The Marist College Center for Sports Communication has named Jon Frankel, a correspondent for HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel,  the inaugural "Distinguished Pro in Sports Communication" adjunct professor.

This new initiative from the Marist College Center for Sports Communication brings top sports media professionals to teach a course in their area of expertise. As the inaugural professional adjunct, Frankel will teach a course called "Producing the Sports Documentary," where students from majors across campus will study and produce sports documentary films.

Frankel specializes in long-form sports stories that highlight the intersection of sport and society. Among his most meaningful stories on Real Sports were the profile of rehabilitated baseball star Josh Hamilton; the use of performance enhancing drugs in horses; the unique bond shared by George and Coby Karl; an investigation into the death of boxer Arturo Gatti; and the impact of budget cuts on local high school athletic programs in the state of Ohio.

A documentary film producer and director, Frankel counts among his credits the documentary Hellfighters, a film about a high school football team in Harlem, New York, that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was later bought for broadcast by ESPN.

Frankel has also worked extensively as a sports and general broadcast journalist. He served as a correspondent for CBS on The Early Show before coming to Real Sports. He previously served as a general assignment reporter for ABC News, reporting for World News Tonight, Nightline, Good Morning America, and as a substitute anchor for World News Now.

From 1995-1997, Frankel worked as a Today show correspondent. He also served as a sports anchor for WNBC-TV New York, WPLG-TV Miami, and WPEC-TV West Palm Beach. He began his broadcasting career in 1986 as an associate producer for Bob Costas' nationally syndicated radio talk show, Costas Coast to Coast, during which time he was also a producer and editor for NFL Films.

For more information about the event or the Marist College Center for Sports Communication, please visit its website at sportscomm.marist.edu.