By Bill Bender / 2024 FWAA First Vice President
DALLAS (FWAA) – Nick Kelly, formerly of The Tuscaloosa News and now with AL.com, is the fifth recipient of the Edward Aschoff Rising Star Award, which is presented annually by the Football Writers Association of America. The award is named after Aschoff, the beloved ESPN college football reporter who died on Christmas Eve in 2019 on his 34th birthday from previously undetected Stage 4 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in his lungs.
"I hope I can carry on his legacy of really making an impact on people and the way he did his job," Kelly said. "I really do hope I can continue to do that. It is such an honor to get an award with his name on it."
Kelly, 26, graduated from the University of Missouri in 2020. He was recognized for his outstanding work on the Alabama football beat and coverage in the aftermath of Nick Saban's retirement. Kelly accepted a writing position with AL.com ahead of the 2024-25 football season.
Wilson Alexander of The Advocate was the fourth winner of this award in 2023. Other past winners include Sports Illustrated's Richard Johnson (2022), The Athletic's Grace Raynor (2021) and The Athletic's David Ubben (2020) – the first recipient of the Edward Aschoff Rising Star Award.
"Nick Kelly continually found ways to tell compelling and unique stories about Alabama's football team despite access to players and coaches being severely limited," ESPN.com's Chris Low said.
"His sourcing within the program grew as he had time to develop genuine relationships and he wasn't timid about wading into those issues that can be uncomfortable for beat reporters that have to be there every day."
Kelly joined The Tuscaloosa News in 2021. He worked as an intern with Boston Globe Media and worked for the Columbia Missourian and Minneapolis Star-Tribune before taking on the Alabama beat.
"When I joined The Tuscaloosa News in 2021, you knew with Nick Saban's retirement – there was a decent chance I would be covering it," Kelly said. "I think you were always mentally prepared for it. It was surreal when it happened, but at the same time I was prepared for the plan of action."
Kelly credits Tommy Deas, Kelly’s editor at the Tuscaloosa News, for helping put that plan into action when Saban announced his retirement on Jan. 10.
Kelly was able to use his relationship with Saban's children – Nicholas and Kristen – to produce a profile of life after retirement for the entire family. Kelly said the key to producing content that stood out in that month was asking the right internal questions.
"How can we use the relationships I've built in my time here to tell different aspects of the story?" Kelly asked. "Everyone was talking about it. Everyone wanted to know about it. No detail was too small, so it was a matter of, ‘How can we cultivate those details?"
Kelly took two lessons from the late Cecil Hurt, the longtime columnist at The Tuscaloosa News who passed away in 2021, to stay grounded on the Alabama beat.
Kelly said Hurt was genuine at all times but also worked the beat with the tongue-in-cheek mantra of "everyone else knows more than you do."
"The humility of 'people know more than you do' is such a mindset I try to keep when I go about my work."
Kelly also has an appreciation for Aschoff – whose legacy endures with the Rising Star Award.
"I'm well aware of his legacy and seeing what people have said about him," Kelly said. "Finding out I'm winning an award named for him is really, really cool because I know what he accomplished in a short time."
Examples of Kelly's recent work:
Nick Saban, retirement, and the bittersweet taste of ketchup and mustard
Picture Nick Saban the point guard and Nate Oats the wide receiver -- It actually happened
Epic Nick Saban stories, as told by Alabama football players who'd know as he retires
Thank you Cecil Hurt. Wish you could be at the wedding this weekend
Remembering Edward Aschoff
Aschoff graduated from the University of Florida in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in journalism. After covering Gators football, basketball and baseball from 2007 to 2011 for The Gainesville Sun, he joined ESPN in 2011 as an SEC reporter and distinguished himself as a rising star.
Aschoff moved to Los Angeles in 2017 to begin a more expanded national role that included television coverage. Over three seasons, he reported from campuses across the country for ESPN.com, SportsCenter, SEC Network and ESPN Radio, and he worked as a television and radio sideline reporter during college football games.
Aschoff inspired us through his storytelling, brightened our lives with his gregarious personality, and uplifted our spirits with his energy. The FWAA hopes to honor his memory and his commitment to aspiring journalists with this award.
"Edward epitomized everything you want in a sports journalist: He knew how to build relationships, to gain trust, to break stories but also to tell stories," ESPN.com's Andrea Adelson said. "And he did it all with a flair that made you want to watch his television pieces or read his written stories right away. His dogged determination and relentless work ethic allowed him to rise to the top at ESPN, and all his exemplary qualities serve as a model for young journalists everywhere about what truly can be achieved if you go after what you want."
The University of Florida's College of Journalism and Communications has established the Edward Aschoff Memorial Fund, which will provide support for students involved in sports journalism.
"Edward was one of our stars – not just because he was so talented as a journalist and storyteller, but also because of everything he did to help people around him. He always had a good word of advice for young journalists, he was always willing to give back, and he always made people smile," said Ted Spiker, chair of the department of journalism at the University of Florida who taught Edward in several classes at UF.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of journalists, broadcasters, publicists, photographers and key executives in all areas of college football. The FWAA works to govern media access and game-day operations while presenting awards and honors, including an annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its programs and initiatives, contact Executive Director Steve Richardson at 214-870-6516 or tiger@fwaa.com.
#30