The Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association (ISSA) has honored DePauw University Assistant Athletics Director for Athletics Communications Bill Wagner with their annual Bob Williams Helping Hand Award.

The ISSA also announced its incoming Hall of Fame Class, the 29th class to be named, which is set to be inducted at its annual awards banquet to be held on Sunday, April 6th at Valle Vista Country Club in Greenwood.
This year’s Class of 2025 includes the people who have graced Hoosier newspapers, radio stations, and television airwaves during the past several decades, including Curt Cavin, Len Davis, Brian Hammons, Tony Kale, Vince Turner, and Curt Rallo. In addition to these new Hall of Famers, the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association will recognize winners of four annual honors such as the Marv Bates Sportscaster of the Year, the Corky Lamm Sportswriter of the Year, the Bob Williams Helping Hand Award, and the Ron Lemasters Lifetime Achievement Award. For more information on all winners, click here.

Wagner, has been a fixture on the DePauw campus since 1986. He is a member of the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Hall of Fame and has worked off-campus events ranging from the Pan Am Games in 1987 to the 2010 NCAA Final Four. He has served on CSC’s Academic All-America Committee for over 20 years, was on the CSC Board of Directors for three years, and was elected as the first president of Division III Sports Information Directors of America (D3SIDA), serving from 2008-11. Wagner oversees communications for all 23 intercollegiate athletic programs at DePauw, and the annual Monon Bell Classic between the Tigers and Wabash College. He has served as the media host for over 100 NCAA Division III competitions, including three national championships. Additionally, in 2014, Wagner was honored with induction into the CSC Hall of Fame, a testament to his outstanding contributions to the field.
“This is such a well-deserved and aptly named way to honor Bill Wagner, said North Coast Athletic Conference Executive Director Keri Alexander Luchowski. “Bill has been a steady presence, always lending a hand and serving as a role model and mentor to young professionals and students interested in the profession. He has spent countless hours in dedication to DePauw, the NCAC (and SCAC before us amongst others), and the profession – all with an eye to telling the stories of those around him. I am grateful to consider him both a valued colleague and a friend.”

Over the years, Wagner has garnered numerous prestigious publication awards from CSC, including "Best in the Nation" honors for the 1996 and 1997 football media guides and the cover of the 1988 football media guide. The 2002 and 1994 guides earned second-place recognition. In total, eight of DePauw’s football guides ranked among the top five in the nation, as well as three men's basketball guides.

Wagner's professional experience spans beyond DePauw, with notable roles such as serving as a venue media director at the 1987 Tenth Pan American Games in Indianapolis. He also contributed to media relations efforts at the 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Final Four in Indianapolis and the 1988 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Midwest Regional at the Pontiac Silverdome. Additionally, Wagner worked in sales for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the summer of 1983.
A member of the Football Writers Association of America, the United States Basketball Writers of America, and the Collegiate Baseball Writers of America, Wagner hails from Tiffin, Ohio. He earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration with a focus on marketing, advertising, and marketing research from Miami University in 1985. He then obtained a Master of Arts in sport management from The Ohio State University in 1986; he also worked in the sports information offices at both institutions.

The Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association was founded in 1946. The ISSA created its Hall of Fame 50 years later in 1996. The Hall of Fame currently has 147 members.