bates Award as Indiana sportscaster of the year in 2008, and
it marks the second state in which John has won a similar award, as he was named the
broadcaster of the year in Kansas in 1992. John has broadcast state finals events for six
different schools that WNDI serves in west-central Indiana.
Jack Nolan, WNDU South Bend/Notre Dame Athletics _ Jack first came to South
Bend to serve as the television voice of Fighting Irish football in the early 80s. Over the
next four decades, Jack’s voice and easy demeanor became a large part of the soundtrack
of South Bend, whether it was filing sports reports for WNDU, or serving as first the
analyst, and then radio voice of Fighting Irish basketball. There were also numerous
coach’s shows, pre-game and post-game responsibilities and eventually laying the
foundation for coverage of multiple Irish sports programs through UND.com. These days
Jack and his wife Rhonda, who both worked at WNDU, now live in Florida and travel at
every opportunity.
In addition to these new Hall of Famers, the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters
Association will recognize winners of annual honors such as the Marv Bates Sportscaster
of the Year,the Corky Lamm Sportswriter of the Year, the Bob Williams Helping Hand
Award, and the Ron Lemasters Lifetime Achievement Award. Those winners are as
follows:
Marv Bates Sportscaster of the Year: Glenn Marini, WANE-TV Fort Wayne _
Originally from Muncie, Glenn has served as the sports director at WANE for the last 15
years. Before landing in Fort Wayne, Marini spent time working in both Kentucky and
Arkansas before returning home to the Hoosier state. During his time in Fort Wayne,
Glenn has been named a two-time winner of the ‘Best Sportscast’ by the Indiana
Broadcasters Association and won ‘Best Documentary’ from the Indiana Chapter of the
Society of Professional Journalists in 2021. Glenn is also a three-time winner of the AP’s
top sports videographer in the state in addition to his work in front of the camera.
Corky Lamm Sportswriter of the Year: Ted Schultz, Columbus Republic _
Originally from Ohio, Ted has called Indiana home since 1995. During that time, he’s
made stops along the way in Linton, Washington, Noblesville, and for the last 12 years,
he’s called Columbus home. Since 2016, Ted has served as the Sports Editor of The
Republic in Columbus, which is a role Ted also held while with the Noblesville Ledger.
On five occasions, his sports sections were deemed best in class by the Hoosier State
Press Association. Ted also spent time writing for the Indianapolis Star, covering both
high school sports and the Indiana Fever.
Bob Williams Helping Hand Award: Jeff Keag, Assistant Athletic Director for
Strategic Communications and Media at Indiana University _ Jeff is in his 20th year
as a part of Indiana University athletics. Jeff oversees the strategic communications team
for athletics, and the day-to-day operations of the Mark Cuban Center for Sports Media
and Technology. Jeff has served as the primary football contact for the last two decades,
and handles PR responsibilities for Mike Woodson as well. Jeff has twice received the
Football Writers Association of America Super 11 Award for his assistance in football
coverage.
Ron Lemasters Lifetime Achievement Award: Bob Hammel, Bloomington
Herald-Times _ Bob has distinguished himself over a journalism career spanning more
than five decades. Forty of those years were spent with what is now the Bloomington
Herald-Times, including 30 years as the sports editor, followed by 10 years as the Sunday
op-ed columnist. Bob has penned 14 books during his storied career, including his
memoir published in 2019. Bob is a three-time winner of the organization’s Corky Lamm
Award as sportswriter of the year, and was inducted into the ISSA Hall of Fame in 1998.
These ten honorees will be recognized at the association’s annual banquet on April 7th,
which begins at 2 p.m. at Valle Vista Country Club in Greenwood. Tickets are available
with a meal included for $50. To order tickets, send a check for $50 to Fred Inniger, ISSA
Treasurer, 3011 Noble Hawk Drive, Kendallville, IN 46755.
Also, those wanting to renew their memberships to the ISSA, or to become new
members, send $25 to Fred for your annual dues.
Please order your banquet tickets before March 24.
The Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association was founded in 1946. The ISSA
created its Hall of Fame 50 years later in 1996. The Hall of Fame currently has 141
members including this year’s honorees