College Sports Information Directors of America

Debby Jennings, the Associate Athletic Director for women’s athletics media relations at the University of Tennessee, has been named the Arch Ward Award winner by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The award is presented annually to a CoSIDA member who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of college sports information, and who by his or her activities, has brought dignity and prestige to the profession.

Jennings is only the second woman to receive the award since it was initiated in 1958. She established the media relations office for Tennessee women’s athletics, and has been the only Director of Media Relations for the University of Tennessee Lady Vols from1978 to present. Her current title is Associate Athletics Director for Media Relations.

Jennings has served as the media relations director to Pat Summitt, the winningest coach in men’s or women’s basketball for the past 31 years. Summitt, the University of Tennessee head women's basketball coach for the past 34 years, has a 982-182 for .846 career record. She is also the first million dollar salaried coach in women’s basketball. Summitt’s teams have been to 22 total Final Fours (18 NCAA/4 AIAW), winning eight NCAA titles including back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008.

Summitt has taken her teams to 11 of the past 14 Final Fours and she has 33 consecutive seasons with 20 or more wins. Tennessee has won 14 of 28 SEC regular season championships and 13 of 29 SEC Tournament titles. Summitt has been the NCAA Coach of the Year in1983, 1987, 1989, 1994, 1995, 1998, and 2004, and was the NCAA Coach of the Century in 2000. She was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2000.

Tennessee is the most visible women’s basketball program in the world, and Jennings has been the spokesperson and agent for the most sought-after voice for women’s sports in Summitt. Tennessee sports teams have excelled on the national level in all areas, but the women’s basketball team has exceeded excellence by winning eight national championships, the most by any NCAA school and just two shy of the legendary John Wooden’s record at UCLA.
Jennings has been an active member of CoSIDA since 1978. She received the CoSIDA 25 year Achievement Award in 2003 and was just the third woman inducted into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame in 2002.

Her additional professional honors and awards include:
• University of Tennessee and the City of Knoxville celebrated “Debby Jennings Day” on Nov. 26, 2002; Jennings was honored in pre-game ceremonies before a Lady Vol basketball game.
• First woman president of the Southeastern Conference sports information directors, 2000-2002 • Mel Greenberg Award in 1995 for lifelong contributions to women's basketball; first SID given national award by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association
• U.S. Olympic Committee media relations coordinator at the 1984 and 1996 Summer Olympics, 1987 Pan American Games, and the 1983 and 1989 World University Games
• Directed media relations for the 1990 NCAA Final Four hosted by Tennessee
• Co-authored Basketball with Lady Vol Basketball Coach Pat Summitt
• Co-authored Lady Magic: The Nancy Lieberman-Cline Story, with Nancy Lieberman-Cline
• Over 300 national publications awards, with more than half representing ‘Best in the Nation’ distinction
• Serves as an adjunct professor at UT

Jennings will receive the award at the annual CoSIDA workshop on July 1 in Tampa, Fla. The award is named for Arch Ward, former sports editor of the Chicago Tribune from 1930 until he died in 1955. He is credited with inventing the concept of an all-star contest. All-star games began in 1933 with the first baseball all-star game. The following year, Ward initiated the College All-Star football game.

Past Arch Ward Award Recipients
2007 John Paquette (Big East Conference)
2006 Bud Ford (Tennessee)
2005 Ed Carpenter (Boston University)
2004 Claude Felton (Georgia)
2003 Jim Wright (NCAA)
2002 Hal Cowan (Oregon State)
2001 Langston Rogers (Mississippi)
2000 Mary Jo Haverbeck (Penn State)
1999 Rick Brewer (North Carolina)
1998 Bill Little (Texas)
1997 Dave Cawood (NCAA)
1996 Fred Nuesch (Texas A&M-Kingsville)
1995 Howie Davis (Massachusetts)
1994 John Humenik (Florida)
1993 Tom Price (South Carolina)
1992 Dave Wohlhueter (Cornell)
1991 Haywood Harris (Tennessee)
1990 Steve Boda (NCAA)
1989 Dave Schulthess (Brigham Young)
1988 Marv Homan (Ohio State)
1987 Roger Valdiserri (Notre Dame)
1986 Jim Mott (Wisconsin)
1985 Nick Vista (Michigan State)
1984 Bill Esposito (St. John’s)
1983 Elmore Hudgins (Southeastern Conference)
1982 Jones Ramsey (Texas)
1981 Don Bryant (Nebraska)
1980 Bill Whitmore (Rice)
1979 Marvin Francis (Atlantic Coast Conference/Wake Forest)
1978 Frank Soltys Arizona)
1977 Bob Bradley Clemson)
1976 Bob Hartley Mississippi State)
1975 Bill Callahan Missouri)
1974 Charley Thornton Alabama)
1973 Wilbur Synpp (Ohio State)
1972 Bill Young (Wyoming)
1971 Tom Miller (Indiana)
1970 Baaron Pittenger (Harvard)
1969 Wilbur Evans (Southwest Conference)
1968 Eric Wilson (Iowa)
1967 Bob Culp (Western Michigan)
1966 Ernest Goodman (Howard)
1965 Don Pierce (Kansas)
1964 Ned West (Georgia Tech)
1963 Wiles Hallock (Wyoming)
1962 Fred Stabley Sr. (Michigan State)
1961 Harold Keith (Oklahoma)
1960 Bob Paul (Pennsylvania)
1959 John Cox (Navy)
1958 Lester Jordan (Southern Methodist)