Seven years ago, Mike DeFabo sat courtside after covering his first NCAA Tournament game, frantically rushing to make deadline.
His friend and CNHI Sports Indiana colleague Terry Hutchens wasn’t helping matters.
“What’s taking so long?” Hutchens chirped. “Are you done yet?”
DeFabo had been hired to cover Purdue sports for the newly formed bureau less than a year earlier, but he’d long before become accustomed to Hutchens’ pestering. He tuned out the noise as best he could and focused on filing his story.
When the job was done, Hutchens told DeFabo to look at his phone. The harassment had been just a distraction.
Hutchens had taken the young reporter’s photo while he worked, making sure to frame a “March Madness” logo prominently in the background.
“I thought your mother might want to see that,” Hutchens said with a smile.
Such was the legendary Indiana University beat writer’s attention to detail.
But the moment sums up Hutchens as well as any anecdote. He was committed to the craft of journalism and would do anything he possibly could to help youngsters working their way up the ladder.
As respected as Hutchens was for his work and professionalism, he was equally celebrated for his humor and humanity.
“One of the things that makes college sports special is that the athletes come and go, coaches come and go, but occasionally a special writer will connect with readers to become a trusted voice year after year, decade after decade,” said DeFabo, who now covers the Pittsburgh Steelers for The Athletic. “That was Terry’s gift. His dedication to his craft, his quick wit and his insider knowledge of IU sports made his words come alive.
“When I was a young reporter covering Purdue, Terry often passed along words of wisdom and encouragement with his own unique flair. With a perfect blend of tough love, playful jabs and genuine kindness, he let you know he was there for you and wanted the absolute best for you and everyone else in his corner. It was a privilege to call Terry a colleague and a friend.”
Hutchens, who was hired as the inaugural Indiana University beat writer for CNHI Sports Indiana in 2016 and spent three years serving readers across the nation in that role, will be inducted to the United States Basketball Writers Association’s Hall of Fame during the NCAA Men’s Final Four weekend in April in Glendale, Arizona.
The Class of 2024 includes Bob Baptist of The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, Donna Ditota of The (Syracuse, New York) Post-Standard and Chris Dortch of the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.
“The year’s Hall of Fame class is a celebration of careers truly dedicated to coverage of college basketball,” USBWA president Brendan Quinn said in a press release. “In their own unique ways, Bob, Chris, Donna and Terry have all provided readers and fans with the two things they want most — information and perspective. Congratulations to our inductees and their families.”
Hutchens spent 27 years covering Indiana University sports for the Indianapolis News, Indianapolis Star and CNHI Sports Indiana.
His career covered the Hoosiers from Bob Knight to Archie Miller, and he was a five-time winner of the Indiana Sports Writer of the Year award.
In addition to his newspaper work, Hutchens wrote 11 books and taught sports writing at IU.
He was a tireless supporter of young journalists until his death at age 60 in December 2018.
“Hutch’s passing leaves a void that simply cannot and will not be filled, but the lessons he taught us all can be carried on,” Inside the Hall editor and co-founder Alex Bozich told CNHI in 2019. “He was truly a great man who cared deeply about his work, his family and his friends. He also treated everyone with respect and truly had the heart of a teacher and storyteller.”
