Grant Wahl to be posthumously honored by National Soccer Hall of Fame

FRISCO, Texas – Grant Wahl has been named the recipient of the 2023 Colin Jose Media Award, which honors journalists whose careers have made significant long-term contributions to soccer in the United States.

Wahl will be honored at this year’s National Soccer Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Frisco, Texas on May 6. The ceremony will also feature the induction of the 2023 Hall of Fame Class, which includes DaMarcus Beasley, Landon Donovan, Jill Ellis, Lauren Cheney Holiday, Kate Sobrero Markgraf and Slavisa “Steve” Zungul.

Wahl left an indelible legacy on American soccer, helping to grow the game through high-quality, insightful coverage with Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports, CBS Sports and his own Fútbol with Grant Wahl platform. He passed away in December at age 49 while covering the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

A renowned international journalist, Wahl worked at Sports Illustrated from 1996-2021 covering soccer and college basketball. During his legendary career, Wahl was an ubiquitous presence at World Cups, Women’s World Cups and Olympics, providing a passionate, unique perspective on the sport at its highest levels.

Wahl was also a champion for social justice and used his platform to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and other important issues. He authored two acclaimed books on soccer- 2009’s “The Beckham Experiment” about England star David Beckham’s move to LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer and 2018’s “Masters of Modern Soccer” about the playing styles of some of the game’s biggest stars.

The Colin Jose Media Award was created to honor the contributions of members of the print and electronic media, including reporters, columnists, authors, broadcasters, editors, public/media relations professionals and others who specialize in communications with respect to soccer in the United States. The award is named for Colin Jose, Historian Emeritus of the National Soccer Hall of Fame and the preeminent soccer historian of North America.

PAST COLIN JOSE MEDIA AWARD RECIPIENTS

2020 – Andrés Cantor, Telemundo Deportes and other television broadcasters
2019 – Tony Quinn, Photojournalist
2018 – JP Dellacamera, FOX and other television broadcasters
2017 – Jim Trecker, Media Relations
2016 – Paul Kennedy, Soccer America
2013 – George Vecsey, New York Times
2012 – Grahame Jones, Los Angeles Times
2010 – Paul Gardner, Soccer America
2009 – Alex Yannis, New York Times
2008 – Ike Kuhns, Newark Star-Ledger
2007 – George Tiedemann, Sports Illustrated/Freelance Photography
2005 – Seamus Malin, ESPN and other television broadcasters
2004 – Jerry Trecker, Hartford Courant