Steve Raymond Receives IHSA Distinguished Media Service Award

By The Illinois High School Association

The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) announced its ninth class of recipients of the IHSA Distinguished Media Service Award.

The 2023-24 honorees included a Chicago TV legend, a Northern Illinois radio mainstay, and a pair of longstanding writers who have made their respective marks on opposite sides of the state.

The 2023-24 honorees include Steve Raymond, Kenny McReynolds, Brian Reusch, and Matt Schuckman. McReynolds is a Chicagoland broadcast staple who has won five Emmys in his career, while Reusch has broadcast games on WCCI radio in Savanna for over 30 years. Schuckman has been a staple of the Quincy area, including stints at the Quincy Herald-Whig and MuddyRiver.com, dating back to 1999, which was also the year that Raymond arrived in the Effingham area, where he continues to cover high school sports as the owner and publisher of the Effingham & Teutopolis News Report.

The IHSA Distinguished Media Service Award was created to recognize media members who have covered high school sports and activities in Illinois for a significant period of time, while maintaining perspective on the amateur events they report on.

“Congratulations to each of these gentlemen on this deserving honor,” said IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson. “Their contributions to high school sports in Illinois, and to their communities, is immeasurable. We know they are beloved figures within the areas and communities they provide coverage and look forward to having a special moment to honor each during the 2023-24 school year.”

IHSA member schools submit nominations for the award, with Raymond recognized by Teutopolis High School, McReynolds being nominated by Simeon Academy and Proviso East High School while Reusch and Schuckman were tabbed by Erie High School and Quincy Notre Dame High School, respectively.

The IHSA’s media advisory committee, and a veteran committee of retired media members voted on the nominees. Those who received the required percentage of votes were named honorees with a limit of one winner per IHSA Board Division. Each winner will be honored at a high school event of their choosing during the 2023-24 school year.

“A vital element of this award is the recognition within the community,” said IHSA Assistant Executive Director Matt Troha. “We look forward to seeing this year’s winners being recognized in front of the students, coaches, and communities they have impacted with their exceptional work.”

Steve Raymond has been around the newspaper business since he was six years old and has covered prep sports for more than 25 of the nearly 50 years he has spent in the business. He grew up just south of Decatur and attended Assumption High School (which since has consolidated into Central A&M), where he played on the basketball and baseball teams. After a stint at Taylor University, Raymond returned home to work for his father’s newspaper, The Golden Prairie News, where a spark for covering sports was lit within him.

“Sports has always been a major part of my life,” said Raymond. “I told dad I’d like to cover some games and he was all for it. I didn’t have any formal training, but I knew sports. Those were the first sports stories I wrote, and I knew right then that’s what I wanted to do.”

Raymond spent 10 years at the Canton Daily Ledger, starting as the Sports Editor before rising to General Manager. He then spent three years as the Publisher of The Herald Tribune in Batesville, Indiana, before returning to Illinois to become the Publisher of the The Daily Mail in Olney.  After eight years in Olney, he went to work for the Effingham Daily News, where he was an advertising manager and publisher for 11 years. In 2012, he started his own newspaper, The Effingham & Teutopolis News Report, where he continues to cover sports for Effingham High School, St. Anthony High School, and Teutopolis High School.

Raymond says he will always remember St. Anthony’s 2017 IHSA Class 1A Boys Basketball State Championship team, as it was the first team state champion he covered and their run included a monumental semifinal upset of Hope Academy. He also fondly recalls the 2014 Teutopolis softball team that finished second in the state and the 2018 Effingham football team that nearly upset eventual state runner-up Bishop McNamara.

Raymond expressed admiration for former VIT High School basketball coach Trevor Toland and current Teutopolis baseball coach Justin Fleener, citing both as examples of coaches who are great role models for their players. Raymond has been supported throughout his career by his wife Ruth, daughter Kelly, and son Clay. He also cites colleagues Dennis DeRossett and Jeff Jeffus for their impact on him, saying “I learned more about writing and managing a newspaper from these two men than anyone I’ve work with or worked for.”

Raymond reflected on the award saying: “To receive an award like this is always meaningful. I guess the thing that means the most is that someone thinks what I do and how I do it is worthy of recognition. Just know I love what I do and I hope to continue doing it for quite some time.”

Raymond was presented the award at Teutopolis High School.