PULLMAN, Wash. On Thursday, August 20, Bud Nameck received the Washington State University Alumni Association (WSUAA) Honorary Alumnus Award. Nameck was honored for his outstanding service to WSU and his longstanding support of Cougar Athletics.
Nameck has covered sports in the Inland Northwest since 1980 and is familiar to fans of WSU Athletics as the longtime voice of Cougar basketball. In addition to serving as the Cougar basketball announcer since 1993, he reports from the sidelines during WSU football games and has volunteered as master of ceremonies for numerous WSU Athletic Foundation banquets and events.
After serving as sports information director for Gonzaga University, Nameck joined KXLY in 1982 and spent 13 years as the sports director of KXLY TV/AM/FM. He handled the television play-by-play of WSU Cougar basketball for six years and football for 12 years on what is now Fox Sports Northwest. Currently, he is the program director of ESPN Radio AM 700 The Ticket where he hosts “Bud, A Fan, and the Wingman.”
His professional awards include Washington State Sportscaster of the Year awards in 2008 and 1994, and an Emmy for his coverage of the Bloomsday Race in Spokane, Wash. An active community volunteer, Nameck is a member of the board of directors for the Rosauers Open Golf Tournament benefiting the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery. He has served on the boards of the Wishing Star Foundation and the YMCA and is a past spokesman for United Way and High 5., a local anti-drug program.
A native of the San Francisco Bay area, Nameck played baseball at Santa Clara University and graduated with a marketing degree. He resides in Spokane with his wife and daughter.
The highest honor for non-alumni bestowed by the WSUAA, the Honorary Alumnus/Alumna Award was created in 1966 by the WSU Board of Directors to honor friends of WSU who have given special service to the University. The award presentation took place at the annual Cougar Falls Sports Banquet in Spokane. For more information, please contact Christina Rulffes Parrish, Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement, at 509-335-6907 or parrishc@wsu.edu.
