The KSHSAA Oscar Stauffer Sportswriter of the Year award winner is Craig Null, writer for USD 387 Altoona-Midway activities.
He spent 11 years as a reporter and sports editor for the Independence Daily Reporter before returning to school to obtain a secondary education teaching certificate from Pittsburg State University.
For the next 26 years, Null taught American History and yearbook at Independence Middle School, during which time he also earned a master's degree in educational leadership from Southern Nazarene University. Craig retired from full-time teaching in 2017.
Both as an assistant and as a head coach, Craig directed a variety of sports at the middle school and high school level for 30 years — and overall has coached more than 40 years. Following his retirement, Null has spent the past seven years as the activities writer for the USD 387 Altoona-Midway school district. He has served two stints as the middle school’s basketball coach and was assistant coach for the high school boys’ team this past season.
In 2020 he authored his first book, “Go Hard,” the story of legendary Independence High School football coach Walter “Kayo” Emmot, a member of the KSHSAA Hall of Fame. Craig and his wife, Marie, reside just outside of Independence. Marie has four children from a previous marriage and they have 11 grandchildren.