Ray Didinger Named Stan Hochman Award Winner
Joining the ever-growing dais at the annual Philadelphia Sports Writers Association dinner, taking place at the Crowne Plaza in Cherry Hill on Monday January 21st, 2019 (tickets on sale here): longtime Football Hall of Fame sportswriter, broadcaster, author and playwright Ray Didinger, who has been selected as this year’s Stan Hochman award winner.
Didinger won six Emmy Awards as an NFL Films producer/writer and has written 11 books. He wrote for the Philadelphia Bulletin and the Philadelphia Daily News for almost 30 years, being named Pennsylvania Sportswriter of the Year five times by the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. In 1995, he won the Dick McCann Award for long and distinguished pro football coverage and his name has been added to the writers’ honor roll in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Didinger also became the first print journalist to become a member of the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame and continues to host shows on WIP radio. He also is featured on NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Eagles Pre-Game Live and Post-Game Live. In 2016, he wrote his first play, “Tommy and Me,” based on a time in Ray’s own life when he helped his idol, former Eagles great Tommy McCarthy, reach the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The show was produced locally by Theater Exile.
Stan Hochman, known for his distinctive writing style and his incomparable interview ability, was an award-winning columnist for the Daily News for 55 years before his death in 2015. The Inquirer’s Mike Sielski was the winner of the inaugural Hochman Award in 2016, Inquirer colleague Jeff McLane in 2017 and Daily News writer-columnist Rich Hofmann was last year’s honoree.
Didinger joins Pro Athlete of the Year Aaron Nola at this year’s 115th annual dinner. Over the next few days and weeks, a number of other award winners will be announced, including the Living Legend and Native Son honorees The PSWA’s signature event, the Most Courageous Athlete, will be announced at the conclusion of the dinner.
The public is encouraged to attend – visit http://www.phillysportswriters.com today and get tickets – just $95 here! For more information email pswadinner@yahoo.com