Just a couple months after Pitt fans grabbed his bobblehead, longtime broadcaster Bill Hillgrove is now the one bringing home some hardware.

The National Sports Media Association voted Hillgrove as the winner of the second annual Woody Durham Voice of College Sports Award, the organization announced Tuesday. Hillgrove, 78, has been calling play-by-play for Pitt football and men’s basketball for 45 and 51 seasons, respectively.

Hillgrove will be presented with the award in June at the NSMA awards banquet in Winston-Salem, N.C. Durham was the legendary play-by-play man for North Carolina Tar Heels basketball, and the University of North Carolina sponsors his namesake honor in partnership with Learfield IMG College. 

Last year, the inaugural winner was Don Fischer, voice of Indiana Hoosiers basketball. Hillgrove, who also calls Steelers games, is the second-longest tenured play-by-play broadcaster in Division I basketball, one year behind Duquesne’s Ray Goss.

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Brian Batko: bbatko@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BrianBatko.

First Published: January 22, 2019, 10:37 p.m.