2026 Black Sportswriters Hall of Fame to Honor Beat Writers, Columnists and Sports Editors
EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Jan. 15, 2026) — Pioneers in sports editing, NBA beat reporting, golf writing and column writing will be inducted as the second class of the Black Sportswriters Hall of Fame (BSHOF) this spring at North Carolina A&T State University.
Four nationally respected journalists will be honored in a public induction ceremony supported by N.C. A&T’s student chapters of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and the Associated Press Sports Editors.
In addition, the Hall of Fame will induct six trailblazing pioneers from the Black Press, whose work helped shape the foundation of American sports journalism.
The event will take place Saturday, April 11, at the N.C. A&T Student Center, 1403 John W. Mitchell Drive.
A media meet-and-greet and interview session will be held from 5 to 6 p.m., followed by the formal induction ceremony from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Non-paying working media will be seated as space permits.
2026 Black Sportswriters Hall of Fame Inductees
- Clifton Brown — the first Black golf writer at The New York Times, who also covered the NBA’s “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons for the Detroit Free Press and the NFL for The Sporting News and other publications.
- Garry D. Howard — the first Black president of the Associated Press Sports Editors, former assistant managing editor for sports at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and a member of the NABJ Hall of Fame.
- Rob Parker — Fox Sports national radio host and founder of the Black Sportswriters Hall of Fame, who became the first Black sports columnist at both the Detroit Free Press and Newsday. He is also a member of the NABJ Hall of Fame.
- Ron Thomas — the first NBA reporter for USA Today, the first chair of the NABJ Sports Task Force, and the founding director of the journalism program at Morehouse College. He also was an NABJ Legacy Award recipient.
The inductees were selected by a panel of 40 sports journalists from a ballot of 10 nominees.
Black Press Pioneers
The 2026 Black Press Pioneer honorees are:
- Howie Evans, New York Amsterdam News
- Bill Nunn, Pittsburgh Courier
- Brad Pye Jr., Los Angeles Sentinel
- Claude Harrison Jr., Philadelphia Tribune
- Fay Young, Chicago Defender
- R.L. Stockard, Louisiana Weekly
The Black Press Pioneer class was selected by Parker with input from dozens of sports journalists across the nation.
“This year’s class reflects the extraordinary range of talent that Black journalists have brought to sports media for decades and the many roles they have filled,” said David Squires, an N.C. A&T journalism faculty member and program director of the Black Sportswriters Hall of Fame.
“We are honored to host these trailblazers on our campus, where they will be able to engage with our students as well as the public.”
Parker conceived the Hall of Fame after delivering a baseball writing masterclass at N.C. A&T in the spring of 2023. Impressed by the students and the journalism program, he partnered with Squires to bring the idea to life.
The Black Sportswriters Hall of Fame will be permanently housed in Crosby Hall, home of N.C. A&T’s journalism department.
“The Black Sportswriters Hall of Fame is a very meaningful event for us as it aligns with our department’s mission to prepare students to tell stories that matter,” said Masudul Biswas, chair of N.C. A&T’s Department of Journalism and Mass Communication.
“ Hall of Fame inductees represent excellence and pioneers in the field of journalism, and having their legacies showcased in the Crosby Hall … will inspire our students with their professional goals and remind them what they can achieve in their careers.”
Tickets for the April 11 induction ceremony may be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2026-black-sportswriters-hall-of-fame-induction-ceremony-and-dinner-tickets-1980613008826?aff=oddtdtcreator
Contact info
Email: media@blacksportswritershof.com
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