Chisholm receives national sports journalism award

University of Montana student and 2015 Columbia Falls High School graduate Henry Chisholm was recently selected as one of five nationwide recipients of the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation scholarship for excellence in college sports writing.

Chisholm, who entered the university’s journalism school as a sophomore, was nominated by Professor Nadia West to write a 1,000 word column on an important figure or event in their school’s athletic history. Students from 36 top undergraduate journalism programs around the country were nominated for the scholarship. Five Murray Scholars, as the award recipients are called, are selected by national sports media personalities for academic excellence and “qualities that promise to perpetuate the Jim Murray spirit of journalistic integrity and creativity.”

“It was an honor to get this award,” Chishom said. “It was an honor to be nominated by professor West. She has been very helpful to me since I took her class a year ago.”

The award is named for the esteemed Los Angeles Times columnist whose career spanned over 50 years. Murray, who passed away in 1998, is one of just four sportswriters to receive the Pulitzer Prize. He was also named Sportswriter of the Year 14 times by the National Sports Media Association, and is frequently referred to as the greatest sportswriter in American history.

The award includes a $3,000 scholarship and a trip to Los Angeles where Chisholm and the other recipients will be honored at Dodger Stadium on Sept. 22.

For his column, Chisholm chose to write about University of Montana head football coach Bobby Hauck, who led the Grizzlies to seven Big Sky Conference titles and three national championship games in the early 2000s. Chisholm’s column focused on the balance between Hauck’s success on the field and problems off the field with a number of his recruits.

“I wrote about the decision to bring back Bobby and what it says about this school, which is with the downturn in enrollment, they needed a win. He should make them good again, but he might bring back those off-the-field issues as well,” Chisholm said.

Chisholm is currently interning at BSN Denver this summer and is covering the Denver Broncos training camp. He plans to graduate from the University of Montana with degrees in journalism and economics next spring.

“I want to become even more involved in sports media after graduation, but I am not really sure just how yet,” he said. “That’s where I want to end up.”