WRAL-TV Director/Producer Clarence Williams helped represent Capitol Broadcasting at the North Carolina Journalism Hall of Fame induction on Friday, October 23, 2015. He and several other staffers came to show support for the posthumous induction of former WRAL staffer and standout Stuart Scott. Williams shared some thoughts about Scott and the event:
WRAL-TV’s Clarence Williams (r to l) & Jay jennings; Stuart Scotts’s daughters, Taelor and Sydni; and WRAL-TV’s Ed Wilson & Leesa Moore attend the UNC Journalism Hall of Fame posthumous induction for Stuart Scott.
“Boo-Yah!” “As cool as the other side of the pillow.” “Just call butter ‘cause he’s on a roll.” These are some of the catchphrases that our former co-worker, the late Stuart Scott was known. His unique style on ESPN’s SportsCenter offered the viewers an urban prospective that made him appealing to a young demographic, but he managed to bring older folks along for the ride. Many of us remember that Stuart came to WRAL News from a small station in South Carolina as a reporter, but don’t really know the back story.
WRAL Asst. Director Frank Morock recruited Stu with the promise that sports reporting would be a possibility, but News Director Connie Howard loved him on the general news beat. He always seem to hang around the sports department, but never became a member.
He worked at WRAL from 1988 until 1990 and finally got a gig at WESH in Orlando for a few years before ESPN came calling. The rest as they say is history…he loved sports reporting and it shown. He had more catchphrases than Evelyn Booker (Former Fox-50 Sales Manager).
Stuart’s other love was of course his two lovely daughters, Taelor & Sydni. During his Jimmy V Award speech, Stu told his young daughters, “Taelor and Sydni, I love you guys more than I will ever be able to express. You two are my heartbeat. I am standing on this stage here tonight because of you.”
Stuart Scott is inducted posthumously into the UNC Journalism Hall of Fame.
His one other love was UNC, his alma mater. He hosted “Late Night with Roy” for eleven years and never missed an opportunity to help a UNC student or anyone else that sought him out. They usually left with his personal cell phone number, which he eagerly answered to give additional advice.
Stuart loss his very public battle with cancer of January 4, 2015…he was 49. I fondly think of him saying “You Ain’t Gotta Go Home, But You Gotta Get The Heck Outta Here.” And “Can I Get a Witness From The Congregations?”
Stuart was inducted this past Friday into the North Carolina Journalism Hall of Fame. The award was presented to his sister Susan by his friend and Gold medal soccer great Mia Hamm. Capitol Broadcasting Company proudly sponsored the event held on the beautiful UNC-Chapel Hill campus.
Thanks to WRAL-TV’s Clarence Williams for this capcom story & for these capcom photos.
WRAL-TV’s Clarence Williams (r to l) & Jay jennings; Stuart Scotts’s daughters, Taelor and Sydni; and WRAL-TV’s Ed Wilson & Leesa Moore attend the UNC Journalism Hall of Fame posthumous induction for Stuart Scott.
Taelor and Syndi, daughters of Scott Scott, represent their late father at the UNC Journalism Hall of Fame induction.
Stuart Scott is inducted posthumously into the UNC Journalism Hall of Fame.
Stuart Scott’s sister Susan accepts the UNC Journalism Hall of Fame induction on behalf of her late brother.
Mia Hamm speaks at the UNC Journalism Hall.
