Quinn Phillips honoured with Fred "Gus" Collins Award

VANCOUVER – Quinn Phillips has been selected as the 2020-21 recipient of the Fred "Gus" Collins Award for her exceptional coverage of university sport in Edmonton. ​

The award is handed out annually to a member of the media who works tirelessly covering Canada West and it student-athletes, and is named in honour of the late Fred "Gus" Collins.

Since joining Global Edmonton as a sports reporter in 2014, Phillips has been a constant supporter and promoter of Alberta Golden Bears and Pandas Athletics, and MacEwan Griffins Athletics.

"It means a lot to be chosen for this award, it's something I'm very proud of," said Phillips. "I take covering both of those programs very seriously and I really enjoy doing it."

Phillips' dedication has not changed during the pandemic cancelled 2020-21 season. She is constantly digging and talking to athletes and coaches, looking for new stories to share, both on the nightly Global Newscast and online as written content for the Global Edmonton website.

"So many of the athletes have unique backgrounds and they really appreciate the coverage," said Phillips. "It's a lot of fun to cover them and you get to meet very interesting, hard-working and dedicated people."

"I love to cover the success of the programs, of course, but the human interest side is what I really enjoy. Hearing about an athletes background, what they've gone through to get where they are, or what they are doing on top of athletics shows that these people are so incredible and I think other people need to know about them."

With reducing media coverage of amateur sports – specifically university sport – Global News, and, in particular, Phillips, has remained steadfast in providing coverage on Alberta’s 24 teams and 500 student-athletes, and MacEwan’s 10 teams and 200 plus student-athletes.

"On behalf of all of our student-athletes, coaches and staff, I want to congratulate Quinn on being a very deserving recipient of the Fred “Gus” Collins Award,” said Alberta Sports Information Director Connor Hood. "In a large sports market like Edmonton, Quinn has continually shown passion and dedication not only for the Golden Bears and Pandas, but all levels of amateur sport in this community."

Throughout her career, Phillips has gone above and beyond to show great care each of the teams and student-athletes she covers and truly understands the importance of university sport.

“Congratulations to Quinn on some richly-deserved recognition for her work in covering university sport,” said MacEwan sports information officer Jefferson Hagen. “Her passion for covering the local Edmonton sports scene extends to Griffins Athletics where her work in highlighting the exploits of the program has been much appreciated.”

Phillips will now move forward as the CW nominee for the Fred Sgambati Media Award, which is awarded annually by U SPORTS.

MORE ABOUT THE FRED "GUS" COLLINS AWARD

The late Fred "Gus" Collins was a long-time contributor to the development, success and promotion of Canada West, notably through his endless effort to produce updated, accurate statistical information to all media in an era long before laptops and spreadsheets.

The Fred "Gus" Collins Award is presented annually to a member of the media who works tirelessly covering Canada West and it student-athletes. The winner becomes the Canada West nominee for the Fred Sgambati Award, which is presented by U SPORTS to a member of the news media, who has made a major contribution to the development and growth of U SPORTS.

PREVIOUS FRED "GUS" COLLINS AWARD WINNERS

*Denotes Fred Sgambati Award winner (national award)