WAYNE NORMAN NAMED CONNECTICUT SPORTSCASTER OF THE YEAR

On January 13, 2020, WILI’s Wayne Norman was named the Connecticut Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association.  Norman, named to the Connecticut Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame in 2018, has been a radio voice for UConn basketball and football for 40 years, and does comprehensive sports reports each morning on WILI–focusing on local teams.  He broadcast his first football game on the statewide Connecticut Radio Network in 1979 and became the full-time UConn football and basketball color analyst in 1981, working with the legendary Marty Glickman for five years.He has also broadcast nearly 100 UConn women’s basketball games including from the 2001 and 2003 Final Fours.  He teamed with Joe D’Ambrosio to call the Huskies four NCAA men’s basketball national championships.   He now calls the games with Mike Crispino on the UConn Sports Network.  Norman was invited to the NSMA’s national awards weekend in Winston-Salem in June, but that event was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Previous winners of the Connecticut Sportscaster of the Year award include D’Ambrosio (UConn and WTIC), Kevin Nathan (NBC Connecticut), Rich Coppola (Fox 61), John Pierson (WTNH-TV), Jeff Dooley (ESPN Radio-Hartford), Scott Gray (UConn and WTIC),  Arnold Dean (WTIC), Al Vestro (WATR), Dick Galiette (WNHC), George Erlich (WTIC), Carl Grande (WNHC), and Bob Steele (WTIC).   The award has been given out since 1969.

Dave Borges of the New Haven Register and Hearst Connecticut Media was named the Connecticut Sportswriter of the Year.

The National Sports Media Association & Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, which seeks to develop educational opportunities for those who are interested in pursuing a career in sports media, through networking, interning, mentoring and scholarship programs.

The NSMA also honors, preserves and celebrates the diverse legacy of sports media in the United States.