Robert Hammel is recognized by Continental Who's Who

BLOOMINGTON, Ind., April 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Robert Hammel is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Distinguished Lifetime Achiever for his outstanding achievements in Sports Journalism and in recognition of his award-winning career, spanning over 50 years.

When it came to Indiana sports, Robert Hammel always found himself where the action was, and through his writing, he made his readers feel as if they were on the sidelines with him. Even though he is now technically retired from journalism, he occasionally finds himself pounding away at a keyboard to produce a sports column.

Mr. Hammel's first job in the newspaper business came in 1954. After finishing his first year of college at Indiana University, he landed a writing position with the Huntington Herald Press's hometown paper. What was originally going to be a summer job for him turned into a full-time sports reporting position, and Mr. Hammel didn't return to Indiana University for another 12 years.

Following his first job at the Huntington paper, Mr. Hammel subsequently worked for the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, the Peru Tribune, the Kokomo Morning Times, and the Indianapolis News from 1954 to 1966. He then became sports editor of Bloomington Herald-Times, where he continued for 42 years.

In recognition of his sports journalism excellence, Mr. Hammel has received a slew of prestigious state and national honors and was inducted into the Basketball Writers Association Hall of Fame and the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame.

He was named 16 times as the Indiana Sportswriter of the Year among his accolades by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. He was additionally a four-time winner of the Corky Lamm Award, which is presented annually to the state's top sportswriter by the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association in honor of Corky Lamm (1915-1974), a sportswriter and sports cartoonist for the Indianapolis Star and the Indianapolis News.

In 1990, Mr. Hammel was also selected to the U.S. Basketball Writers Hall of Fame. In 1995, he was presented the Curt Gowdy Award from the National Basketball Hall of Fame. And in 1996, he received the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame's Silver Medal Award for distinguished service. He was also the recipient of the Bert McGrane Award by the College Football Hall of Fame and the Jake Wade Award by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Hammel was responsible for covering numerous top national and international sporting events tied to the Hoosier State during his esteemed career. He was in Pasadena in 1968 for Indiana University's only appearance in the Rose Bowl. In 1972, he was in Munich, Germany, when Indiana swimmer Mark Spitz won seven gold medals at an Olympic Games.

The sportswriter was in Philadelphia in 1976 when the Indiana University basketball team went undefeated on the season, winning the national championship under the helm of the young Coach Bob Knight. He was also in New Orleans in 1987 when Knight's teams also won national championships.

In the year of his retirement, Mr. Hammel traveled to Atlanta, GA, to cover the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.

Among his professional affiliations, Mr. Hammel is a former president of the United States Basketball Writers Association and a member of the Football Writers Association and the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

Mr. Hammel and his wife, Julie, have been married since 1958. Their son, Richard, is a medical doctor in Cincinnati, and their daughter, Jane, is a teacher in Bloomington.

Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who