College Sports Information Directors of America

Larry Happel, associated with Central College in Pella, Iowa since his undergraduate days, will be one of seven enshrined in the CoSIDA Hall of Fame this July in San Francisco during the annual convention workshop.

written by by Dave Wrath, Augustana College and CoSIDA Special Awards Committee member

ROCK ISLAND, IL - It was classic Larry Happel humor. When asked for a resume to be used for writing his biography about being inducted into the College Sports Information Directors of America’s (CoSIDA) Hall of Fame, Happel reeled off a typical quip.

“How about that: A two-page resume for a guy who has only had one job in his entire life.”

That is Larry Happel in a proverbial nutshell - a dedicated and loyal servant who is as low-key about his own accomplishments as he is as dedicated to his role as the quintessential sports information director. He goes about his job with little fanfare.

But Happel will get that fanfare and the lasting accolades that go along with Hall of Fame enshrinement on Tuesday, July 6, when he is inducted during the 2010 CoSIDA Hall of Fame Gala at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis in San Francisco, Calif. The event is part of the annual CoSIDA Convention Workshop being held July 4-7 in the City by the Bay.

It seems improbable that someone who just passed the age of 50 a few years ago can point to five decades of work as a sports information director, but that is exactly the case with Happel.

He began his career at Central College in Pella, Iowa, in 1979, before he even graduated cum laude with a B.A. degree in communications. At that time he was just an eager college kid, quenching his love for sports and journalism and doing it at an institution he dearly loved.

From that humble beginning, Happel has quietly, but oh so steadily, carved his niche in the sports information profession. During his tenure at Central he has served as the host sports information director for 23 NCAA Division III football playoff games and for five NCAA Division III championship finals in four sports.

Along the way there have been to numerous NCAA first-round and regional contests in six other sports. Always, participants who were involved in an event where he was in charge were met with professional courtesy and treated in a first-class manner. That is the only way this fairly quiet man knows how to do things.

His accomplishments and his dedication have not gone unnoticed.

“As a small, private Division III institution, we have been blessed to receive many awards honoring students, coaches and teams over the years,” Al Dorenkamp, the athletic director at Central, said. “Larry Happel has been the key player in each of these recognitions. His connections with the media, locally and nationally, have been significant in the marketing and recognition of Central College. His work ethic and professionalism is unmatched on our campus and he has earned the respect of his peers many times over in the past 30 years. Above all, he cares deeply about student-athletes and the people he works with. His quiet, behind-the-scene leadership on our campus has been important to the success of our athletic programs over the years.”

Whenever the Dutch were playing, you could be assured that Happel was close by, chronicling the feats of those who were wearing the Red and White. He served as the visiting sports information director in 22 NCAA Division III championship finals, including two Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowls in football.

He was the winner of the 2006 Warren Berg Award, which was presented by CoSIDA for outstanding achievement in the college sports information field and contributions to the organization.

Twenty-one times his publications won CoSIDA awards, including eight that were judged “Best in Nation.” He has earned eight CoSIDA writing awards, including one “Best in Nation,” while two of his publications and one of his writing samples captured awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

Cleary, Happel understands the craft of being a sports information director and he understands it well. The scope of his work goes beyond that, however. He always is willing to serve as evidenced by the fact that he was on the CoSIDA Board of Directors from 2002-05 and has been a member of the Special Awards Committee from 1999 to the present.

One of the few times that he was caught unaware came when his nomination for the CoSIDA Hall of Fame was kept from him. He is a district chair on the Membership Services Committee and he also has served terms on the Writing Contest and Allied Organizations Committees.

A respected figure in the small college circles, Happel is on the Host Communications-NCAA Championships Program Advisory Committee and had a nine-year run on the Hewlett-Packard Division III Football All-American Selection Committee. He is currently on the D3Kicks.com (men and women) and D3hoops.com Women’s Basketball Ranking Committee.

During his illustrious career at Central, Happel also has been called on to hold a variety of positions besides being the SID. He had a seven-year run as the director of public relations and also was the interim director on three other occasions.

He has been the director of publications, assistant director of news bureau and associate director of marketing/media relations - all of this while still maintaining an SID office that ranks at the top in the nation in terms of productivity and service.

He did manage to break away from Pella, Iowa, for a one academic year in 2003-04 when he served as the visiting assistant in the sports information department at the University of Tennessee.

With so much on his plate professionally, it is hard to imagine Happel finding time for anything else; however, his civic commitment led him to serve as a board member for Habitat for Humanity of Marion County and as an advisor to the Central College chapter of the same organization. He is a deacon in the Second Reformed Church of Pella, where he has been a member since 1981 and is the congregational coordinator for the CROP walk for world hunger.