Recipient of inaugural “Bob White/Mike Fields Media Service Award”

 

PAT CONLEY | Citizen staff

 

LEXINGTON, KY – Citizen sports editor Ivan “Doctor of Sports” Rice has received numerous awards and accolades over the course of his more than four decades—and counting–of promoting youth sports in Bourbon County and beyond.

One honor he’ll surely treasure forever is the inaugural “Bob White/Mike Fields Media Service Award” given him by the Kentucky High School Athletics Association during halftime of last week’s Montgomery County vs. Lawrence County “Sweet 16” basketball game at Rupp Arena.

Rice, who got his start in sports journalism as a teenager, writing up little league baseball games for former Citizen publisher and editor, the late Larry Brannon, was presented the prestigious plaque by none other than one of its namesakes, former Lexington Herald-Leader sportswriter Mike Fields.

 

THE AWARD…

Mike Fields covered high school sports in Kentucky for 45 years, mainly with the Herald-Leader. The last four years of his journalism career involved working with the KHSAA.

Fields told KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett he’d agree to an award named in his honor, “Only if you put Bob White’s name first”. In an interview with The Citizen last Sunday, Fields called White “the institution” among Kentucky’s high school sports writers. White worked for the Louisville Courier-Journal, covering high school sports around the state for 38 years; he passed away last December. Fields said White always considered high school sports, “sports in its purest form”.

White was a role model for many up-and-coming young sports writers, Fields believes. “He was a close friend—he meant the world to me,” Fields said.

Fields said Rice was the natural choice to receive the first-ever “Media Service Award”. “Ivan exemplifies this award,” Fields stated. “He has so much energy—he’s relentless in his coverage of high school sports. He’s the be all, end all expert on Paris and Bourbon County sports, that’s for sure,” Fields believes, noting that Rice wore a Paris Greyhounds hat and a Bourbon County Colonels jacket to the award presentation at Rupp Arena. Over the years, Fields said he’s run into Rice “hundreds of times” at “countless” sporting events. More recently they’re more likely to meet up “at Kroger’s”, since Rice lives in Lexington these days. Fields says he has tremendous respect for Rice’s passion and professionalism. “He’s earned his ‘Doctor of Sports’ doctorate”, Fields contends. “There couldn’t be anyone better or more deserving to receive this (KHSAA) award.”

 

THE DOCTOR’S DIAGNOSIS…

Rice insists he was really surprised to be the very first honoree to receive such distinguished recognition. In his 41st year with The Citizen, Rice takes obvious pride in his coverage of sports at not only Paris High (his alma mater), but also Bourbon County, Bourbon Christian, and frequently, throughout the 10th region.

Rice issued this statement in a news release: “To be associated with the two names on this special award is truly amazing. I would like to thank the KHSAA, as well as the Bourbon County Citizen who gave me the opportunity to be part of their family newspaper. For a small-town newspaper to receive this huge award that bears the name of two sports writing legends… yes, I’m extremely honored. I will cherish this forever.”

 

SIDEBAR…

There’s an old saying in smalltown journalism: “Sports sells the newspaper.” And Ivan Rice’s sports page has sold a lot of papers!

It would be difficult to fathom how many scrapbooks around Bourbon County contain clippings of stories filed by celebrated Citizen sportswriter Ivan “Doctor of Sports” Rice over the course of his amazing 40+ years with the paper.

“Ivan is a true treasure,” says Citizen editor Becca Lawyer. She’s not the only one who feels that way. The Citizen spoke with several folks unified in their admiration of “The Sports Doctor”.

 

TOM LEACH: Perhaps the only Bourbon County homegrown sports journalist more famous than Ivan Rice, would be Leach, known from Pikeville to Paducah as “The Voice of The (UK) Wildcats”. “Well deserved is not a strong enough phrase, for the award Ivan has received,” Leach says. “He’s told a lot of great stories, for many, many years about athletes from both Paris and Bourbon County. The community is lucky to have Ivan in that role for so long.”

 

GREG LETCHER: Over the years, Letcher has coached the following sports at Nicholas County High School: football, basketball, baseball, track and “and a little bit of tennis”. “I’ve known Ivan since he was playing high school sports,” Letcher says. “I’ve always respected him because he’s been so devoted to Paris and Bourbon County, and the last few years, Nicholas County, too. He’s always so complimentary of both the players and the coaches. He’s respected throughout the 10th Region, for all he’s done. Everybody enjoys his writing. They couldn’t have given the award to a better guy, in my opinion.”

 

NELSON FARIS: Veteran BCHS baseball coach Nelson Faris is among several coaches and administrators who credit Rice’s genuine commitment to covering all local high school sports. “He’s been a big help to our program,” Faris asserts. “I go way back with Ivan. Back to his Pony League days. I had the pleasure of coaching him in Connie Mack. He was an outstanding ballplayer, who’s matured into an outstanding young man and an outstanding journalist. I have nothing but the highest regard for ‘Ivy’ and his family, including his brothers Turk and Dwayne—all those boys played for me. Ivan has worked extremely hard—anything he’s achieved, he’s earned it!”

 

CARY BARR: Barr is the athletic director at Paris High, where he’s also an assistant basketball and baseball coach. He’s been in coaching for 50 years, including a previous stint at Millersburg Military Institute. He calls Rice “a dear friend”, who “calls it like he sees it”. “I may not always agree with him, but he treats everybody fair and he’s very objective about what he writes,” Barr adds. Barr marvels at the hours Rice devotes to covering high school sports throughout the county, and more recently, also in Nicholas County. “He honors the kids and their achievements, also their coaches and their schools,” Barr believes. “And he doesn’t leave anything out, including bass fishing, bowling and archery—there’s no one quite like him.” Barr says Rice has covered “probably a million games” in 41 years. “He’s respected here, but also everywhere we go, people know Ivan. When he walks in, the place lights up! Everybody knows him.” Barr calls the team of Ivan Rice and PHS sports statistician Eugene Puckett “a walking encyclopedia” of Paris High sports.

 

KATHY JOHNSTON: Johnston, who for many years was BCHS’s athletic director, has the distinction of having served as the first female president of the KHSAA. She is well familiar with the profound contributions Mike Fields and the late Bob White made to generations of high school athletics. “Not just in Louisville and Lexington, but from eastern Kentucky to western Kentucky,” Johnston attests. “The days of Fields (“from Bardstown St. Joe”) and White are basically gone,” she believes. “Because nowadays it’s all about Twitter and quick bits,” she feels. “But Ivan Rice is different, like they were, because he puts himself inside the story,” Johnston explains. “It’s what good sportswriters do. With Ivan, it’s still all about the kids.” Johnston admits she always enjoyed the PHS/BCHS rivalry Rice helped stoke, “…when he was basically just a Paris guy”. She said she has truly enjoyed watching Rice evolve as a genuine champion for all the young athletes locally. One example she found particularly impressive was when Rice accompanied the BCHS cross country team on an overnight trip to a meet near Mammoth Cave a few years ago. “Anybody who has a career life span that he’s had in published media, well it’s a great thing,” she adds. “And the fact he goes outside the predominant sports, there’s no doubt about the love, the commitment and the passion he brings.”