West Aurora High School legend Neal Ormond was honored on Friday, January 31, 2020 prior to the school’s varsity basketball game vs. Yorkville.
West Aurora held a reception for Ormond prior to the game, and then he went on to receive his IHSA Distinguished Media Service Award from school administrators during a pre-game ceremony. With his wife Mary, and numerous friends, family and well-wishers in attendance, Ormond concluded the ceremony by addressing the crowd.
Ormond is a West Aurora graduate who matriculated to Yale and then Stanford, before returning to Aurora for a successful business career. He remained involved in the school throughout, including as a coach and school board member, but above all, he has been the voice of West Aurora athletics. Across seven decades and four radio stations, Ormond has called thousands of Blackhawk athletic events dating all the way back to 1964.
After the pre-game ceremony, Ormond returned courtside to call the action, and was treated to an amazing ending, as he was on the mic as West Aurora won the game on a halfcourt buzzerbeater. See photos from the night, Neal’s acceptance speech and his call of the game-winner below: