Rick Cleveland, a native of Hattiesburg and resident of Jackson, is the most decorated sports journalist in Mississippi history. A 1975 graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelor’s in journalism, Rick has worked for the Hattiesburg American, Monroe (La.) News Star/Morning World, Jackson Daily News and Clarion Ledger and Mississippi Today as a reporter, editor and columnist.
He also served four years as executive director of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. His work as a syndicated columnist and celebrated sports writer has appeared in numerous magazines, periodicals and newspapers. Rick has authored five books and has been recognized 14 times as Mississippi Sports Writer of the Year.
He was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 and into the Hattiesburg Hall of Fame in 2018. He received the Richard Wright Award for Literary Excellence in 2011 and was inducted into the Southern Miss Communications Hall of Fame in 2018 and the Southern Miss Alumni Hall of Fame in 2023. In 2000, he was honored with the Distinguished Mississippian Award from Mississippi Press Association. He has received numerous state, regional and national awards for his column writing and reporting.
