The Jim Nantz Awards Makes History Awarding the First Ever African American Award Winner, Derryl Barnes
Barnes has Become the First African American to Win the Jim Nantz Award
For the first time in the history of the STAA Jim Nantz Award, Derryl Barnes, a biracial senior at the University of Miami in Miami, Flordia, has become the first African American college student to win the most coveted sports broadcasting award in North America. Honored by longtime CBS Sports broadcaster, Jim Nantz. The award is given to one honorable college student yearly.
On Friday, the Jim Nantz Award was given to North America's top collegiate sports broadcaster. Since being first crowned in 2009, the award has given homage to mostly white sports broadcasters working at America’s most elite two & four-year universities. Two women, both white, won the award in 2018 and 2022 with about 98% of the winners being mostly white males until today.
Barnes had won First-Team All-American honors last year but medaled for the Nantz for the first time this year after five years of trying to submit his tape for the award.
He said in an X post, “In 2019, I stumbled across the AT STAA and the Jim Nantz award and made it my goal to win this award one day…” he said. “Five years later, I’m EXTREMELY honored to hear my name called amongst such talented peers and be named the nation’s most outstanding collegiate sportscaster!”
Social media congratulated the long-time sports media student as he will be honored at the National Sports Media Association on the weekend of June 30-July 1 in Greensboro, North Carolina with other sports broadcasting hall of famers from the world of national and local sports broadcasting.
More diversity was the name of the 2024 Nantz Award as Hofstra senior, Yaw Bonsu and St. Cloud State senior, Anna Behning were both awarded as finalists for the award and STAA All Americans.
The other finalists include USC senior, Eli Kleinmann, Virginia Tech University junior, Kyle Marchak, and Syracuse University senior, Ben Proctor.
The following were second-team All-Americans according to the STAA website
Connor Clark (Nebraska, Senior)
Rheanna DeCrow (Ithaca, Junior)
Jack Gordon (Syracuse, Senior)
Giovanni Heater (Virginia Tech, Senior)
Jared Johnston (Syracuse, Senior)
Jack Smith (USC, Junior)
Ethan Tuttle (Arizona State, Senior)
Third-team All-Americans include:
Aiden Blanc (Arizona State, Sophomore)
Julia Cavanagh (Hofstra, Senior)
Annie Cory (Liberty, Senior)
Tyler Danburg (Ohio State, Senior)
Grant Kiefer (Ohio U. Sophomore)
Nick Luttrell (Syracuse, Senior)
Charlie Maurer (Ball State, Senior)
For a complete list of the winners and honorary members of the STAA All-American team, check this link here for more.