KNOXVILLE — Veteran sports journalist Gene Wojciechowski, senior writer for ESPN Magazine, will be the Edward J. Meeman Lecturer at the University of Tennessee.
Wojciechowski, a 1979 UT graduate, will speak Feb. 11-15 to classes and professional groups in the School of Journalism and Public Relations and advise students interested in careers in sports writing.
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ESPN journalist Gene Wojciechowski |
“He (Wojciechowski) was a talented journalist as a student at UT,” Dr. Paul Ashdown, acting director of the School of Journalism and Public Relations, said. “We all knew he would become the accomplished sports writer that he is now.
“Our program offers an emphasis in sports journalism, and his visit will encourage more students to pursue careers in that field.”
The Meeman Lectureship, named for the late former editor of the Knoxville News-Sentinel and the Memphis Press-Scimitar, is supported by a grant from the Edward J. Meeman Foundation.
Wojciechowski, 44, joined ESPN in 1992 as a college football reporter. He is a regular contributor to ESPN’s Thursday Night Game of the Week, SportsCenter, College GameDay, The Weekend Kickoff Show and ESPNEWS. He also is a frequent guest on ESPN Radio and ESPN’s Up Close.
In November of 1997, Wojciechowski accepted a senior writer position with ESPN Magazine, where he covers college football and men’s college basketball.
Wojciechowski also covered the Chicago Cubs and wrote a weekly sports column for the Chicago Tribune. He has written for the Los Angeles Times, Dallas Morning News, Denver Post and Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel.
During his 21-year sports writing career, he has covered the Summer Games, Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the four major golf tournaments, the Monaco Grand Prix, the NBA Finals, the Super Bowl, the Final Four, the Stanley Cup, major league baseball, and national championship bowl games.
He has won four Associated Press Sports Editors national awards and been honored by The National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, the College Football Writers Association of America, the Pro Football Writers and the Los Angeles Press Club.
Wojciechowski, who has authored or co-authored six books, was a football walk-on at UT who majored in journalism and was editor of the Daily Beacon and the Volunteer. He lives in Wheaton, Ill., with his wife and two daughters.