Sportswriters group chooses Simmermaker for lifetime achievement award

White River Broadcasting’s retired sports director Sam Simmermaker is adding another honor.

Sam has been chosen for the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association’s Ron Lemasters Lifetime Achievement Award.

According to the announcement, Sam will be entering the 30th annual Hall of Fame class at an award ceremony in April. He retired in May of 2024 after more than 64 years covering local sports.

Originally from Pulaski County, an Army vet and IU graduate, Sam started his full-time career in Columbus at WCSI on Jan. 1st, 1960. His first role in Columbus was in news, but he soon began his sportscasting legacy on WCSI.  He has covered generations of high school athletes here, with some of the young athletes being the grandchildren or even great-grandchildren of those he covered in his early years.

The annual banquet is April 12th and will be held at Valle Vista Country Club in Greenwood.

The honorees will be recognized at the association’s annual banquet on April 12, which begins at 2 p.m. at Valle Vista Country Club in Greenwood. Tickets are available with a meal included for $50. To order tickets, send a check for $50 to Fred Inniger, ISSA Treasurer, 3011 Noble Hawk Drive, Kendallville, IN 46755.