AUSTIN, Texas – Rece Davis, who serves as primary studio host for ESPN and ESPN2’s coverage of college football and college basketball, will serve as master of ceremonies for the Capital One Hall of Fame Gala on June 28 at the 2011 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Convention in Marco Island, Florida.
The Gala, in its second year, is a dinner and induction ceremony open to all CoSIDA Convention attendees where the 2011 Capital One Academic All-America® Hall of Fame class will be enshrined along with the newest class of the CoSIDA Hall of Fame.
In addition, the Dick Enberg Award will be presented that evening to Olympic gold medalist track star Jackie Joyner-Kersee for her longstanding commitment to academic and educational initiatives. The Enberg Award, presented annually to a person whose actions and commitment have furthered the meaning and reach of the Capital One Academic All-America® Teams Program and/or the student-athlete while promoting education and athletics.
The Convention takes place Sunday-Wednesday, June 26-29, at the Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort.
Davis currently serves as an Advisory Board member for the Capital One Cup which rewards men’s and women’s NCAA Division I athletics programs for their cumulative on-field performance. As a college sports broadcaster, Davis embodies all facets representative of the Capital One Cup – success, integrity, leadership and a commitment to excellence. He has served on the Advisory Board since the inception of the Capital One Cup in September of 2010.
Davis joined ESPN in 1995 and began hosting various programs on the network. He is the regular season host of College Football Live and anchors College GameDay and College GameDay Final. He is the host of ESPN’s Saturday college football pregame, halftime and postgame studio coverage and College Football Final with analysts Lou Holtz and Mark May, and the trio calls select ESPN and ESPN2 weekday games. Davis also hosts the College GameDay basketball show and calls select college football and basketball games.
"CoSIDA is thrilled to welcome Rece Davis as master of ceremonies of our Capital One Hall of Fame Gala celebration," noted CoSIDA President Larry Dougherty of Temple University. "Through his position at ESPN, Rece has shown his passion and dedication to showcasing and publicizing collegiate athletics and we are pleased to have him emcee our Gala celebration."
Davis, a native of Muscle Shoals, Ala., graduated cum laude from the University of Alabama in 1988 with dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in broadcast news and public affairs. Davis was named the University of Alabama School of Communication Broadcast Department’s outstanding alumnus for 2001.
The 2011 inductees into the Capital One Academic All-America® Hall of Fame, as selected by CoSIDA, and the 2011 CoSIDA Hall of Fame inductees, are as follows:
The Capital One Academic All-America® Hall of Fame class of 2011 includes a pair of former Academic All-America® basketball selections, Peter Metzelaars, ’82 of Wabash College and
Dr. Carol Lally Shields, ’79 of the University of Notre Dame, along with former
Rutgers University track & field star Dr. Randal Pinkett, ’94, ULCA women’s volleyball standout Dr. Julie Bremner Romias, ’94 and
NCAA Champion diver Dr. Megan Neyer, ’86 of the University of Florida.
Five current and former sports communications professionals will be inducted into the
CoSIDA Hall of Fame on June 28. This CoSIDA Hall of Fame honor is presented to members of CoSIDA who have made outstanding contributions to the field of college sports information. The newest members are:
Mark Beckenbach, Ohio Wesleyan University; Charles Bloom, Southeastern Conference; Rich Herman, Clarion University; Paul Madison, Western Washington University; Dan McDonald, former sports information director at Northwestern State (La.) and Southwestern Louisiana. McDonald was selected by the Hall of Fame Veterans Selection Committee. The other five were selected by a vote of over 90 CoSIDA Hall of Famers.
CoSIDA established the Academic All-America® Hall of Fame in 1988 with the purpose to honor former college student-athletes who have excelled in their professions and made substantial contributions to their community. To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, a candidate must have been an Academic All-America® team member who graduated at least ten years prior to nomination. See more on the 2011 Capital One Academic All-America Hall of Fame class
HERE.
To see the 2011 CoSIDA Special Awards announcement,
visit this link.
See more on Joyner-Kersee's selection as the 2011 Dick Enberg Award recipient. The award is named for legendary broadcaster Dick Enberg. The Enberg Award was created to recognize Enberg’s passion and support of the Academic All-America® program for more than 20 years, as well as his dedication to education for more than four decades.