Today's profile on 2011 CoSIDA 25-Year Award recipient Dave Beyer is the 24th in a series of profiles and features on CoSIDA's 2011 Special Awards recipients.
Please see the full list of award winners and links to their profiles below the Beyer feature.
by Tamara Flarup, University of Wisconsin Director of Website Services and Chair of the Special Awards Committee
Dave Beyer was named sports information director for Mercer University in January of 2010. He will receive a CoSIDA 25-Year Award for his long tenure in the profession during the CoSIDA Convention next month in Marco Island, Florida.
Beyer has more than 25 years of service in the athletics media relations field, most recently serving in a similar capacity at Benedictine University (Ill.). He has also worked as the SID at Rockford College (Ill.), Loras College (Iowa), Aurora University (Ill.), Cal State-San Bernardino, Rancho Santiago Community College (Calif.) and Biola University (Calif.) during his career.
With his appointment to the NCAA Division I Mercer position, Beyer now has the unique distinction of having worked at every level of collegiate competition: two-year, NAIA, NCAA I, II and III at some point during his tenure in the profession.
In addition to his full-time sports communications duties, Beyer concurrently served as the conference publicist for the now-defunct Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference for 10 years. He was a volunteer at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and spent seven seasons as the head statistician for the Quad City Steamwheelers of the arenafootball2 league.
He has overseen media relations for numerous league, regional and national championship events, most recently serving as the media host for the 2006 NCAA Division II women's lacrosse championships and 2006 NCAA Division III men's and women's outdoor track and field championships (the largest championship event for DIII).
Professionally, Beyer is a member of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and is in his 11th year sitting on the prestigious Capital One Academic All-America® Committee. He is also in his sixth year as a member of CoSIDA's Publication Contest committee. Personally, Beyer has earned a total of 38 awards for publications and writing.
Beyer is a native of Whittier, Calif., and is a 1984 graduate of Biola University. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and was also a four-year member of the Eagles' wrestling team. He prepped at Whittier Christian High School.
Beyer is single and resides in Macon.
"I am so blessed to have the opportunity to work for an outstanding university such as Mercer," said Beyer. "Once I visited the campus, it took me all of about 30 seconds to know how much I wanted to be here and be a part of the Bears' team.
"The beauty of the campus and the quality of the facilities was second only to the genuine and caring nature of the people I encountered everywhere I went. I look forward to helping spread the word to others about the many great aspects of Mercer University and the exciting things happening in its athletics program."
The Dave Beyer File
(1 yr.) SID - Biola University (Calif.) - 1984-85
(1 yr.) Statistician/Publications Coordinator - Rancho Sanitago C.C. (Calif.) - 1987-88
(1 yr.) SID - Rancho Santiago (Calif.) - 1988-89
(3 yrs.) SID - Cal State San Bernardino - 1989-92
(6 yrs.) SID - Aurora University (Ill.) - 1992-98
(4 yrs.) SID - Loras College (Iowa) - 1998-2002
(3 yrs.) SID - Rockford College (Ill.) - 2002-05
(4 1/2 yrs.) SID - Benedictine University (Ill.) - 2005-2009 (Dec.)
(1 1/2 yrs.) SID - Mercer University (Ga.) - 2010 (Jan.)-present
• Concurrent with employment at Benedictine, Rockford and Aurora, was also the Conference Publicist for the Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference for a total of 10 years. 9/92-6/98 & 7/2002-6/2006
• Member of Academic All-America Committee (6/99-present)
• CoSIDA Publications Committee (7 years)
• Has attended 12 CoSIDA workshops
• Has the unique distinction of serving as an SID at all levels of college athletics: NCAA I, NCAA II, NCAA III, NAIA/NCCAA, & community college
• Has a total of 38 awards for publications and writing from various organizations, including 5 "Best in the Nation" citations from CoSIDA
THE CoSIDA SPECIAL AWARDS FEATURES SERIES
March
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
Thr. 21 Mark Beckenbach (Ohio Northern): CoSIDA Hall of Fame
Tue. 26 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
Thr. 5 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
Fri. 20 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