Bruce Hixon’s 35 years in sports media included an 11-year stint as sports editor of the Salem Times-Commoner. Hixon began his sports tenure in 1985 at just 17 years of age as a contributing writer at the Olney Daily Mail before being promoted to sports editor in 1990. Hixon made the move to the Salem T-C in 1992 and began his coverage of Salem Wildcats athletics, a position that also included the sports scene at South Central, Patoka, Sandoval and Odin High Schools along with the junior high sports scene.

Hixon spent 13 years as the North Egypt Conference Sportswriters Association information director and statistician, a position he was appointed to while he was at Olney and maintained until the NEC’s closure at the end of the 2002-03 school year. During Hixon’s time at Salem he created the 75th season all-time team for the Salem Wildcats football program in 1999. Members of that squad were recognized prior to the team’s home contest against Mt. Carmel that year. Hixon selected and directed the Salem T-C’s annual Scholar/Athlete program. He also selected an annual Male and Female Athlete of the Year as well as all-area teams for volleyball, girls and boys basketball. Hixon had two stints that covered 21 years as a member of the Salem High School Sports Hall of Fame committee where he assisted with nominations, research, write-ups and inductee presentations.

Hixon began a four-year stint as sports editor at the Brewton Standard in Alabama in the fall of 2003 before he returned to Illinois in 2007 when he began an eight-year run as sports editor at the Carlyle Union Banner. Hixon became a freelancer in 2015 when he became a contributing writer for the Breese Journal as well as a photographer for Kaskaskia College and WJBD Radio. Hixon was forced off the sports scene in 2020 when the COVID-19 epidemic shut down area sporting events.

During his time in the newspaper business Hixon twice took first place for best sports section among bi-weekly newspapers by the Southern Illinois Press Association and received the same honor from the Alabama Press Association. Hixon also received multiple awards from the Illinois Press Association for sports section, sports column, sports story and sports photography. Hixon was selected as the Kaskaskia Division of the Illinois Principals Association Media Person of the Year in 2015.

Hixon was working at Carlyle Walmart at the time of his induction into the Salem Sports Hall of Fame. He resides in Carlyle with wife Tami and his two children, Carson and Amy Hixon.