The New Jersey Wrestling Coaches Association presented the 2023 John Vogeding Memorial Award for Journalistic Excellence to long-time New Jersey sportswriter Paul Franklin March 2. The presentation was made at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association championships at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.Before retiring full-time in 2014 he covered high school wrestling extensively at The Courier-News in the 1970s and 1980s, went on to cover the sport at the Home News Tribune in the 1990s and then the Times of Trenton in the mid-2000.

A New Jersey sportswriter for more than 50 years, he has also won state and national awards. He was inducted into the New Jersey Region 5 Wrestling Hall of Fame two years ago.

On the collegiate level he continues to write freelance stories about former New Jersey high school wrestlers for mycentraljersey.com, as well as features on Rutgers University, Rider and Princeton wrestling.

Additional publications he has written for include New Jersey Monthly magazine, the New York Post, Boston Globe, The Sporting News, Street and Smith magazine, The Associated Press, Madison Square Garden college basketball programs, and websites that have included CBSsports.com, Phillyvoice.com, Ivyleague.com, as well as college websites for Rutgers, Rider and Army.

Currently a member of the Advisory Committee for the New Jersey Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, he also writes for the chapter, some of which appears on the website for the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.