By Mark Burke
Russellville (Ark.) Courier
It may be hard to find a true replacement for the job with the legend the predecessor has left behind, but after a great deal of searching and narrowing down the field, Arkansas Tech University has found what it considers the best fit as a new sports information director (SID).
Ben Greenberg will soon leave his duties as SID for Chicago State — a NCAA Division I school in the Mid-Continent Conference — to take over as the SID at Tech to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Larry Smith.
“I’m excited and really looking forward to the job,” Greenberg said during a telephone interview Tuesday. “When I applied for the job, I didn’t really know what to expect. I felt like I had accomplished all I could achieve here (Chicago St.), and wanted to be involved in a school with an athletic program moving forward like Tech.”
Big shoes have been left to fill after Smith’s 18 years as SID at Tech. That is nothing new to Greenberg, though.
“Larry is one of the premiere people in this business,” Greenberg said. “I know I have big shoes to fill. Following in Larry’s footsteps is tough for anyone. I’m confident I can do a good job and hopefully continue what Larry has started here. He’s created a strong tradition, and I hope to pick up where he left off and move forward.”
The 33-year-old Greenberg brings a little more than four years of college SID experience to the table. He was formerly at Texas State in San Marcos, Texas, for a year and a half before staying at Chicago State for two years. He also had a brief stint at Delta State University, allowing him to have some experience in the Gulf South Conference — the conference Tech is a member of.
Greenberg is a 1995 graduate of the University of Nebraska — where he received a bachelor’s degree in journalism — and worked with the Nebraska sports information department for five years. He also ventured out into private work before getting back into the collegiate sports information realm.
Although he won’t start work at Tech until late this month, Greenberg has already made a positive impression to members of the Tech athletic department.
“He came in with a lot of enthusiasm,” Tech athletic director and head football coach Steve Mullins said. “He made a great impression on the coaches. I was pleased with his background and work knowledge.”
One area in particular that stood out in terms of work knowledge was the capability to run the school’s athletic Web site effectively.
“We felt like he (Greenberg) had a good knowledge of how to run the Web site and how to promote our school’s athletics,” Mullins said. “He’s a young man with a positive approach to this type of work. I’m awfully excited about Ben.”
Having the knowledge to use different means of technology is something Greenberg views as an important element.
“This business has changed a lot with the Internet,” Greenberg said. “In this day and age, people are always wanting the news fast, and the internet allows them to get fast-paced news. This business has been enhanced with the internet.”
Helping to add to the Web site is just one way Greenberg hopes to help.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge, and I want to do all I can to help improve the notoriety of the school,” Greenberg said. “From talking to the coaches and people from the area, I can tell the community really follows the school. I think things are going in a positive direction, and I hope to help enhance that.”
With the acquisition of Greenberg, a sense of relief has come over the athletic department.
“The SID is as much a part of the team as the coaches and everyone else involved,” Mullins said. “There were a lot of applicants for the job, and it was a challenge to narrow it down to a handful. It was even a bigger challenge to narrow it down to just one.”
With football season starting soon, followed by other fall sports, Greenberg will have to “hit the ground running,” according to Mullins. However, Greenberg isn’t hesitant to accept the task at hand.
“I look at this as a step up in my career,” Greenberg said. “I think the people of Arkansas Tech will be happy with what I can bring to the table. I’m thankful for this opportunity. It’s a great challenge, and I’m looking forward to it. I hope to carry on what Larry has done and go from there.”