The Edwin Pope Orange Bowl Vanguard Media Award was first presented in 2007. The annual Award honors a member of the sports media who has made significant contributions to college football and impacted the Orange Bowl and/or the South Florida community.
The award is named for the legendary Miami Herald writer and columnist who reported on everything significant that happened in South Florida sports for more than half a century. Pope, who joined the Herald in 1956, covered the Miami Dolphins franchise from the start (recommending in 1970 that the team hire Don Shula as head coach), reported on the first 47 Super Bowls and was an unabashed supporter of the Orange Bowl. The press box in Hard Rock Stadium is named in his honor.
2024 Edwin Pope Award Winner
DON CRIQUI
Don Criqui is an American sportscaster with a remarkable career spanning over 47 years, beginning in 1967. He holds the record for the longest-tenured NFL broadcaster in U.S. television history, calling NFL games from 1967 to 2013 on NBC and CBS. Criqui covered 14 Orange Bowl games during his career, including several that determined the college football national champions. Most notably, he covered the 1984 Orange Bowl between undefeated Nebraska and Miami, where Miami upset Nebraska to win its first national championship, ending Tom Osborne’s Cornhusker’s 22-game winning streak.
From 2006 to 2017, Criqui was the football radio play-by-play voice for his alma mater, Notre Dame. He has also covered a wide range of sports, including the NBA, NHL, and major events like the Summer Olympics. Criqui was awarded the prestigious Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003. He joins an illustrious group of previous winners of the Edwin Pope Orange Bowl Vanguard Media Award, including Jim Mandich, Bernie Rosen, Hank Goldberg, Chris Fowler, Ivan Maisel, Tony Segreto, Greg Cote, and of course, Edwin Pope. He is a devoted family man, with four sons, one daughter, and fifteen grandchildren.
Edwin Pope Orange Bowl Vanguard Media Award Honorees
| YEAR | NAME | ORGANIZATION |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Susan Miller Degnan | Miami Herald |
| 2022 | Tony Segreto | NBC News |
| 2021 | Larry Wahl | Orange Bowl |
| 2019 | Ivan Maisel | ESPN |
| 2018 | Chris Fowler | ESPN |
| 2017 | Greg Cote | The Miami Herald |
| 2016 | Hank Goldberg | WQAM Radio |
| 2015 | Brad Nessler | CBS & ESPN |
| 2014 | Joe Rose | NBC 6 & WQAM Radio |
| 2013 | Dick Weiss | Philadelphia Inquirer |
| 2012 | Lee Corso | ESPN |
| 2011 | Bernie Rosen | NBC 6 |
| 2010 | Jim Mandich | WQAM Radio |
| 2009 | Bob Griese | ABC TV |
| 2008 | Tony Barnhart | Atlanta Journal Constitution |
| 2007 | Edwin Pope | The Miami Herald |