Jim Brunner, honorary inductee, is a longtime local sports broadcaster and the “Voice of the Marion Giants”. He also has served as a Marion Community Schools Board of School Trustees Member and a Marion City Council Member.
Brunner is one of the most recognizable voices in the history of Indiana sports. He has provided play by play and commentary for Marion Giants games for local radio station WBAT since 1971. If the Marion Giants are playing at home, chances are Brunner is in the press box! (The press box at Bill Green Arena is even named in his honor.) He has also traveled thousands of miles over the years covering the Giants in tournament games and more. He has announced seven of Marion's eight boys IHSAA state basketball championship runs, making him the only sportscaster in Indiana with seven state titles for the school he announces for under his belt.
Brunner has been inducted into the Marion High School Athletics Hall of Fame, the Grant County Sports Hall of Fame, and the Indiana Broadcasting Hall of Fame. In 1999 he received the Distinguished Media Service Award from the Indiana High School Athletic Association.
Jim graduated from Fort Wayne Concordia High School in 1966, and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Communications in 1971 from Indiana University, where he wrote for the student newspaper and worked for the WIUS radio station.
He served as a member of the Marion Community Schools Board of School Trustees for 16 years, and is a member of the Marion City Council, a post he has held for 10 years so far.
Brunner has helped raise funds for the Boys and Girls Club of Grant County, with the Jim Brunner Golf Classic.
He is married to Dory Brunner, who was a teacher at Marion Community Schools, and their son, Paige, is a Marion High School graduate.