Patch Editor Elected to 4th Term As Sports Writers' President

CONNECTICUT — The Connecticut Sports Writers' Alliance (CSWA), one of the nation's oldest sports journalism associations, has re-elected Tim Jensen of Patch Media as president for an unprecedented fourth term.

A veteran of more than three decades in the media industry, the 1983 graduate of Enrico Fermi High School was founding editor of Enfield Patch in 2010, and is currently news editor of four Patch sites in north-central Connecticut, in addition to Connecticut sports coverage.

After two years as vice president, Jensen was first elected president in 2017. He has chaired the annual Gold Key Dinner, one of Connecticut's most prestigious sports honors, since 2015. Recent Gold Key recipients are ESPN founder Bill Rasmussen, hockey star Craig Janney, former world boxing champion Marlon Starling, Super Bowl champion Dwight Freeney and distance running legend Amby Burfoot.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought challenges to nearly every resident, business and organization in the country, and the CSWA is no exception. The 79th Gold Key Dinner, originally slated for late April of last year, has been postponed three times, with a tentative date now set for May 2.

The Gold Key Dinner was inaugurated by the CSWA in 1940, with baseball legend Connie Mack and golf superstar Bobby Jones among the initial honorees. A roster of stellar names have received the award since then, including Gordie Howe, Willie Pep, Joe Cronin, Ron Francis, Geno Auriemma, Julius Boros, Andy Robustelli, Joan Joyce, Bill Rodgers, Rebecca Lobo, Brian Leetch, Kristine Lilly and Calvin Murphy.

CSWA vice president John Holt told Patch, ""I've been thoroughly impressed with Tim's leadership as president of the Alliance. The Gold Key Dinner is a Connecticut event rich with tradition, and Tim spends countless hours each year maintaining that tradition through his connections, communication skills and attention to detail. The celebration and recognition of Connecticut's sports history is stronger thanks to Tim's ongoing stewardship of the Alliance."

Jensen's great-uncle, the late Earl Yost, was sports editor of the now-defunct Manchester Herald for nearly 40 years, and served as Alliance president in 1959.

"It is a tremendous honor having the same position my Uncle Earl did all those years ago," Jensen said. "I had tremendous respect for him, and he is the main reason I opted to become a journalist."

Jensen is a longtime member of the Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame board of directors, including 16 years as vice chairman. He is the proud dad of two adult children: Alex, a student at Seton Hall Law School in New Jersey, and Mia, a freshman at Springfield College in Massachusetts.