2021 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 74
BY SENATOR BERNARD
A RESOLUTION
To commend Ro Brown upon receiving the 2021 Louisiana Sports Writers Association's
Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism.
WHEREAS, in 1958, the Louisiana Sports Writers Association was created and
became the parent organization of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches,
Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, each year in collaboration with the Louisiana Sports Writers
Association, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame selects a limited number of sports figures
and sports media professionals who embody the character, skill, and talents worthy of being
named to the hall of fame; and
WHEREAS, Ro Brown was named a recipient of the 2021 Louisiana Sports Writers
Association's Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism for his trailblazing work
in television sports; and
WHEREAS, Ro Brown is a pioneering broadcasting presence who became a sports
media staple in his native New Orleans; and
WHEREAS, in 1978, Mr. Brown went to work for WDSU-TV in New Orleans and
became the first on-air African-American sports anchor-reporter in the Crescent City; and
WHEREAS, in 1981, Mr. Brown worked for one year at KPLC-TV in Lake Charles
and then returned to WDSU-TV where he worked for the next twenty-one years, becoming
a predominant media figure in New Orleans; and
WHEREAS, his 1983 five-part series on the black student-athletes won a Louisiana
Associated Press Award for best sports series; and
WHEREAS, Ro Brown also received a New Orleans Press Club award for his
highlights of the Liberty Track and Field Meet; and
WHEREAS, in 2012, the Sports Task Force of the National Association of Black
Journalists presented Ro Brown with the Sam Lacy Pioneer Award; and
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WHEREAS, in 2020, he was awarded the prestigious Mac Russo Award by the
Louisiana Sports Writers Association; and
WHEREAS, while continuing to cover sports in and around New Orleans, he has
worked for the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation as Director of Community Relations
and has also worked at Event Producers where he produced and hosted television shows for
the Sun Belt Conference and the Louisiana High School Athletic Association; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Brown served as assistant director of communications at the
University of New Orleans; and
WHEREAS, before his award-winning media career began, Ro Brown attended
George Washington Carver High School in New Orleans and graduated from John F.
Kennedy High and Loyola University in New Orleans; and
WHEREAS, he served four years in the United States Navy and is a member of
selection committees for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, the Allstate Sugar Bowl Greater
New Orleans Sports Writers Association, and the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby commend Ro Brown upon receiving the 2021 Louisiana Sports Writers
Association's Distinguished Service Award.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Ro Brown.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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