IRVING, Texas — LSU and the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that Jim Hawthorne, the longtime voice of the LSU Tigers, will be honored during an NFF On-Campus Salute Saturday, Nov. 14, in Baton Rouge, La., as the 2015 recipient of the NFF Chris Schenkel Award. The presentation will take place during the game between LSU and Arkansas, which will start at 6:15 p.m. CT on ESPN.
In May, the NFF named Hawthorne the 2015 recipient of the Chris Schenkel Award, which has been presented annually since 1996 to individuals who have had long, distinguished careers broadcasting college football with direct ties to a specific university. The award is named in honor of Chris Schenkel, the longtime ABC Sports broadcaster who was the inaugural recipient.
“Jim Hawthorne has had an exceptional broadcasting career with the Tigers, spanning more than thirty years, and during that time, his voice has become synonymous with one of the greatest college football traditions in the country,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “We are pleased to honor Jim Hawthorne with the 2015 NFF Chris Schenkel Award and pay tribute to him in front of the LSU faithful in Death Valley as he finishes his remarkable career this fall.”
The NFF On-Campus Salutes are a special tradition, providing the NFF honorees a coveted opportunity to be recognized on the field during a home game. Many past honorees cite the experience as the ultimate capstone to their careers, providing them a special memory of hearing the crowd roar their appreciation of their accomplishments. In addition to his On-Campus Salute, Hawthorne will officially be honored during the 58th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Dec. 8 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.
This fall marks Hawthorne’s 33rd and final season as the play-by-play voice of LSU football. He began calling play-by-play for the Tigers in 1983. Hawthorne also plays host to weekly, one-hour live call-in shows with the football and baseball head coaches, as well as serving as the host for “Inside LSU Baseball.”
An Anacoco, La., native, Hawthorne took his first job in 1961 at Leesville High School, where he called play-by-play for the Wampus Cats football team. His broadcasting run continued as a DJ and commercial radio broadcaster for KNOC in Natchitoches while he attended school at Northwestern State before moving on to Shreveport’s KWKH.
His sports announcing career received a big boost when he began broadcasting games for the Shreveport Steamer, a World Football League squad that had moved from Houston to north Louisiana. The opportunity led to a 10-year stint broadcasting Centenary College (La.) sports, which in turn lead to an opening to call games for the LSU men’s basketball team in 1979-80. He added LSU football games in 1983 and Tiger baseball games the following year.
During his three-decade career in Baton Rouge, Hawthorne has covered some of LSU’s greatest coaches and student-athletes, including coaches Nick Saban and Les Miles and NFF National Scholar-Athletes Ignazio Albergamo, Solomon Graves, Chad Kessler, Bradie James, Rodney Reed and 2005 William V. Campbell Trophy winner Rudy Niswanger. His time at LSU has included the 2003 and 2007 national championships, six SEC championships, two Heisman Trophy finalists and countless legendary calls.
Hawthorne represents the third Schenkel Award recipient with ties to the Southeastern Conference, joining broadcasters Jack Cristil (1997, Mississippi State) and Larry Munson (2003, Georgia).
At the 58th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 8 in New York City, Hawthorne will be honored alongside the recipients of the other NFF Major Awards. The event also provides the stage for the induction of the 2015 College Football Hall of Fame Class; the presentation of the 2015 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, presented by Fidelity Investments; and the bestowing of the 26th NFF William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments, to the nation’s top scholar-athlete.
The other 2015 NFF Major Award winners include former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (NFF Gold Medal); revolutionary kicking brothers Charlie and Pete Gogolak (NFF Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award); Michigan State Athletics Director Mark Hollis (NFF John L. Toner Award for excellence in athletics administration); and the yet-to-be-announced recipient of the NFF Distinguished American Award. The NFF will also present NFF Legacy Awards to former SEC Commissioner Mike Slive and former Big 12 Senior Associate Commissioner for Football Donnie Duncan.
This year’s College Football Hall of Fame Class includes: Trev Alberts (Nebraska), Brian Bosworth (Oklahoma), Bob Breunig (Arizona State), Sean Brewer (Millsaps [Miss.]), Ruben Brown (Pittsburgh), Wes Chandler (Florida), Thom Gatewood (Notre Dame), Dick Jauron (Yale), Clinton Jones (Michigan State), Lincoln Kennedy (Washington), the late Rob Lytle (Michigan), Michael Payton (Marshall), Art Still (Kentucky), Zach Thomas (Texas Tech), Ricky Williams (Texas) and coaches Bill Snyder (Kansas State) and Jim Tressel (Youngstown State, Ohio State).
The 2015 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class includes: E.K. Binns (Navy), Jacoby Boren (Ohio State), Jake Brendel (UCLA), Taveze Calhoun (Mississippi State), Derek Crittenden (Montana), Ty Darlington (Oklahoma), Jordan Dobrich (Nevada), Spencer Drango (Baylor), Blake Frohnapfel (Massachusetts), Jordan Italiano (Kent State), Hank Spencer (Mount Union [Ohio]) and Jason Vander Laan (Ferris State [Mich.]). The recipient of the William V. Campbell Trophy will be announced live at the event on Dec. 8.
For more information, please contact Will Rudd at wrudd@footballfoundation.com or by calling 972-556-1000.
About the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl “Red” Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include FootballMatters.org, the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, The William V. Campbell Trophy presented by Fidelity Investments, annual scholarships of more than $1.3 million and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org.