By Doug Huff

W.Va. Sports Writers Association 

 

Mark Martin, a print and broadcast journalist for four decades, has been selected the winner of the 2022 Morehouse Award by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.

 

 The award is given for contributions to journalism and named for the late Marshall University sports information director and broadcaster Gene Morehouse, who was killed in the 1970 airplane crash that claimed the lives of 75 Marshall football players, coaches, staff and fans. The award has been given since 1971 with the list of recipients on the wvswa.org website.

 

 He will be honored at the 75th annual Victory Awards Dinner on May 1 at the Embassy Suites in Charleston.

 

 Martin has been involved in state broadcast and print ventures since he graduated from Ripley High School in 1979 and Marietta College with a Bachelor of Arts in Radio/Television in 1983. He's also completed several hours of work for a Masters in Media Studies from West Virginia State University.

 

 "Mark may be best known for his television and radio broadcasts,"  Association secretary-treasurer Doug Huff said. "But he's also has a four-decade freelance newspaper career as well as being an author. And, since 2009, he's served as toastmaster of the Victory Awards Dinner, the longest tenure in that role."

 

 The Morehouse honoree has served as Sports Director of WCHS-TV in Charleston since 2000 after an Assistant Sports Director/Weekend Anchor role from 1997-2000. WCHS is the sponsor of six annual football position awards given by the WVSWA. From 1990-97, he was Sports Director of WOAY-TV in Oak Hill.

 

 A football color analyst for Marshall University radio and the host of Marshall Football Today and Marshall Basketball Today television shows, he also has done freelance TV work for W.Va. Public Television, SportsSouth, Big East Network, ESPN Regional, Mountain East Conference Television, W. Va. MetroNews Television and Fox Sports Net.

 

 The play-by-play voice of live streaming W.Va. SSAC high school championship events on the NFHS Network, he also handles live streaming events for W.Va. State University women's and men's basketball produced locally by Video Productions.

 

 His radio play-by-play and sportscasting experience includes stations in Ripley, Huntington, Spencer, Parkersburg and Gallipolis, Ohio.

 

 On the print journalism front, his four-decade career since his college freshman year has included writing sports and human interest features, sports columns and athletic event coverage for the Jackson-Herald in Ripley, the Ravenswood News and the Jackson Star-News in Ravenswood plus contributions to other publications.

 

 He authored a book in 1996, "An Unfulfilled Dream, My Failure, or His Will?", detailing the coaching life of Ripley native Paul Lanham, who worked in professional football for 20 years and was a part of two Super Bowls.

 

 Martin has received numerous honors for his professional work including the West Virginia Broadcasting Hall of Fame, Midwestern Regional Emmy and The Associated Press (W.Va.) Lifetime Achievement Award. He's also been honored by he W.Va. Broadcasters Association, W. Va. Press Association and The Associated Press of W.Va., Virginias (W.Va. and Virginia), and Ohio.

 

 "I'm totally humbled by the Morehouse Award," Martin says. "It's very special to be recognized by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association."