Ballen Named Master of Ceremonies for Black Sportswriters Hall of Fame Induction

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (April 7, 2026) — Veteran sportscaster Dwayne Ballen will serve as master of ceremonies for the second annual Black Sportswriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony Saturday, April 11, at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

Taking place from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the Student Center, 1403 John W. Mitchell Drive, Greensboro, the ceremony will bring together journalists, students, educators and industry leaders at North Carolina A&T, home to a nationally recognized journalism and mass communication program.

The event will feature tributes, inductions and opportunities for students to engage with industry professionals. A media meet-and-greet and interview session will be from 5 to 6 p.m.

Ballen, of Conway, South Carolina, has worked with CBS Sports, ABC Sports, FOX Sports Net and Golf Channel. His career over more than four decades spans roles as a reporter, anchor and play-by-play announcer across major national platforms. He joined CBS Sports’ coverage of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship in 2000 and served as a reporter for ABC Sports’ college basketball coverage. Since 1998, he has worked as a play-by-play announcer for FOX Sports Net and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football and basketball broadcasts.

Ballen was a studio host for FOX Sports News, and anchored the network’s on-site coverage of the 1997 NCAA Final Four. He also served as a studio anchor and host for Golf Channel, where he was lead anchor for “Golf Central” and helped anchor coverage of the 1995 Ryder Cup.

“Dwayne Ballen represents the gold standard in sports broadcasting — experience, credibility, and a deep understanding of the stories behind the games,” said Rob Parker, Black Sportswriters Hall of Fame founder. “His national presence and longstanding commitment to the craft make him the perfect choice to guide this celebration of excellence in sports journalism.”

Before his national work, Ballen was a sports anchor and reporter at WTVD-TV in Durham, North Carolina, and a weekend sports anchor at WAFF-TV in Huntsville, Alabama. A three-time Associated Press Award winner, he has demonstrated sustained excellence in broadcast journalism.

As master of ceremonies, Ballen will lead an evening honoring Black sportswriters whose work has shaped the industry and expanded opportunities for future generations. The Black Sportswriters Hall of Fame recognizes excellence in sports journalism and careers with lasting impact.

The 2026 inductees are Clifton Brown, first Black golf writer at The New York Times, who also covered the NBA’s “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons for the Detroit Free Press and the NFL for The Sporting News and other publications; Garry D. Howard, first Black president of the Associated Press Sports Editors and former assistant managing editor for sports at The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and a member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Hall of Fame; Parker, a Fox Sports national radio host who became the first Black sports columnist at The Detroit Free Press and Newsday and a 2023 NABJ Hall of Fame inductee; and Ron Thomas, first NBA reporter for USA Today, first chair of the NABJ Sports Task Force and founding director of the journalism program at Morehouse College.

The 2026 Black Press Pioneer honorees are Howie Evans of The New York Amsterdam News; Bill Nunn of The Pittsburgh Courier; Brad Pye Jr. of The Los Angeles Sentinel; Claude Harrison Jr. of The Philadelphia Tribune; Fay Young of The Chicago Defender; and R.L. Stockard of The Louisiana Weekly.

Tickets may be purchased here. For more information, email media@blacksportswritershof.com.