J. T. Keith

About J. T. Keith

Developing as a person has helped me grow as a professional. It is this day-to-day challenge that keeps me hungry and wanting to climb the ladder of success. When your doing your purpose in life it means doing what you love in life. Which means I have never worked a day in my life. I have had opportunities to grow as a professional, I have been put into positions where stretched, as a student, person and man, by giving a speeches in front of 150 students, and faculty members. I firmly believe no matter what life throws at you, there is a positive seed of equivalent benefit to work for your good. As an HBCU sports editor and writer, I have been tasked with covering Deion Sanders and Jackson State athletics for USA Today. I was prepared for this beat by covering Texas Tech football, basketball and baseball as a graduate student and editor of The Pub an online sports magazine for two years. Given my previous previous work experience I have learned how to be a team player and work independently to achieve common goals for the team and individually. My journey in my career has helped me communicate with a diverse group of people. I have learned to keep up with social media, and to find ways to reinvent myself, and to stay relevant. I have the honor of being the first African American sports writer in several markets where no African Americans have existed before to cover sports. I have had bylines in Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Midland Reporter-Times, Verde Valley Independent and the Roswell Daily Record. Through all of my writings I have won numerous awards for best section, column writing, feature writing and most recently I was a top three finalist in APSE column writing in 2022 in the C category.

Experience

1. Sports Editor

   USA TODAY Co., Inc.

   May 2022 — Present

Education

• Texas Tech University

  Master's degree in Sports Journalism, Sports Communication

  2014 — 2016

• Eastern New Mexico University

  Communication, Journalism

  2011 — 2014