Courtesy of Bowie State University
Bowie State University literature professor Christopher Murray recently earned a pair of top journalism awards for sports writing from the Pennsylvania News Media Association (PNA) and the Society of Professional Journalism (SPJ).
Murray won first place for sports column writing for a small newspaper from the PNA for a column about Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. He also received first place honors from the SPJ for a series of columns that covered Hurts, Black NFL coaches and the Baseball Hall of Fame.
“This is probably one of the best,” Murray said as he compared his recent awards with others he’s won during his almost 40-year journalism career. “With the SPJ award, I went up against people from Philly, Pittsburgh and the whole state. When you work in the Black press, you have to fight to get coverage. People who work in the Black press are just as capable as anybody else.”
Murray teaches composition and rhetoric in the Department of Language, Literature and Cultural Studies while still working as a part-time journalist for the Philadelphia Sunday Sun and WURD (96.1 FM/900 AM) radio station. The Baltimore native originally wanted to cover politics before finding his niche writing about sports. Over the course of his career, Murray has covered three Super Bowls, two World Series and multiple NCAA Tournament games. While Murray is proud of his professional accomplishments, he values working with students above the awards he’s earned.
“I take more pride in the students I’ve helped than anything else,” he said. “Winning these awards are great, but I still love the teaching. There are a lot of good students I’ve helped over the years.”
Since rejoining the university in 2016, Murray has focused on using his experience to help up-and-coming writers improve in their craft. Beyond teaching students how to conduct research, story structure and other mechanics that go into writing, Murray looks to impart a sense grit and determination in his classes to prepare them for what they’ll face as they move forward in their careers. And maybe they’ll earn their own awards along the way.
“I want these students to have a work ethic to empower themselves,” said Murray. “I want them to be professionals and do the work. They may forget my name five years from now, but I want to make sure the students understand hard work. You put the work in, and I’ll show you how to get there.”