2007-2008 SOUTHWEST DISTRICT MEDIA HONOREES

In 1991, the Ohio High School Athletic Association initiated a program entitled the Sportsmanship, Ethics, and Integrity Program.  One aspect of this program was to honor special individuals who bring great recognition to our high schools, coaches, and athletes through media's various forms.  Each of the six athletic districts throughout Ohio are asked to recognize two individuals annually.

The members of the Southwest District Athletic Board take great pleasure in honoring the following individuals: 

Mr. Lyall (Sonny) Fulks, WPTW Radio, Editor, and online publisher of 1570wptw.com, a daily website dedicated to high school sports in Miami County and the Miami Valley, and Mr. Jerry Nardiello, Sports Writer, Middletown Journal.  Both individuals and their special guests will be honored at a reception on Saturday, March 1, 2008, 2:30 p.m., at the University of Dayton Arena.  Special recognition will be given to these distinguished gentlemen at the half-time of the first Division I Boy's Basketball game that afternoon.

Mr. Sonny Fulks is the father of two children, and his wife's name is Mindy.  He won three varsity letters at The Ohio State University as a starting pitcher in baseball.  He later went on to become an umpire in the professional leagues.  He does a weekly radio show on Friday night on WPTW.  It features live interviews with coaches and reviews all of the local high school scores.  Along with a colleague, he does live broadcasts of all State Championships in Football, Boys and Girls Basketball, and Baseball.  Incidentally, he was a member of the famous Ohio State Marching Band.  He is truly a fan of high school athletes, and in recent years he has taken pictures of tournament managers, scholar athletes, and other special award recipients for the District Athletic Board.

Mr. Jerry Nardiello is the father of two daughters, and his wife's name is Winifred.  After twenty months in the Air Force, he began his writing career at the Middletown Journal.  He retired in 1997 after fifty years of writing two articles per week covering the Middletown Middies, Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Bengals, local colleges, and other notable sport happenings in the area.  It was his distinct honor to cover twenty-five State Basketball Championships.  He has been inducted into both the Middletown High School and Butler County Sports Halls of Fame.

As one can see, the Southwest District Athletic Board is honoring two special individuals who have gone beyond the call of duty to promote and recognize high school coaches and athletes.  You are encouraged to be present on March 1, 2008, 4:00 p.m. to recognize these gentlemen and express your appreciation to them.

Since the inception of this award, the following individuals have been honored by the members of the Southwest District Athletic Board:

1997-98:        Ted Landis, Brookville Star; Warren Johnson, WPFB Radio, Middletown
1998-99:        Dave Long, Dayton Daily News; Duane Bachman, WPTW Radio, Piqua
1999-2000:    Don McDermott, Greenville Daily; Dave Schutte, Cincinnati Enquirer
2000-2001:    Mike Hartsock, WHIO TV, Dayton; Mark Huber, Wilmington News
2001-2002:    Kert Radel, WMOH Radio, Hamilton; Bill Liermann, WSWO Radio, Wilmington
2002-2003:    Jack Gordan, WPFB Radio, Middletown; Joe Neves, WPTW, Piqua
2003-2004:    Tom Gambel, DSA Sports, Cincinnati; John Popovich, WCPO Radio, Cincinnati
2004-2005:    Omar Williams, WHIO-TV, Retired; Ron Jackson, Dayton Daily News; Guy Fogle, WHIO TV
2005-2006:    Roger Barger, WKFI WSWO Sabina; Tom Groeschen, Cincinnati Enquirer
2006-2007:    Tom Archdeacon, Dayton Daily News; Ken Barhorst, Sidney Daily News
2007-2008:    Sonny Fulks, WPTW, 1590WPTW.com; Jerry Nardiello, Middletown Journal