The Courtney Lyle Endowment for Journalism Excellence Scholarship was established in 2017. Two scholarships have since been awarded.
The Courtney Lyle Endowment for Journalism Excellence Scholarship was established in 2017 by S. Paul Lyle, III to benefit students in the College of Communication and Information, specifically students in the School of Journalism and Electronic Media with dreams to become media broadcasters. Lyle was an alum of UT where he graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Communications in 1976. While in school, he worked at WIVK-FM radio as the station’s first sports director. He later went on to pursue advertising and worked as the general sales manager for WKDF-FM radio for more than twenty years. Lyle then decided he loved advertising so much that he started his own company, Brentwood Advertising.
Lyle enjoyed sports and was a dedicated Vols fan. He shared his love for broadcasting and sports with his daughter, Courtney Lyle, who also chose to pursue a career in broadcasting. While a student at UT, Courtney worked with the Athletic Broadcasting department covering all Lady Vol sports, “The Pat Summitt Show,” and “Inside the Orange.”
This scholarship is not just a gift to me; it’s an opportunity.
– Ford Sanders (‘20), recipient of the Courtney Lyle Endowment for Journalism Excellence Scholarship
After she graduated from UT in 2012, Courtney pursued a job at 13WMAZ in Macon, GA as an anchor and reporter for weekend sports before returning to Knoxville to work for WBIR. She is now a play-by-play commenter for the ESPN network where she covers college softball, basketball, and volleyball games.
Paul Lyle passed away on May 15, 2017 at the age of sixty-one. In remembrance of his passion for the University of Tennessee, sports and broadcasting, the Courtney Lyle Endowment for Journalism Excellence Scholarship was established as he requested, to honor his daughter and students like her eager to succeed at UT. Since its establishment in 2017, two scholarships have been awarded.
