Central College Communications Director Larry Happel took the highest writing award in the 2017 CoSIDA Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest.

Happel’s story, “From Homeless to Heavyweight—Miranda Finds a Family at Central” beat 453 other entries to be named National Story of the Year.

Entered in the Athlete Profile category, Happel’s winning piece told the story of Central wrestler Jaime Miranda, who overcame enormous difficulties to attend college and succeed on the mat and in the classroom.

The story gained widespread attention, leading to two nationally televised profiles on NBC and coverage in a number of local and regional media outlets, including KNIA/KRLS.

Happel, a 1981 Central graduate, has served the college as sports information director since 1979. He was inducted into the College Sports Information Directors of America Hall of Fame in 2010 and received the Warren Berg Award for outstanding achievement in the college division sports information field in 2006. He has earned more than 35 publication and writing awards at the national level.