PSWA Dinner

Mike Washington, the record-setting wide receiver from West Chester University and leading candidate for the Harlon Hill Trophy as outstanding player in the NCAA Division II, will be honored as the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association's top amateur athlete for 2008. Washington, a graduate of Philadelphia's Frankford High School, holds the NCAA all-divisions record with a pass reception in 49 consecutive games. Just one of three collegiate receivers with at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of his four collegiate seasons (4,612 ... Read More

Many remember the scene during the Penn State - Ohio State football game in 2000, when Penn State freshman defensive back Adam Taliaferro lay on the field without moving after making a tackle. Taken off the field in an ambulance, his parents were told that Adam would never walk again. But three months later, he walked out of the Magee Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia. Adam returned to Penn State to complete work toward his undergraduate degree, earned a law degree from ... Read More

The Phillies party will continue when the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association meets for its 105th annual Award Dinner on Monday, January 26, 2009. The World Series champions will be recognized as the Team of the Year for 2008, an easy choice to make, but one which was earned by one of the most exciting postseason performances ever by any Philadelphia team. And one which was savored by all local fans who waited -- what was it? -- 25 years for another ... Read More

Dear Sports Fan - Mark this date: January 26, 2009. That is the date for the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association's annual Awards Dinner, our 105th banquet! What a time it has been the last few weeks, with the Phillies rolling through the playoffs to a World Series championship, the Eagles showing signs of being the best team in the NFL's strongest division, and the Flyers and 76ers getting their seasons underway. With that kind of momentum, the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association is projecting this ... Read More

by Jennifer Reardon / Ashburn Scholarship Winner - For 33-year veteran National Hockey League referee Kerry Fraser, professional accolades are nothing new. After working his 1500th game on Nov. 30, 2003, the NHL honored Fraser with an engraved crystal star and framed portrait sketched by New York Rangers captain Mark Messier. Since then, Fraser has worked 200 additional regular season games, a record 225 more than Hall of Fame NHL referee Andy Van Hellemond, and 257 Stanley Cup Playoff games, the most of ... Read More

by Ed Barkowitz/Philadelphia Daily News - John Runyan is a fascinating paradox. He plays the most physically demanding psort and plays it with a palpable mean streak. Opposing players who stand idly alongside a pile do so at their own peril. Runyan has picked off plenty of defensive players, most times legally. Off the field is a different story. He exchanges the aggression for a gentleneess that belies his 6-7, 325-pound frame. Runyan's benevolence hasn't touched everyone, just those who seem to need it most. It ... Read More

by LIZ SULLIVAN Unlike many world-class athletes who dream from an early age of reaching the pinnacle of their sport, the dream came a little later for Delran, NJ's Carli Lloyd. Lloyd, 25, has been a midfielder for the US Women's National Soccer Team since 2005. The Delran High School graduate and her teammates are in the midst of preparing for the 2008 Summer Olympics in China. This would be the first time Lloyd has played in the Olympics for the United States, which is ... Read More

Despite torrential rains that extended Game 5 over a three-day span - the first suspended game in World Series history - the Philadelphia Phillies won the championship in front of their home crowd on October 29. The never-die Phils won the second World Series crown in team history, and the first since 1980, with a 4-3 decision in Game 5, taking the series four games to one. In the post-season, the Phillies went undefeated in front of the loyal home crowd. For more, see this ... Read More

(reprinted from mlb.com) CHERRY HILL, N.J. -- Larry Shenk had to put up with Philadelphia sportswriters for 44 years, so it was only fitting Monday night at the 104th annual Philadelphia SportsWriters Association dinner that Shenk was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his years of service as Phillies public relations director. Shenk was easily the most animated of the honored guests, which also included Jimmy Rollins (Pro Athlete of the Year) and Phillies Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Kalas, the MC of ... Read More

Richie Ashburn was arguably the most popular athlete to ever play in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Sports Writers Association keeps Richie's legend alive each year with the presentation of a scholarship in his memory. At the 2008 dinner, Jennifer Reardon won the award presented annually to a journalism student at Temple University. A junior at the time of the award, she has a 3.91 grade-point average and plans on a career as a sportswriter. She worked as a member of the Penn Relays reporting staff in ... Read More