DALLAS (NCBWA) Al Chase, who has covered college baseball for 30 years, is the 35th recipient of the Wilbur Snypp Award, presented annually by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association for outstanding contributions to college baseball.
"I am totally surprised at receiving this award," Chase said. "It is an honor to be included in the list of distinguished recipients. My thanks to all NCBWA members. It was a pleasure to cover so many great players and outstanding coaches in both dugouts at the University of Hawaii's Les Murakami Stadium all those years."
"I also am proud to have established the criteria for the annual active and retired baseball coaches career lists," he added. "Compiling that list for 10 years in the '80's before handing the task over to the NCAA would not have been possible without the tremendous cooperation of the Division I sports information directors."
"Al Chase has been one of the top college baseball writers, and, for that matter, one of the top sports writers in the country for 39 years," said NCBWA executive director Bo Carter. "He has been a very active participant in NCBWA, college baseball polls and many other areas, and this is a long-overdue and well-deserved honor. He is one of the classiest people in the sports media industry."
Chase introduced the first NCBWA poll in the 1970s and early 1980s. He covered the 1980 NCAA College World Series, many conference tournaments and mainland series along with covering college baseball in Hawaii for 30 years. He is a great friend of the NCBWA and retired from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin in 2007 after being a sports writer for 39 years.
Al covered Hawaii's 1980 trip to the NCAA College World Series where the Rainbow Warriors finished second to Arizona and World Series MVP Terry Francona, future manager of the Red Sox. He also covered Hawaii College Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Derek Tatsuno during his 20-win season in 1979 when he became the first Division I pitcher to reach that mark. Al wrote one of the most well-read columns in Hawaii and also was the beat writer for the University of Hawaiis women·s soccer and women·s basketball teams. He has covered over 900 Hawaii home baseball games since 1968.
The Mansfield, Mass., native is a graduate of the University of Hawaii in 1966, and lives in Hawaii with his wife, Lee.
Chase joins an illustrious group of College Sports Information Directors of America Hall of Famers, noted national journalists and others in receiving the award. The plaque memorializes longtime Ohio State sports information director and NCBWA founder the late Wilbur (Bill) Snypp. Snypp was a noted contributor to the writers' organization, which was initiated in 1962 (and celebrating its 48th year in 2009), as well as an officer in the group. The NCBWA/Wilbur Snypp Award yearly honors a professional for contributions to the sport of collegiate baseball. Voting is done by a panel of previous winners, who include past NCAA World Series officials, SIDs, award-winning media members, and college athletics administrators.