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All-Time ASC Outstanding Media Service Award Winners
Tyler Morning Telegraph

TYLER/RICHARDSON, Texas -- The American Southwest Conference has recognized Phil Hicks, sports editor of the Tyler Morning Telegraph, as the recipient of the league’s Outstanding Media Service award for 2011.

Hicks was presented with the award on Saturday at UT Tyler’s Herrington Patriot Center before the start of the Patriots’ men’s basketball game against Centenary.

The Outstanding Media Service Award recognizes a media member who has made a significant effort in coverage of a member institution, the Conference and NCAA Division III. It is voted on by the ASC's media relations directors, and Hicks was this year’s unanimous selection.

"Year in and year out, the professionalism and passion Phil Hicks shows while covering UT Tyler, American Southwest Conference and NCAA Division III athletics is clearly evident," said Greg Weghorst, ASC Assistant Commissioner. "Not only is this honor well deserved, it is long overdue."

This year marks Hicks 29th with the Tyler Paper and his 22nd year as sports editor. During his tenure, he has served as president and vice president of the Texas Sports Writers Association, covered numerous Super Bowls, World Series, NBA Finals, NCAA Championships and UIL Championships, and received multiple awards for his work, including the Associated Press Managing Editors award for best series.

“Since the introduction of our athletics programs at UT Tyler 10 years ago, Phil has been provided second-to-none coverage of our teams on the local, regional and national stage,” said Peyton Low, UT Tyler assistant athletic director for media and public relations. “He has covered our teams during almost all of their ASC and NCAA championship runs, traveling across the state and country with us. He is widely recognized and respected around the ASC as one of the premiere sports editors and we are extremely fortunate to have Phil as a proponent of UT Tyler and the American Southwest Conference.”

Hicks is a graduate of John Tyler High School and UT Tyler.

Since the ASC created the award in 2003, honorees have included Charlie Chitwood (East Texas Baptist radio), Al Pickett (Abilene Reporter News), Dallas Houston (Howard Payne radio), Randy Benson (Alexandria Town Talk), Eric Drennan (Temple Daily Telegram) and Kit Kimbrell/Leon Rawlings (McMurry radio).

-Courtesy University of Texas at Tyler Sports Information Department