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2019 Chick Hearn Memorial Scholarship Award

Francis Hearn, or as the world knows him, Chick Hearn, is the man that changed the sports broadcasting game forever. He gave the world a word’s-eye view of the game… more specifically, our game. He changed the way in which Lakers fans experienced basketball, and for that we are eternally grateful.

Every year, we remember the man that brought, “The game’s in the refrigerator..., The mustard came off the hotdog, and couldn’t throw a pea into the ocean,” into our lives by awarding two deserving broadcast journalism students at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism with the Chick Hearn Memorial Scholarship.

This year, with contributions from the Los Angeles Lakers, Marge Hearn, and hundreds of fans, we awarded Cecil Hannibal and Robert Aronson with scholarships.

Cecil, a senior journalism major at USC Annenberg, has served as a sports correspondent for Annenberg TV News. This summer he was selected as an International Radio & Television Society summer fellow and intern at CBS This Morning. After graduation, Cecil plans to become a local TV reporter or digital host and has a long-term goal of covering human interest stories in the world of sports. 

Robert, a junior journalism major at USC Annenberg, has been a sports columnist and reporter covering soccer and baseball for the Daily Trojan. He also has served as a sports and news anchor for Annenberg TV News. This past summer, he covered the Women’s World Cup as an intern at Fox Sports, where he continues to work as a freelance production assistant.

It was a wonderful night honoring one of our Laker greats, and giving two passionate students the opportunity to follow in his footsteps. Keep up the great work, Cecil and Robert!