DALLAS (FWAA) – Angelique Chengelis of the The Detroit News and Scott Dochterman of The Athletic have been named co-winners of the FWAA's Steve Ellis Beat Writer of the Year Award (for the 2022 season), the association announced on Thursday.
The FWAA has named a Beat Writer of the Year since 2011 in honor of Ellis, long-time Tallahassee Democrat writer who passed away in 2009. Democrat sports editor Jim Henry once wrote of Ellis: "Nobody covered Florida State athletics with the passion and ferocity that Ellis did for 30 years."
Previous winners of the FWAA's Beat Writer Award: Doug Lesmerises of the Cleveland Plain Dealer ; Mark Blaudschun of the Boston Globe and Steve Wieberg of USA Today); Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News; Tim May of the Columbus Dispatch; Chris Dufresne of the Los Angeles Times; Jason Kersey of The Oklahoman; Mike Griffith of SEC Country; Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com and Chris Vannini of The Athletic; Brett McMurphy of Stadium Network; Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated; Dave Matter of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ; and Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle
The FWAA announces the recipients of the award after reviewing the nominations from the membership from the previous football season.
"This is the third time the FWAA has given the award to two writers during a single season," said FWAA Executive Director Steve Richardson. "And why not? Both reporters-writers covered their beats at Iowa (Dochterman) and Michigan (Chengelis) with aplomb, although in completely different football situations during the 2022 season. Michigan was competing for a national title; Iowa struggled on offense and finished 5-4 in the Big Ten. They both blanketed their beats with outstanding coverage."
And both were flattered to be recognized by the FWAA..
"Shocked and absolutely thrilled to be recognized by my colleagues," Chengelis said. "Very proud to be part of the FWAA."
"I am both flattered and humbled," Dochterman said. "I can't count how many times I've looked at work by my colleagues and competitors and thought, 'When I grow up, I want to write like them.' Now to be considered for an award like this, let alone to earn this honor alongside of the greats in our industry, I am speechless."
What others they say about them...
"Angelique is the eptiome of what a beat writer should be," said 1999 FWAA President Mark Blaudschun of The Media Guides and formerly of the Boston Globe. "She is connected, works hard and has done it for more than 30 years dealing with some challenging personalities. She has also adjusted well in an ever-changing social media world."
Last February, Angelique was announced as the latest addition to the Michigan Stadium Press Box Hall of Fame by Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel. Manuel remarked at the time: "It's so great to have her. I don't always like what Angelique writes, but she's fair and she's balanced."
And on Scott.
"This past year Scott covered what could have been a painfully boring storyline, Iowa's horrendous offense under Kirk Ferentz's son, Brian, " said Stewart Mandel of The Athletic."But he found new ways every week to analyze it and did not hesitate using his crtical voice in columns. Scott is the unquestioned go-to for all things Iowa Hawkeyes. Having covered the program for two decades. he is everything you could hope for in terms of both his current and instituional knowledge. He is keenly plugged in both inside and outside the athletic department..He has a knack for creativity in terms of story ideas and approach."
"Scott is the only person I know who can consistenly maintain the respect of those he criticizes, as demonstrated bythe piece in which Brian Ferentz opens his doors to him in an effort to explain his offensive philosophy," said Matt Fortuna, the 2019 FWAA President, who formerly worked at The Athletic and now runs his own website,The Inside Zone. "Let's face it: Iowa is, and has been, one of the most boring programs in the country. It would be very easy to tune out the Hawkeyes as a fan, or to get lazy with writing about their stale play every day. But Scott has gone above and beyond to find new and engaging ways to write about the school, an approach that has not gone unnoticed by his readers."
Snap Shots of Their Backgrounds
Chengelis: Angelique has covered Michigan football since 1992 at The News, making her one of the most veteran beat writers in the country at one school and the same paper. A Cincinnati native, she graduated from the University of Cincinnati and first interned at The News after college before working at the Knoxville Journal (1987-90). With the News, she has covered all the major sporting events in Detroit and also has been the paper's motor sports writer. In 2018, she was named the Michigan Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association..
Dochterman: Born and raised in Burlington, Iowa, and a Western Illinois University graduate, Dochterman has spent the last 26 years as an editor, news reporter, and sportswriter, including the last five for The Athletic. Once a regional chair for APSE in the early 2000s, Dochterman has covered Iowa, the Big Ten and college athletics since 2006 for The Cedar Rapids Gazette, Land of 10 and The Athletic. Dochterman lives in North Liberty, Iowa, with his wife, Meredith, who is a marketing strategist with Kirkwood Community College, and their children Braedyn and Emma.
Five questions for Chengelis/Dochterman
Q: Who has inspired you throughout your journalism career?
Chengelis: "I grew up in Cincinnati and attended UC and while there working for The News Record, Cincinnati Enquirer sports columnist Tim Sullivan became a mentor as I considered this business. I am forever grateful for his advice and guidance. Also, Phil Laciura, The Detroit News sports editor who hired me (I had been an intern there after college), and always reminded while (always) pushing deadline, 'Hey, it’s a daily!'"
Dochterman: "Everywhere I worked, I found someone either with whom I’ve competed or worked alongside who has inspired me. When I was young, I watched the late, great Quad City Times sportswriter Dearrel Bates meticulously cover preps. He taught me to be detail-oriented, fair, and considerate of others. When I was sports editor of the St. Joseph (Mo.) News-Press, I respected the tenacity of how Adam Teicher (then with the Kansas City Star) worked the Chiefs beat. Former colleagues and longtime friends Matt Humphrey (St. Joseph) and Marc Morehouse (Cedar Rapids) were both brilliant in their prose and relentless with their beats. Of course, my current colleagues at The Athletic are amazing."
Q: When did you know you were going to be a journalist?
Chengelis: "I knew I was going into newspaper reporting after my first story appeared in the UC News Record – an R.E.M. album review. What a rush that was. The next story was for the sports section toward the end of the school year and a few days later outgoing sports editor Brian Landman asked if I’d want to be sports editor. I was SE for two years."
Dochterman: "When I failed to win the starting quarterback job as a sophomore in high school, I realized an NFL career wasn’t on my horizon. That year, I took a journalism class because I enjoyed writing nearly as much as I did sports. I discovered I was decent at it, joined my high school newspaper staff and once my football career mercifully concluded my senior year, I started working part-time taking box scores for my local newspaper. I was smitten for life."
Q: Is there any one particular story or couple of stories you are particularly proud?
Chengelis: "I’ve always been proud of my coverage of Michigan’s 1997 unbeaten season. Yeah, that was a long time ago, but I never stopped cranking out stories that year. More recently, I know Fox and ESPN did amazing pieces on Dametrius 'Meechie' Walker, the local football player with bone cancer Michigan befriended, but I was the first to write about him and I will never forget him and the impact he made on me."
Dochterman: "Much of our best work comes at the worst circumstances for people. I think back 15 or so years ago and covering the murder of legendary high school football coach Ed Thomas or the day the Iowa and Cedar rivers flooded much of Eastern Iowa. Then, I remember covering how those tragedies galvanized those communities and how sports pulled them through the tough times. That collection of stories was some of my best work, and it restored some of my faith in humanity. I love in-depth, long-form journalism where you can dig into a subject, and it just kills you to leave an anecdote on the cutting-room floor. Among my favorites include a piece on recreation at a former German POW camp in Southwest Iowa, a look at Alex Karras’ wild college years and how Iowa landed Kirk Ferentz instead of Bob Stoops."
Q: Best advice anybody ever gave you?
Chengelis: "This isn’t exactly advice, but I’ve thought about it a lot and ask others this. Tim Sullivan once asked me if I thought it was more important to be a better reporter or a better writer. It always leads to an interesting discussion. Oh, also – don’t empty your notebook when you’re writing a feature story. This is more important than it sounds."
Dochterman: " I can’t remember from which place I was working at the time, but one editor asked me (and I’m paraphrasing a bit), are you writing for you or for the reader? I think it was when I arguing to use a meaningless quote from a high-profile source rather than real material from other people. Oh, and word economy. That’s a phrase I think about almost weekly."
Q: Anything else you want to talk about as it pertains to your career?
Chengelis: "I’ve been doing this since 1987 and believe my first three-plus years at The Knoxville Journal as the Lady Vols beat writer covering Pat Summitt and those great teams – I also covered Carson-Newman football and worked a weekly overnight desk shift – were the absolute best learning experience."
Dochterman: "I hope if anyone takes anything away from me it’s my perseverance. I worked two jobs through college and paid for everything on my own. Luckily, a great and affordable university was located only 50 miles from where I lived so I loaded up on classes two or three days a week and commuted. In my younger days, I covered prep sports, government, local politics, police and courts, which gave me great perspective and taught me how to report on varied and difficult subjects. It wasn’t easy, but I wouldn’t trade any of those experiences for a fast track to this point in my life."