OKLAHOMA CITY (July 17, 2020) – A story for the Christian Chronicle written by Oklahoma Christian's sports information director won top honors Friday in a statewide journalism contest.

Murray Evans' article about the memorial service for former Jenks High School football coach Allan Trimble was judged as best in the Sports Reporting category in the annual Society of Professional Journalists-Oklahoma Pro Chapter writing contest. The Christian Chronicle competed in category A in the contest, which includes state's largest newspapers.

The article, "Thousands gather to remember church elder, record-setting football coach," appeared on the Christian Chronicle's website on Dec. 5. Trimble, one of Oklahoma's most successful prep coaches, also served as an elder at The Park Church of Christ in Tulsa. He died in early December after a three-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.

According to the contest judges, "Murray Evans' coverage of a memorial service for a legendary high school football coach went far beyond the night's glowing tributes. Evans' reporting also provided depth and context, offering a much fuller picture of a man who touched so many lives."

Evans is about to start his 10th year as OC's assistant athletic director for media relations/sports information director. In addition to his duties in OC's athletic department, he is an occasional contributor to the Christian Chronicle, a newspaper that is housed on OC's campus and covers churches of Christ worldwide.

Evans graduated from OC in 1989 with a degree in journalism. Starting in 1988, he spent 23½ years as a sports and news reporter, including 13 with The Oklahoman in Oklahoma City (spending much of that time as the newspaper's small-college beat writer) and more than eight with The Associated Press in Lexington, Ky., and Oklahoma City.

He won numerous writing awards for his work with The Oklahoman and the AP. The Oklahoma Soccer Association presented him with its 1999 Media Award for excellence in soccer coverage. In April 2013, he took second place in sports reporting in the annual SPJ Oklahoma contest for his freelance work for the AP. In 2014, he also received a first-place award in press release writing from SPJ Oklahoma for his work at OC.

He is a 14-time winner of first-place district awards in the annual Fred S. Stabley Sr. Writing Contest conducted by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), also for his work at OC.