Last modified: Monday, October 22, 2012
Malcolm Moran to lead IU's National Sports Journalism Center
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 22, 2012
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- New National Sports Journalism Center director Malcolm Moran brings 30 years of sports journalism experience to his new post, which he assumes in January, the Indiana University School of Journalism has announced.
As director, Moran will oversee programming for the Indianapolis-based center, which serves as a comprehensive institute for the study of sports journalism. The School of Journalism launched the center in 2009.
"It will be an honor to direct the National Sports Journalism Center and build upon all the good work that has been done since its launch," Moran said. "All journalists are products of their experiences, and the core of our mission will be to connect students to the most rewarding challenges we can find."
As a sportswriter, Moran worked for USA Today, Newsday, The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune. In 2006, he was named the inaugural Knight Chair in Sports Journalism and Society in the College of Communications at Pennsylvania State University. Moran also serves as director of the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism within the College.
Moran was honored with the Curt Gowdy Print Media Award in 2007 from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for outstanding lifetime coverage of basketball. In his sportswriting career, Moran covered 26 bowl games, 26 men's NCAA Final Fours, 16 World Series, 11 Super Bowls and two Olympic Games.
"Malcolm brings an impressive array of experiences to the position," said IU School of Journalism Interim Dean Michael Evans. "His background as a highly respected journalist and as a successful leader in an academic setting, coupled with his outstanding skills and talents, make him an excellent choice to lead the National Sports Journalism Center to new levels of national prominence."
Moran also will hold the Louis A. Weil Jr. Endowed Chair at the School of Journalism and will be involved in the curriculum, which includes the nation's first master's degree in sports journalism.
Moran has taught a variety of sports journalism courses at Penn State. He also used his professional experiences to provide students with opportunities to cover premiere national and international sporting events.
"In the past year, the opportunity to direct Penn State students and recent graduates at the BCS Championship Game, NCAA men's Final Four basketball tournament and London Olympic Games has produced some of the most memorable moments of my career," Moran said. "The relationships already in place at the NSJC, and others that we will develop, will help create more of those experiences."
The National Sports Journalism Center is the official partner of the Associated Press Sports Editors and the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, the nation's two largest professional sports journalism organizations.
"Malcolm Moran is a leader, educator and award-winning journalist. He has enjoyed distinguished careers in industry and academia, and will expand NSJC's partnerships and industry presence nationally and globally," said Pamela Laucella, assistant professor of journalism and academic director for the NSJC.
"I look forward to working with him as we educate and train students to be multi-platform sports journalists in today's digital media world," she added. "He will make an impact on students' careers and lives, and will reinforce NSJC's commitment to being at the forefront of sports journalism education and practice."
Through its programs, the center provides instruction on sports media for journalists of all levels from high school to college to veteran professionals. Moran's own career reflects work on all these levels. He first worked in 1977 as a sports reporter for Newsday, covering high school, college and professional sports. Two years later, he joined The New York Times as a reporter and columnist.
Moran moved to the Chicago Tribune in 1998 to cover Notre Dame football, as well as contribute feature and event coverage of professional and college sports. He joined USA Today in 2000 to cover college basketball and football and write professional and college sports features.
IU was the first school to offer a master's degree program in sports journalism. Both the IUPUI and IU Bloomington journalism programs offer undergraduate sports journalism courses. The NSJC and the IUPUI campus are the home of the APSE Red Smith Award Hall of Fame, widely considered the most prestigious award in the field. The NSJC's website is SportsJournalism.org, which features breaking news and commentary about the sports media industry.
Moran is the second director of the center. Bloomberg News' Tim Franklin, who led several large newspapers, including the Orlando Sentinel and Baltimore Sun, was the first director.
The chair Moran will hold is named for Louis A. Weil Jr., who was publisher of newspapers in Grand Rapids and Lansing, Mich., and Lafayette, Ind. He was president of Federated Publications Inc., a company operating newspapers in Michigan, Indiana, Idaho and Washington, at the time of its merger in 1971 with the Gannett Co. From 1971 to 1978, he served as an officer and member of the board of directors of Gannett.
