Terry Hutchens, an IU alumnus and Indiana-based sports writer for more than 30 years, died Friday after being hospitalized following a car accident Monday night in Fishers, Indiana.
He was 60 years old.
Hutchens is survived by his wife Susan, his mother Dena, his sister Kelly and his sons Bryan and Kevin.
An article by the Anderson Herald Bulletin first reported Hutchens’ death.
He was born March 19, 1958, in Portland, Oregon, before moving to California. Hutchens studied journalism at California State University Fullerton, while also covering high school sports for the Fullerton Daily News Tribune.
Hutchens met his wife in 1984 in California and they married in 1986. He came to Indiana and graduated from the IU School of Journalism in May 1989.
Hutchens first worked for the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, before joining the Indianapolis News in July 1986 as a general assignment reporter.
Hutchens spent 27 years working for the Indianapolis News and the Indianapolis Star.
He covered the Indianapolis Colts from 1991 to 1998, before becoming the IU beat writer for the Star.
In recent years, Hutchens was the IU beat writer for CNHI Sports Indiana, and had his work syndicated in 13 newspapers across the state.
He was given the Indiana Sports Writer of the Year Award five times by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.
IU men’s basketball Coach Archie Miller and IU football Coach Tom Allen were two of the numerous people who posted remembrance messages on social media following the news of Hutchens’ death.
“My heart goes out to the Hutchens family,” Allen said in a tweet. “Terry had such class and professionalism, and I was fortunate to get to know him over these past three seasons. We thank him for everything he gave to our program, our fans and our university.”
Following the IU women’s basketball team’s win against the University of South Dakota on Friday in the Puerto Rico Classic, Coach Teri Moren offered her condolences to the Hutchens family.
“Terry has been in a lot of my press conferences, has brought a lot of his students into my press conferences,” Moren said. “Has always been so good to Indiana, has always been really good to me. Indiana has certainly lost an icon, without question.
Former IU men's basketball Coach Tom Crean and former player Jordan Hulls also made statements on social media regarding Hutchens' death.
In addition to his sports writing duties, Hutchens served as the football radio booth statistician for IU radio broadcaster Don Fischer and his team for nearly 20 years.
“He was so much more than that,” Fischer said in a statement. “His trash-talking, dry wit and sarcastic humor made every Saturday special. He could dish it out, and he also was able to take the verbal hits that had everyone laughing, smiling and enjoying our time together.”
Hutchens also authored several sports-related books, mainly about IU Athletics, including children’s books about the Hoosiers. He co-wrote the book “Never, Ever Quit” with Jane Hoeppner, the wife of former IU football Coach Terry Hoeppner, who died of brain cancer in June 2007.
“He was a great chronicler of IU Athletics history for over 20 years,” IU Athletic Director Fred Glass said in a statement. “But far more importantly, a devoted father and husband and a treasured friend to so many.”
Hutchens taught two sports writing classes at IU in recent years, and IU Professor of Sports Media Galen Clavio said Hutchens was dedicated to getting IU students ready for careers in professional media.
Clavio said Hutchens structured his classes around practical experiences and guest speakers to give students the proper perspective about the industry they were about to enter.
“He was a very valuable part of our program for a long time,” Clavio said. “He was always willing to lend a hand or critique a story for a fledgling writer, and was always very giving of his time.”
Messages of admiration and appreciation for Hutchens could be found across social media. From former students thanking him for his instruction to fellow reporters reminiscing on moments spent with him in media rooms, many shared their stories about spending time with Hutchens.
“If you want to see the kind of impact Terry had, all you need to do is read Twitter and see all the messages of sadness and thanks that his former students have expressed,” Clavio said. “There’s no greater testament to the impact Hutch has on his students and our program than those messages.”
Hutchens' seat on press row and in the media room at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall will remain open the rest of the season.
Ben Portnoy contributed to this report.
