Kurkjian, Tim

A graduate of Walter Johnson High school in his native Bethesda, Md., and the University of Maryland, Kurkjian began his career in 1979 for the Washington Star and two years later was the Rangers beat writer for the Dallas Morning News. After four years in Texas, Kurkjian returned to Maryland at the Baltimore Sun to cover the Orioles for four years. Kurkjian then spent seven years as Sports Illustrated’s senior baseball writer. In 1998, he joined ESPN where he has worked as a columnist for ESPN.com and a reporter/analyst/host for “Baseball Tonight,” the latter assignment earning him an Emmy Award in 2002. He won a second Emmy for contributions to “SportsCenter” in 2003-04. Along the way, Kurkjian also penned “America’s Game” (2000), an interactive look at baseball; “Is This a Great Game or What?” (2007), a collection of his personal reflections covering the sport; and “I’m Fascinated by Sacrifice Flies” (2017), detailing the idiosyncrasies that define his love for the game. Kurkjian has served on two Era Committees for the Hall of Fame and is on the board of directors for the Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism at Maryland. He was the university’s commencement speaker in 2007. Kurkjian was the 2022 BBWAA Excellence Award Winner.