MEDIA
INFORMATION
November 28, 2007
Contact: Jason Wille, Sports Information Director
E–Mail: jwille@ihsaa.org
WFLQ’S
MIKE HOLE AND THE LATE CHUCK AKERS TO BE HONORED BY IHSAA
Michael Hole and his late broadcasting partner, Chuck Akers, of WFLQ Radio
in French Lick, have been named as this year’s winners of the IHSAA
Distinguished Media Service Award for District III.
Both will be honored Friday,
Nov. 30, in a special ceremony prior to the Springs Valley-Orleans boys
basketball game at Orleans High School. IHSAA Commissioner Blake Ress will be
on hand to make the presentation.
Hole, also known by his
on-air name, “Mike Hamilton”, has been with WFLQ since 1986 having
called Springs Valley football games since that same fall and Blackhawk
basketball games since the 1989-90 season. He also covers Orleans and Paoli
high schools in various sports including volleyball, baseball and softball.
Besides his on-air duties, he works as an account executive for the station and
hosts a weekly sports talk show, “Sportschat” during the fall and
winter months.
Prior to joining WFLQ, Hole
worked for WLSO in Spencer and WUME in Paoli. He got his start during his high
school days at Carmel High School’s WHJE where he served as Sports
Director during his junior and senior years and was the first student to call
the play-by-play action for basketball. While a college student at Indiana
University, he interned at WBWB radio in Bloomington and also volunteered at
WIUS, the campus radio station. He graduated in 1982 with a degree in
Telecommunications and a minor in Business.
A licensed IHSAA official in
six different sports, Hole has worked sectional and/or regional tournaments in
girls basketball, volleyball, baseball and softball. He considers broadcasting
the 1989 Class A state football championship between Springs Valley and Bremen
and the 1990 boys basketball state finals, when Bedford North Lawrence won the
crown, as his favorites.
He and his wife of 25 years,
Kristina, have two sons, Alex, 22, and Adam, 18. Kristina teaches French at
Orleans High School. The family has called Orleans home since 1985.
Akers had been a broadcaster
for WFLQ for 24 years broadcasting primarily football and basketball games and
many marveled at his encyclopedic knowledge of Springs Valley High School
sports. He retired from the school corporation in 1999 after a long career as a
teacher as well as coach for football, boys and girls basketball and golf.
More recently, he had been
enjoying retirement as a starter at the Donald Ross Golf Course in French Lick.
He had also been a licensed IHSAA official for both high school basketball and
baseball.
Akers had graduated from
Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky, in 1964 and later received a Masters
Degree from Indiana University.
Akers tragically lost his
life in a traffic accident on Oct. 18. He is survived by his wife of 44 years,
Leslie, and their two daughters, Libby Pancake (Tony) of Zionsville, Ind., and
Kelli Matthews (Patrick) of Allen, Texas, and seven grandchildren. They were
residents of French Lick.
This is the 23rd year the IHSAA has recognized outstanding members of
the Indiana news media from each of the three IHSAA legislative districts for
excellence in the coverage of high school sports. District III covers 42
counties across southern
On behalf of its 407 member schools, the Indiana High School Athletic
Association is pleased to salute Mike Hole and the late Chuck Akers for their
dedicated service to high school athletics in the state of Indiana.
Previous award recipients from southwestern
Don Bernhardt,
Bob Simmers, WITZ, Jasper,
1986-87
Larry Goffinet, Tell City
News, 1991-92
Dave Hunter, WAOV,
Norman Hall, WBNL,
Boonville, 1993-94
Dave Dedrick, WUME/WSEZ,
Paoli, 1995-96
Mike Blake, WFIE-TV,
Larry Schweizer, WBNL,
Boonville, 1998-99
Pete Swanson,
Tom Douglas, Spencer Evening
World, 1999-00
Mark Downey,
Brian Bohne,
Ferdinand News/Spencer County Leader,
2003-04
Lance Wilkerson, News 25,
WEHT-TV,
Tom Collins, Evansville
Courier & Press, 2006-07
IHSAA
07-08/17