Long-time KIII-TV3 sports director Dan McReynolds, who retired in November after delivering a Thanksgiving eve sportscast, is the 11th winner of the Corpus Christi Hooks' Lifetime Achievement Award for contributions to baseball in South Texas.
McReynolds will be honored at the 2015 South Texas Winter Baseball Banquet on Wednesday, January 28, at the Solomon P. Ortiz Center. The event is presented by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times and iHeartMedia. Tickets are on sale at the Whataburger Field Box Office. To order by phone, call 361-561-HOOK (4665).
"It's our honor and privilege to honor Dan by recognizing his contributions over the last three decades," Hooks president Ken Schrom said. "We look forward to celebrating his career in a special tribute."
McReynolds, 63, had two stints at Corpus Christi's ABC affiliate (1975-77; 1985-2014). In between, he covered beats like ACC sports and NASCAR at WGHP-TV, Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem, N.C., including North Carolina State's improbable run to the 1983 NCAA men's basketball championship. McReynolds gained additional exposure with play-by-play duties on ABC regional football telecasts. A New York station called, but McReynolds and wife Nan opted for a return to the Coastal Bend to raise their young family.
They came home to Corpus Christi in the summer of '85. Over the next 29-plus years, McReynolds covered 18 high school state championship baseball teams, plus the advent and first decade of the Hooks. Other memorable stories include Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's 2007 NCAA men's basketball tournament appearance, a Refugio High School Class 2A football title in 2011, and the Calallen coaching triumvirate of Steve Chapman (baseball), Phil Danaher (football), and Leta Andrews (girls' basketball).
McReynolds got his start in radio at College Station's WTAW-AM. Before transitioning to television, he worked locally at KSIX-AM.
Born in Visalia, Calif., McReynolds moved to Corpus Christi as a child. He graduated from King High School in 1969 and went on to Texas A&M, earning a bachelor's degree in Political Science. McReynolds also holds a master's in English from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. He's worked as an adjunct English professor at A&M-Corpus Christi and Del Mar College.
McReynolds also served on the board of Corpus Christi's Ronald McDonald House and volunteered as a Corpus Christi Independent School District student mentor.
The McReynolds relocated to Royse City, east of Dallas. They have two grown children, Tracy and Andy, and a granddaughter, Ellie.
+ + + + + + + + +
Past Lifetime Achievement Award Winners
2005 - Burt Hooton
2006 - Brooks Kieschnick
2007 - Rudy Jaramillo
2008 - Ox Miller
2009 - Bart Shirley
2010 - Gene Kasprzyk
2011 - Steve Castillo
2012 - Steve Chapman
2013 - Milo Hamilton
2014 - Hector Salinas
