Broun, Runyon, Morgan elected to Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame has selected three journalists from yesteryear to be inducted into its Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor, including the prolific writer Damon Runyon.

In addition to Runyon, who covered major sports and had 20 works of fiction made into movies, the Hall of Fame selected Heywood Hale Broun, a journalist and broadcaster, and the photographer Bernard Stanley "Bert" Morgan for induction into the Media Roll of Honor, which was created in 2010.

Runyon (1880-1946) is most famously known as the writer of “Guys and Dolls,” which was inspired by characters he encountered at the racetrack. He covered racing professionally from 1922-1936, providing “unique perspective on the jockeys, trainers, owners, gamblers and gangsters who frequented the tracks,” according to a release from the Hall of Fame.

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Heywood Broun (1918-2001) was the color commentator for CBS’s racing broadcasts beginning in the 1960s, working alongside Jack Whitaker. He also covered racing for several newspapers, including the New York Sun. According to the Hall of Fame, Broun “was a popular TV personality, known for his prominent mustache, colorful sports jackets, command of language, and distinctive personality.”

Morgan (1904-1984) was “one of the most prominent and respected photographers of Thoroughbred racing and American society in the 20th century,” the Hall of Fame said. He was the official photographer for tracks in New York from 1940 to 1961. In the 1960s, the Keeneland library acquired the negatives of 300,000 of his photographs, and 800,000 of his photographs are licensed by Getty Images. He photographed 55 runnings of the Kentucky Derby.

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