Adrian Wojnarowski honored with Curt Gowdy Media Award - ESPN

SAN FRANCISCO — Adrian Wojnarowski, the award-winning former ESPN sportswriter who redefined the journalism industry with his breaking news prowess, was honored Friday with the Curt Gowdy Media Award.

«I only had ever hoped to have a career as a sportswriter, and so to me this honor is reflective of all the people who believed in me, gave me opportunities, helped me along this road, and that's what comes to mind first,» Wojnarowski told ESPN shortly after Friday's announcement. «So many of my idols, from Jackie McMullan to Michael Wilbon to Doris Burke to Harvey Araton, have been honored previously, and it's beyond my wildest dreams to be in that company.»

Wojnarowski's journalism career began in his native Connecticut in Waterbury, where he covered the University of Connecticut before moving on to the Fresno Bee in California and then the Bergen Record in New Jersey.

He then went to Yahoo! Sports in 2007, where his relentless drive created a seemingly never-ending series of breaking news, which came to be known as «Woj Bombs.» A decade later, he joined ESPN in his hometown of Bristol, Connecticut, and spent the next several years solidifying his place as one of the most influential sportswriters ever.

«I came along at a unique time in media,» Wojnarowski said, «and I came along at a time media and the league were changing, and I was the beneficiary of good timing and incredible support from people I worked with at the NBA, ESPN and Yahoo.»

This past September, Wojnarowski's last «Woj Bomb» might have been his most shocking one of all, when he retired from journalism to step into a new role as the general manager of the men's basketball team at his alma mater, St. Bonaventure University.

Wojnarowski was one of four Gowdy