Contact: Chad Waller, NAIA Director of Sports Information & Media Services |
816.595.8000 |
cwaller@naia.org
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is proud to announce that
Michael MacEachern, Sports Information Director at SCAD Savannah (Ga.), is the recipient of the 2011 Clarence “Ike” Pearson Award. The honor is named for the former statistical crew chief for the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship and is given annually to an outstanding NAIA Sports Information Director.
The award, in its 35th year, will be presented at the Ike Pearson Awards Luncheon on June 25 at the annual NAIA-Sports Information Directors Association (NAIA-SIDA) Convention in Ave Maria, Fla. Ave Maria University will host this year’s event.
“I am very humbled and grateful to be honored as this year's Ike Pearson Award winner,” said MacEachern. “It's amazing to be included among some of the profession's best sports information directors. I would like to thank all the support I have received from our administration, coaches, staff and student-artist-athletes at SCAD Savannah the past 10 years.”
The native of Charleston, S.C., is in his 10th year of serving as Sports Information Director at SCAD Savannah. With his duties, he oversees all publicity and media relations matters concerning the athletics department. He maintains statistics, updates records and writes press releases for 20 intercollegiate athletic programs. He is the department’s webmaster for
www.scadathletics.com, which received the NAIA’s top honor in 2007-08 as the country’s best website.
The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and NAIA-SIDA have recognized MacEachern’s publications 22 times. MacEachern is very active within both professional organizations, which were formed to help with today’s communication issues. He has served as the 2006 NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship Media Coordinator and the 2007 NAIA Softball National Championship Assistant Media Coordinator. MacEachern also worked as a press steward for the baseball venue at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.
MacEachern was elected to the NAIA-SIDA Board as the Second Vice President in 2009. He is in line to become President of NAIA-SIDA in 2013. MacEachern also serves as the chairperson of the NAIA-SIDA Publication Contest Committee.
MacEachern came to SCAD after serving as the Sports Information Director for five years at NCAA Division II Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, N.C. He was the Sports Information Director for eight years at NCAA Division I the University of South Carolina at Spartanburg (now the University of South Carolina Upstate), and served one year as Assistant Sports Information Director at NCAA Division I The Citadel in Charleston, S.C.
A 1987 graduate of the College of Charleston (S.C.), MacEachern earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration at C of C. While there, he served as a student assistant in the sports information office for three seasons.
A longtime member of CoSIDA, MacEachern has served as a national coordinator on CoSIDA’s Capital One Academic All-America® Committee since 1988. He served four seasons as the national coordinator for NCAA Division II men’s soccer statistics.
MacEachern is the official scorekeeper for the Savannah Sand Gnats, the Class A minor-league affiliate of the New York Mets. He also was an official scorekeeper for the Hickory (N.C.) Crawdads, the Class A minor-league affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, for three seasons. MacEachern has covered local sports as a newspaper stringer for both the Herald-Journal in Spartanburg, S.C., and the Hickory Daily Record.
MacEachern has a 7-year-old Labrador-mix dog (Roddy) and lives on Whitemarsh Island, Ga.
“Michael has been a mentor, a journalist, a Webmaster and the utmost professional,” said Dawn Harmon, Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Sports Information Director and former NAIA Sports Information Director, in her recommendation letter. “Many times during my tenure with the NAIA national office, I turned to Michael for guidance and he never steered me wrong. Michael is always the first to volunteer his help whenever and wherever needed; I often wonder when he sleeps.”
About NAIA-SIDA
NAIA-SIDA is the professional association for sports information directors with the NAIA. The Clarence "Ike" Pearson Award is the association's highest honor and recognizes its honoree for accomplishments and service performed over a career. Criteria for nomination include at least five years as a member of NAIA-SIDA and outstanding service to the profession and the NAIA at the conference and national levels.
For more information on the award, click here.
For more information on NAIA-SIDA, click here.
About the "Ike" Pearson Award
The Clarence "Ike" Pearson Award was first given in 1977. MacEachern’s legacy joins an impressive list of former winners that include: Melvin Schreves, Elon College (N.C.); Gene Warren, Pembroke State University (N.C.); Stan Green, Harding University (Ark.); Don Briggs, University of Nebraska-Kearney; Dr. D.L. Ligon, Midwestern State University (Texas); Fred Nuesch, Texas A&I University; Andy Solomon, Winthrop University (S.C.); Kevin Keys, Liberty Baptist College (Va.); Tim Petermann, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire; Mac Sisson, Ouachita Baptist University (Ark.); Gary Spitler, Pembroke State University (N.C.); Walt McAlexander, Lubbock Christian University (Texas); Larry Smith, Arkansas Tech University; Larry Scott, Minnesota State University-Moorhead; Bobby Hall, Wayland Baptist University (Texas); Reed Richmond, Tarleton State University (Texas); Paul Madison, Western Washington University; Jerry Hanson, Briar Cliff College (Iowa); Bill Boote, Northwestern College (Iowa); Bob Guptill, Central Washington University.
Also: Gary Pine, Azusa Pacific University (Calif.); Mark Bankert, Malone College (Ohio); David Fillmore, Evangel College (Mo.); Mark Womack, Cedarville College (Ohio); Russ Blunck, Western Oregon University; Ray Fink, Oklahoma Baptist University; Ken Isaak, Fresno Pacific University (Calif.); Jeff Raymond, Westmont College (Calif.); Scott Cummings, McKendree University (Ill.); Sam Ghrist, Eastern Oregon University; A. John Pearson, Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference; Dave Parsons, Mount Vernon Nazarene University (Ohio); Candy Sullinger, College of the Ozarks (Mo.); Jay Stancil, Union College Ky.).
About the NAIA
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is the governing body for athletics programs at its nearly 300 colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada. The long-held mission of the NAIA is to promote the education and development of well-rounded students and productive citizens through intercollegiate athletics. The Association offers equitable access and opportunities for participation in its 23 national championship events held annually throughout the country.
Today, the NAIA strengthens its commitment to student-athletes and strives to enrich their college experience by supporting academic achievement and character development. NAIA Champions of Character is the association's innovative flagship program designed to instill character values in student-athletes, coaches and youth in the communities it serves. To learn more visit
www.NAIA.org.