If you were a sports fan attending sporting events in Limestone County from the mid-1970’s until 2000, there was one constant figure one would often see and that man’s name was Neil Chittam. A tireless and dedicated worker, Chittam was the Sports Editor for the Athens-News Courier for 26 years. He was responsible for covering all the county high schools, Athens High School and Athens State College, a tough task for what amounted to a one-man team. Chittam’s unwavering dedication to his profession will be lauded on June 13 as he and five others will be inducted into the Limestone County Sports Hall of Fame.

Chittam, a 1971 graduate from Athens High School, played baseball for the Golden Eagles. He continued his baseball career at Freed-Hardeman University while majoring in Communications. Upon graduation, Chittam applied for the Sports Editor’s job with the News Courier and landed the job. “I just loved sports and saw the opportunity at the News Courier to be involved in a profession that I really enjoyed following,” said Chittam. “My time at the News Courier created relationships that turned into friendships for a lifetime with coaches, athletes, principals, and other people in the community. When I see one of them, we talk about the good ole days.”

Despite the deadlines and the lack of a staff, Chittam made sure the athletes in Limestone County got the press coverage they deserved, a fact not lost with the coaches he worked with during that period. “Neil generally cared about the players in Limestone County,” said former Athens Bible School and Tanner High School basketball coach Billy Owens. “Neil was consistent. A real professional. He would always call about thirty minutes after our games ended. He wanted all the stats, what went well and what didn’t during the game and what might have been the turning point in the game. Neil was easy to speak with. You could always tell by the sound of his voice that Neil really wanted the teams in Limestone County to be successful” Former Athens Bible School baseball coach Bill Murrell got to know Chittam very well during their respective career’s and says Chittam is very deserving of being inducted into the Limestone County Sports Hall of Fame. “I was working part-time at the News-Courier as the Circulation Manager when Neil was hired there. So, I got to know Neil very well and we became close friends until this day. In fact, our granddaughters play volleyball at Athens Bible School and we often sit close by when they play. Neil always wrote good stories and he got them in on time. Neal did an outstanding job covering athletics in Limestone County for the News-Courier.”

Chittam said he has nothing but fond memories of his time at the News Courier. He said the list is too long to name all the championship games he covered. However, there were two games early in his career and an airplane experience that kind of stand out of the events he covered. “Athens High School’s football state championship in 1975 and Athens Bible School’s basketball victory over Holy Family in the playoffs in 1976 were two of my favorites. While working at the newspaper, it gave me a chance to experience flying for the first time. I made a trip to Kansas City, Missouri to cover Athens State in the NAIA National Tournament. My bags came all the way back home, but I didn’t. I got stuck in Memphis,” quipped Chittam.

Chittam says he is honored to be inducted into the Limestone County Sports Hall of Fame. “This is a great honor to have my name mentioned alongside the outstanding men and women who have been inducted into the Limestone County Sports Hall of Fame. After learning I had been selected, it brought back a lot of memories-years of hard work, lessons learned, and everybody who supported me along the way. Thanks to all the local schools and Athens State for their help providing me with information,” said Chittam.