Ron Johnston, a 1966 Churchville-Chili High School graduate, received the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) 2026 Bill Nichols Media Award. The award was created to recognize a member of the media who has demonstrated an understanding and passion for amateur athletics while covering the students and programs of NCAA Division III and the OAC.
From 1988 until his retirement in 2020, Johnston covered Marietta College sports, writing for both The Marietta Times and the Parkersburg News & Sentinel. His career is decorated with numerous accolades, including three times being named the Associated Press (AP) Best Sports Columnist. He was also honored as the Soccer Sportswriter of the Year in West Virginia in both 1995 and 2005. Outside of the press box, his athletic contributions earned him inductions into both the Mid-Ohio Valley Softball Hall of Fame and the Southeastern Ohio Slo-Pitch Softball Hall of Fame.
His love for sports began on the field. Johnston is a 1970 graduate of Heidelberg University, where he earned a B.A. in Political Science/History and was a four-year letter winner for the Student Princes soccer team.
Johnston began his journalism career as a stringer for The Marietta Times in the fall of 1988, advancing to a full-time role with the Parkersburg News & Sentinel in 1992. In February 2007, he returned to The Marietta Times as sports editor and writer, a position he held until his retirement in August 2020.
In 2020, he became a published author with his first book, One-Game Wonder, which tells the story of Johnston’s role in a record-breaking 1965 Churchville-Chili basketball game and shares memories of the school and community in the 1960s. His second book, tentatively titled Berg Boy: The Life and Times of a Student Prince, will reflect on his formative years at Heidelberg.
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