By Mark Jurgena
Triad Class of 1969 Alumnus Steve Porter was really good at his job covering sports in the St. Louis area for 45 years for three local papers.
That legendary career had led to several halls of fame, including his latest honor, the Illinois Sports Hall of Fame.
Porter is part of the third class of the Illinois Hall and will get inducted with Illinois legends like Michael Jordan, Kirby Puckett, Whitey Herzog and Dick Butkus.
“I’m honored to be in any sports hall of fame,” Porter said. “I’m truly grateful to be in the third class. I would have never thought that. Going in as a media guy with the people in there is remarkable.”
Porter is already in two of the biggest halls anyone around sports could be in—the IBCA and St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame.
“It’s great when people recognize you because when you’re in the newspaper business or media business, you’re not up there to be recognized but when you do get appreciated,” said Porter. “It’s heartwarming because the media sometimes, not so much in sports, but, you know, it takes a lot of hits. So when people recognize you, I’m really appreciative of that.”
He spent the lion’s share of his career at the Alton Telegraph, where he served as the longtime sports editor. He also worked for the Collinsville Herald at the start of his career as well as with the Alestle during his college days at SIUE.
In that time, he has covered some of the biggest sporting events to occur in the area and with teams in the bi-state.
Photo with executive director Tim Turpin.
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