This profile on Western Washington University Sports Information Director Paul Madison is the 11th in a series of profiles and features on CoSIDA's 2011 Special Awards recipients. He will be inducted into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame on June 28 at the Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort, Marco Island, Florida.
See link to original release and the March/April schedule of the Special Award profiles/features, below.
THE CoSIDA SPECIAL AWARDS FEATURES SERIES
March
Tue. 1 Special Awards general announcement
Thr. 3 Capital One Academic All-America Hall of Fame release
Thr. 3 Ann King (The Sage Colleges): 25-Year Award
Tue. 8 Kent Cherrington (Plymouth State University): 25-year Award
Thr. 10 Justin Doherty (University of Wisconsin): Arch Ward Award
Tue. 15 Rob Knox (Kutztown University): Rising Star Award (College Division)
Thr. 17 Jim Daves (University of Virginia): 25-Year Award
Tue. 22 Diane Nordstrom (University of Wisconsin): 25-Year Award
Thr. 24 Chevonne Mansfield (SWAC): Rising Star Award (University Division)
Tue. 29 Dr. Bill Smith (University of Arkansas): Bob Kenworthy Community Service Award
Thr. 31 Kevin Ruple (Baldwin-Wallace College): Lester Jordan Award
April
Tue. 5 Rich Herman (Clarion): CoSIDA Hall of Fame & Warren Berg Award
Thr. 7 Paul Madison (Western Washington): CoSIDA Hall of Fame
Tue. 12 Charles Bloom (Southeastern Conference): CoSIDA Hall of Fame
Thr. 14 Thomas Nelson (St. Cloud State University): 25-Year Award
Tue. 19 Mark Beckenbach (Ohio Northern): CoSIDA Hall of Fame
Thr. 21 Brian DePasquale (University of Albany): 25-Year Award
Thr. 28 Debby Jennings (University of Tennessee): Trailblazer Award
May
Tue. 3 Walt Riddle (Saint Leo University): Lifetime Achievement Award; and 25-Year Award
Fri. 6 Tom Kroeschell (Iowa State): 25-Year Award
Tue. 10 Mike Moran (USOC); Lifetime Achievement Award
Thr. 12 Joe Seil (Nazareth): 25-Year Award
Tue. 17 A. John Pearson (Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference): Lifetime Achievement Award
Thr. 19 David Moross (Colorado College): 25-Year Award
Tue. 24 Dan McDonald (Northwestern State [La.] and Southwestern Louisiana: CoSIDA Hall of Fame
Thr. 26 Dave Beyer (Mercer University): 25-Year Award
Tue. 31 Lee Corso (ABC/ESPN Sports): Jade Wade Award
other profiles in the schedule to be announced; schedule subject to change
by Blake Timm, Pacific (Ore.) Sports Information Director
Paul Madison felt that, from an early age, his long career in sports information at Western Washington University was pre-ordained.
“All of my coaches at Ferndale (Wash.) High School were former Western coaches. One of them knew that I had a real interest in sports, but no athletic skills,” Madison chuckles. “When I was registering for classes my first year, he asked me if I would help keep statistics for the football team. That was a life-changing event for me.”
That coach must have known how to scout talent as Madison is being honored not only for his long career in sports information, but also for being one of the best at his craft. The 44-year veteran at WWU is one of five members of the 2011 class of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Hall of Fame. Madison will be inducted at the organization’s Hall of Fame Gala on June 28 in Marco Island, Fla. during CoSIDA's annual Convention activities.
After his work in high school, Madison’s coaches recommended him to handle statistics for the athletics program at WWU, located in Bellingham, Wash., just 20 minutes south of the Canadian border. Within three months after Madison began his freshman year in 1966, the graduate assistant handling the sports information duties decided the work wasn’t for him.
While already passionate about the job, Madison was somewhat overwhelmed when he was asked to assume the sports information duties as a first-year student. “I talked to a senior athlete who I trusted, and he said I should go for it. I did, and it was the best thing that could have happened to me.”
It also helped out financially. At the time, tuition at WWU was $88 per quarter. His wage as sports information director was $80 per month.
Upon earning his degree in journalism from WWU in 1971, Madison left for a short time to work for a recreation center in Spokane, Wash. He returned to Western after six months, first working as the part-time sports information director before being elevated to full-time status in 1974. The move was a win-win proposition.
“It is a most deserving award for Paul,” said WWU Director of Athletics Lynda Goodrich. “It certainly recognizes his numerous years of outstanding service not only to WWU, but to the sports information profession. Our coaches and athletes have always admired Paul and have been grateful for the hard work he puts in on their behalf.”
Madison has been able to chronicle the highs and lows of the Western athletic program over four decades. Among the highlights was the selection of WWU basketball player Grant Dykstra for the 2006 V Foundation Comeback Award and six straight NCAA Division II national titles by the women’s rowing program. He promoted a catch by football receiver Chris Moore, which won an ESPY Award for “best college catch” in ESPN’s first ever awards show back in 1992. Madison then campaigned for nearly 16 years to have the award delivered into Moore’s hands.
Madison also guided the WWU media relations efforts after the death of a star men’s basketball player in 1990, just a day after the Vikings had clinched a NAIA district playoff spot.
Through it all, Madison has been recognized as a professional of the highest degree by his colleagues in the Northwest.
“Paul is truly the one of the classiest, hardest working and most dedicated individuals in the profession,” said Jonathan Gordon, assistant athletic director for media relations at arch-rival Central Washington University. “I consider Paul to be one of my best friends in the profession, and someone I can turn to if I am in need of advice – professional or personal.”
“His knowledge of not only the Vikings, but for most of Northwest small college athletics over the past 35 years, in encyclopedic,” said Frank McDonald, former SID at Seattle Pacific University and current member of the media relations staff with the Seattle Sounders. “Through it all he has been a model of character, being thorough and thoughtful of all of those involved. Yes, he’s just doing his job, but what matters most is that he cares.”
“For the past 40 years, Paul has been the constant not only for Western Washington University athletics, but for the region’s sports information directors as well,” said Bob Guptill, publicity director for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC). “The contributions he has made to Viking athletics go way beyond his duties as a sports information director, providing helpful advice to the administrators and coaches he has worked with as well as his leadership to all the SIDs throughout the region.”
In addition to his work at WWU, Madison served nine years as chair of the GNAC sports information directors, one year as an at-large representative on the CoSIDA Board of Directors and two terms as Area I representative on the NAIA-SIDA Executive Committee. He spent five years as publicity director for the Evergreen Conference, three years as the SID for the Northwest Women’s Basketball League and one season promoting the Washington Intercollegiate Basketball Association.
In 1993, Madison was honored by NAIA-SIDA with the Ike Pearson Award, presented annually to honor outstanding contributions within the profession.
Working with other sports information professionals has been a big reason for Madison’s long stay at WWU. “Sports information is the greatest thing ever in that we always have each other’s back,” Madison said. “I have never known of another professional where people are so willing to help one other. It’s very special.”
Another thing that has kept Madison going is the opportunity to promote the success of his alma mater.
“Western has had so many stories to tell with its student-athletes and coaches, as well as our program overall,” Madison said. “I feel so blessed that I have been the one who has been able to get these stories told.
“Each day, I wake up looking forward to going to work.”
Joining Madison as members of the 2011 induction class of the CoSIDA Hall of Fame are Charles Bloom of the Southeastern Conference, Rich Herman of Clarion University, Mark Beckenbach of Ohio Wesleyan University and Dan McDonald, former sports information director at Northwestern State (La.) and Southwestern Louisiana.