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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Kerri Fulks April 24, 2014 972.499.6617 [email protected]

The Dallas Morning News’ Sports Columnist Rick Gosselin to Receive Outstanding Alumni Award from State University

(DALLAS) – The Dallas Morning News and Michigan State University’s (MSU) College of Communication Arts and Sciences (CAS) announce that SportsDayDFW columnist, Rick Gosselin, has been selected to receive the 2014 Outstanding Alumni Award. The award will be presented by CAS at “The Celebration,” the college’s annual awards dinner and ceremony, on Saturday, May 3, at 6 p.m. in WKAR Studio A, located in the CAS Building on MSU’s campus.

"I am honored and humbled to receive such an honor from a school that set the path for me to achieve all that I aspired in my professional life,” said Gosselin. “Without the time spent in the classroom at Michigan State and in the newsroom of The State News, I would not be where I am today. Michigan State has always remained special to me and it's gratifying to find out that, after all these years, my school considers me special as well."

The Outstanding Alumni Awards recognize alumni who have obtained the highest level of professional or academic achievement and demonstrated service to the college and community.

“Rick is a journalism superstar who gives back to his alma mater. He doesn’t stop his relationship with the School of Journalism and students with only campus visits. He continues to offer advice and help students whom he has met in our classes when they call or send emails. Their successes are important to him,” said Lucinda Davenport, Director of MSU’s School of Journalism, who nominated Gosselin for the award.

In his career, Gosselin has covered two summer and one winter Olympics, five World Series, four Final Fours, the Stanley Cup and NBA playoffs, a World Cup and 31 Super Bowls. He also serves on the national advisory board of college basketball’s John Wooden Award and votes for both the Major League Baseball and National Football League Hall of Fame.

“It is no secret that the leading authority on the NFL is Rick Gosselin,” said Davenport. “He truly is the top journalist, whom athletes, other sports reporters and sports enthusiasts can’t wait to read to find out predictions of draft picks and all things NFL. I appreciate the opportunity to nominate him for a CAS Outstanding Alumni Award.”

Rick Gosselin – MSU/CAS Alumni Award Page 2

Gosselin earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from MSU in 1972. He went on to work for United Press International on the state desk for two years in his hometown of , then transferred to New York City in 1975 to cover the New York Giants and coordinate NFC coverage for the wire service. He transferred to Kansas City in 1977 and spent nine years as UPI's Midlands Sports Editor before moving to the Kansas City Star in 1986. There, he covered the Chiefs and the NFL for four years before joining the Morning News in 1990.

At the Morning News, Gosselin covered the Cowboys from 1990-91, then served as the NFL columnist from 1992-2010, until his appointment as a general sports columnist in August 2011.

About Michigan State University’s College of Communication Arts and Sciences Established in 1955, MSU’s College of Communication Arts and Sciences was the first college in the dedicated solely to the study of communication sciences and is home to nearly 4,000 students and more than 100 researchers and educators covering five departments: Advertising + Public Relations; Communication; Communicative Sciences and Disorders; Journalism; and Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media. It is one of the largest and most respected communication colleges in the world.

About The Dallas Morning News Established in 1885, The Dallas Morning News is Texas’ leading and the flagship newspaper subsidiary of A. H. Belo Corporation. It has received nine Pulitzer Prizes since 1986, as well as numerous other industry awards recognizing the quality of its investigative and feature journalism, design and photojournalism. Its portfolio of print and digital products reaches an average daily audience of more than 1.1 million people and includes online news and information sites; iPhone, Android and iPad apps; Al Día (www.aldiatx.com), the leading Spanish-language publication in North Texas; neighborsgo (www.neighborsgo.com), a consumer-generated community news outlet; and Briefing, the free, home-delivered quick-read. In addition to the editorial drivers within the Morning News, CrowdSource was created as an independent business division to assist event organizers and producers with its operational, marketing and promotional needs. To advertisers, the portfolio of products is represented by DMNmedia (www.DMNmedia.com), the marketing solutions group of The Dallas Morning News, Inc. For more information about the publication and its entities, visit www.dallasnews.com.

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