Woody Durham Is Bob Bradley Award Winner

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March 7, 2018 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DURHAM NAMED BRADLEY AWARD WINNER

LEWISVILLE, N.C .– The late Woody Durham is the recipient of the 12th annual Bob Bradley Spirit and Courage Award from the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association (ACSMA) and the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Durham, the iconic voice of University of North Carolina athletics for four decades, passed away early Wednesday morning at the age of 76.

Durham retired in 2011 after 40 years as the “Voice of the Tar Heels” football and basketball play-by-play. He was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia, a neurocognitive disorder, in January of 2016. T-shirts bearing one of Durham’s favorite phrases – “Go where you go and do what you do” – are currently being sold to raise money for aphasia research.

Durham was born in Mebane, North Carolina, and raised in Albemarle, where he began his broadcasting career as a 16-year- old high school student at radio station WZKY. He graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1963 and started his post-college career at WBTW-TV in Florence, South Carolina, before moving to WFMY-TV in Greensboro, where he became the sports director.

In addition to his anchoring duties at WFMY, Durham served as the radio analyst for Wake Forest football and play-by-play announcer for Guilford College, as well as a play-by-play announcer on the TV station’s ACC package.

While still working for WFMY in 1971, Durham was hired to replace Bill Currie as the voice of UNC athletics. He called more than 1,500 Tar Heels contests, hosted coaches’ shows, and emceed or spoke at countless banquets.

Among Durham’s UNC career highlights were four NCAA men’s basketball championships and 23 football bowl games. He retired as a 13-time North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year and received the 2002 Marvin “Skeeter” Francis Award for his contributions to coverage of the ACC. This June, he will be inducted into the National Sports Media Association’s Hall of Fame.

Durham is survived by his wife, Jean, of Chapel Hill. They have two sons, both of whom followed their father’s career path. Wes is the radio voice of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, as well as a television play-by-play announcer for ACC football and basketball broadcasts. Taylor is a radio play-by-play announcer with the Elon IMG Sports Network, for which he also serves as an account executive.

The Bradley Award will be presented during North Carolina’s second-round game versus Syracuse in the New York Life ACC Tournament in Brooklyn on Wednesday evening.

A joint venture of the ACC and ACSMA, the Bradley Award is given annually in memory of Bob Bradley, the Hall of Fame sports information director at Clemson University whose positive attitude inspired all who knew him as he battled cancer. The award goes to an ACC student-athlete, coach, administrator, or other personnel in men’s or women’s basketball who has overcome significant hardship to contribute to his or her team, or to society as a whole.

ABOUT THE ATLANTIC COAST SPORTS MEDIA ASSOCIATION

The Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association is an organization of journalists dedicated to fostering a mutually beneficial relationship between the news media and the institutions and administration of the
Atlantic Coast Conference.

BOB BRADLEY AWARD RECIPIENTS

2018 Woody Durham, North Carolina
2017 The Capel Family, Duke, UNC, Wake Forest
2016 Rob Moxley, North Carolina State
2015 Sylvia Hatchell, North Carolina
2014 Jim Weaver, Virginia Tech
2013 Dick Kelley, Boston College
2012 Bernard James, Florida State
2011 Jessica Breland, North Carolina
2010 D’Andre Bell, Georgia Tech
2009 Adrian Thomas, Miami
2008 Matt Zitani, Florida State
2007 Debbie Ryan, Virginia
Kay Yow, North Carolina State
2006 Tony Bethel, North Carolina State