Rick Armstrong, who has covered high school sports for newspapers in Illinois for approximately 50 years, will be presented with the IHSA Distinguished Media Service Award Friday, Jan. 9 at West Aurora High School, 1201 W New York St., Aurora, as a part of a varsity girls/boys basketball doubleheader between West Aurora and East Aurora. The girls varsity game tips at 5:30 p.m.. The presentation will occur at approximately 6:45 p.m. prior to the boys varsity game.
Rick is a graduate of Sycamore High School where he lettered in golf, played a year of basketball, and participated in band, jazz band, chorus, and the student newspaper. During his junior year, Rick found his calling when the school began offering a new journalism class that included work on the school newspaper. After high school, he attended Northern Illinois University and began freelancing for local weekly papers before graduating into full-time reporting.
Rick’s career has spanned nearly five decades and several Illinois newsrooms. He got his start at the Hoopeston Chronicle-Herald in 1976, then joined the DeKalb Daily Chronicle, where he worked in multiple roles, including sports editor, until 1985. From there, he spent 14 years at the Joliet Herald-News before arriving at the Aurora Beacon-News in 1999, where he continues to cover high school sports. Through the years, Rick has told the stories of countless athletes, coaches, and teams, from state champions to Olympians.
Among the highlights of his career are covering Waubonsie Valley’s Morolake Akinosun, who went on to win Olympic gold in 2016, and West Aurora’s Lauren Carlini, a 2024 Olympic silver medalist in volleyball. He also chronicled the careers of prep basketball greats like Flying Illini member Kenny Battle of West Aurora and East Aurora’s Ryan Boatright, who became a co-Mr. Basketball in Illinois and later a national champion at Connecticut. Rick has also been on the sidelines for numerous state title teams across football, basketball, volleyball, and softball, making him a trusted chronicler of Fox Valley athletics.
For Rick, the best part of the job has always been getting to know young athletes and coaches and sharing their stories with the community. Married to his wife Debbie, he is also the proud father of Derek (Erin) Armstrong and grandfather to Clara, Barrett, and Sutton.
More on Rick’s career and the award are available at https://tinyurl.com/y8mjjuhz
—Illinois High School Association