Year after year, voted “Best Columnist” and “Best Local Author / Writer” in the Best of Madison Poll.
Regularly recognized by the Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Wisconsin Journalism competition for his Madison Magazine blog as “Best Digital Columnist.”
Upon its release in 2025, “Saving Hearts and Killing Rats: Karl Paul Link and the Discovery of Warfarin”, was honored as the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Wisconsin Book of the Month.
Finalist in the national 2017 City and Regional Magazine Awards best profile competition for his Madison Magazine article, “The Real Mike Koval.”
Recognized more than a dozen times as best writer or columnist in Madison in readers’ polls conducted by Madison Magazine and the Wisconsin State Journal.
Two-time winner of the Golden Gavel Award for outstanding journalism presented by the State Bar of Wisconsin
His book “The World of Mike Royko” was named a “Choice Selection of the Year” by the Chicago Tribune.
His book “Lords of the Ring: The Triumph and Tragedy of College Boxing’s Greatest Team” was runner-up for the August Derleth Award recognizing the best nonfiction book of the year by a Wisconsin author, and received honorable mention in the Chronicle of Higher Education’s ranking of the best collegiate sports books of all time. It has also been optioned several times for a possible documentary or feature film.