Prominent Howard University alumni Gus Johnson (B.A. '90) and Jim Trotter (B.A. '86) will take center stage at the 2026 National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Convention and Career Fair during a luncheon on Friday, Aug. 14.

The luncheon will be hosted by Kimberly R. Moffitt, (Ph.D. '00), dean of Howard’s  Cathy Hughes School of Communications. It will feature a conversation with Johnson, an award-winning sports broadcaster, and Trotter, an award-winning sports journalist, bestselling author, and writer for The Athletic.

The event comes as the School of Communications marks more than 55 years of educating communications professionals and highlights the continuing influence of its alumni in an industry that reaches well beyond the playing field. Titled “Beyond 55: Where Legacy Meets the Next Play,” the luncheon will explore the role of sports journalism in shaping culture and public discourse.

“The topic of sports media and journalism aligns naturally with the Cathy Hughes School of Communications' 55th anniversary and our focus on looking more intently at our future,” Moffitt said. “The ‘Beyond 55’ conversation is fitting to bring to NABJ with two accomplished alumni who can help us think about the evolving role of sports, journalism and storytelling in our future.”

The luncheon is part of Howard’s broader presence at the 2026 NABJ Convention and Career Fair, happening Aug. 12 – 16 in Atlanta, where members of the Howard community will join media professionals, educators, and students from across the country.

Setting the Example

Johnson, who graduated from Howard in 1990 with a degree in political science, has become one of the most recognizable voices in sports broadcasting. He is the lead play-by-play announcer for FOX Sports’ college football and college basketball coverage, a role he’s  held since 2011 and 2013, respectively. Johnson’s energetic calls have become a signature of some of the biggest games in college sports. 

His career has included stops at CBS, ESPN, and the Madison Square Garden Network, where he called everything from college basketball and NFL games to NBA and WNBA contests. Johnson also provided commentary for track and field, boxing, and the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. Before establishing himself nationally, Johnson worked in local television and hosted ESPN’s “Black College Sports Today.” 

His accomplishments have also earned recognition for his contributions to intercollegiate athletics. In 2021, Johnson became the first African American man and the first graduate of an HBCU to receive the Jake Wade Award, presented to a media professional who has made an outstanding contribution to intercollegiate athletics. 

Trotter, a 1986 graduate of Howard’s  communications program, retired in 2025 after nearly four decades in sports journalism. During his career, he covered the NFL and other professional sports for leading media organizations including Sports Illustrated, ESPN, NFL Media, and The Athletic. Trotter’s reporting often extended beyond  games  to examine the institutions, issues, and people shaping professional sports.

His next chapter has focused, in part, on preparing the next generation of journalists. Through the Work, Plan, Pray Foundation, Trotter established the Sports Journalism Success Fund to provide scholarships and resources to students at HBCUs who’re pursuing sports journalism or sports management. The initiative includes a $300,000 commitment to support Howard University students.

Trotter has said his Howard  professors were mentors who helped prepare him for the profession. Their lessons, he said, informed his approach to journalism, which included a belief in holding powerful institutions accountable, pursuing truth, and telling stories.

Those lessons were evident throughout his career, including in his reporting on the NFL and his questions about racial diversity within the league and its media operations. In 2024, Trotter settled a lawsuit against the NFL after alleging that his contract was not renewed in retaliation for raising concerns about racial diversity. As part of the settlement, the NFL agreed to donate to his scholarship foundation supporting journalism students at HBCUs.