WSU Scholarship Honors Jackson

Washington State University and ABC Inc. teamed up to honor Keith Jackson during his final college football broadcast Monday by announcing a $100,000 scholarship in his name.

The Keith Jackson Distinguished Presidential Scholarship, established with a $50,000 commitment from WSU and a $50,000 match from ABC, will honor Jackson’s outstanding career and pursuit of excellence, said WSU president Sam Smith.

The fund will generate scholarship awards for high-achieving students as part of WSU’s presidential scholarship program. Jackson graduated from WSU with a degree in broadcast communications in 1954.

ABC surprised Jackson by announcing the scholarship after a halftime tribute to him during his final broadcast at the Fiesta Bowl. Jackson began his broadcasting career at WSU. Then-KWSU radio manager Bert Harrison recalls how one day, the husky police science major with a thick Georgia drawl came into the campus radio station and complained to the manager about the quality of the station’s football play-by-play broadcasts.

“We said, `If you’re so good, try it yourself,”’ said Harrison, now retired. “We gave him a tape recorder, and sent him down to the high school game. When he brought the tape back, we knew he had talent.”

Jackson’s talents, advice and philanthropy have benefited WSU for years. As charter members of the WSU Foundation, he and wife Turi, whom he met at WSU, established and continue to contribute to scholarship funds in the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication and in athletics, and he chaired a fund-raising drive to build the alumni center.

Auto racing

Spokane’s Marc Groskreutz recovered from a pre-race practice crash to win Sunday’s final late-model event of the NASCAR Winter Heat Series at Tucson (Ariz.) Raceway Park.

Groskreutz took the lead from Vancouver, Wash., driver Greg Biffle with five laps to go in the 200-lap race, winning $5,000. Biffle finished second.

Spokane’s Kevin Richards was among the leaders until he spun out on lap 165. He finished ninth.

Girls prep basketball: Kendrick 44, Rosalia 38

Turnovers and fouls by the Spartans (5-9) in the fourth quarter helped the Tigers rally for the non-league win. Sara Blank led Rosalia with 15 points.