Below, see the schedule of the 2012 Special Award recipient feature stories which will be written by CoSIDA members throughout the spring. The full slate of 2012 Special Awards was announced March 2. All awards will be presented during the 2012 CoSIDA Convention in St. Louis (June 23-26).
• Individual feature story schedule for 2012 Special Awards
• CoSIDA St. Louis Convention awards presentation schedule
Special Awards Salute: Tom Di Camillo, current CoSIDA President, to be inducted into CoSIDA Hall of Fame
by Dan Drutz, Saint Peter's College Associate Director of Athletics for Communications
Tom Di Camillo, who serves as the assistant commissioner of the Pacific West Conference and the public relations director for Central Arizona College, will be inducted into the College Sports Information Director’s of America (CoSIDA) Hall of Fame on June 25, 2012 during the organization’s annual convention in St. Louis.
DiCamillo also was honored at the 2008 CoSIDA convention workshop with the Warren Berg Award.
Each year CoSIDA inducts members into its Hall of Fame who have made outstanding contributions to the field of college sports information. All hall of famers are nominated by members of the organization and then voted upon by members of the Special Awards Committee and the CoSIDA Hall of Fame.
“I can’t think of a better person or professional to be inducted into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame,” said Dan Drutz, former West Chester University student assistant and current associate director of athletics for communications at Division I Saint Peter’s College. “Under Tom’s tutelage at West Chester I was able to begin a career in athletics communications that has taken me where I am today. I would not be as successful in my career without Tom.”
In July of 2011, Di Camillo assumed the role of president of CoSIDA, becoming the first non-Division I president to serve in the organization's leadership position since Warren Berg nearly 50 years ago. He will preside over the organization’s final independent workshop in St. Louis before CoSIDA holds its yearly program in conjunction with the NACDA Convention beginning in 2013.
“I am really in awe of this honor,” Di Camillo said. “It is surreal – I never thought about being in a hall of fame. I am speechless – which is sort of a novelty for me. I get a lot of credit for promoting Division II, but really there are so many more people that did so much more – Dan Pambianco, Dennis Jezek, Rich Herman, Greg Wright, Walt Riddle, Jim Seavey, Eric McDowell, Ray Simmons, Roy Pickerill, John Alosi, Josh Leiboff, Sara Meier, Bob Guptill, Scott Lowe, M.L. Starke, Matt Newberry, Jeff Hodges, Jeff Ligney, Bob McComas, Dan Drutz, Greg Goings, Paul Madison, David Sherwood – these are just some of the names.”
Di Camillo gives the most credit to his mentor, the late Pete Nevins of East Stroudsburg University, and to Dickie Greenwood, Ted McCue and the late Bill Vansant who were beside him as volunteers at West Chester University for 16 years.
“I still think about Pete all the time,” he said. “I miss him so much. If I had one person who could be there, it would be him.”
Above all, his wife, Lynette, and daughter, McKenna, have been supportive and instrumental in his career.
“These two women keep me sane and are my best friends,” he said. “I can’t express how they make me feel when I walk in the door – the stress of the jobs just diminishes. They are the two loves of my life.”
DiCamillo is in his sixth year at the Pacific West Conference where he has helped promote the rebirth of the 14-school conference. In his role he coordinates the promotion of the PacWest's 15 sports, including men’s and women’s track & field, men’s tennis and women’s golf that will be added in 2012-13. He has played a role in the league’s expansion during his tenure, which began with seven teams in 2006-07 and will grow to 14 next year.
Di Camillo’s full-time position is serving as the public relations director for Central Arizona College – a two-year community college located in Pinal County between the metropolitan areas of Tucson and Phoenix.
“My two bosses, Dr. Doris Helmich, the president of Central Arizona College, and Bob Hogue, the commissioner of the PacWest, have been extremely encouraging and supportive in taking on the role of CoSIDA president and to expand my leadership skills,” Di Camillo said. “Without that support, I could not have done this.”
Di Camillo joined CAC in January of 2007 as the media and marketing specialist before being promoted to his current role in the fall of 2008. He oversees a full-time staff of five employees along with several part-time positions and is responsible for CAC’s publicity, marketing and community events at its 10 locations. Central Arizona College serves all of Pinal County, an area roughly the size of the state of Connecticut.
During his tenure at CAC, Di Camillo was instrumental in helping the college pass a nearly-$99 million general obligation bond designed to expand four of CAC’s current locations and build two new campuses from the desert floor in the San Tan Valley and in the city of Maricopa.
For more than 16 years DiCamillo coordinated all of the publicity for West Chester University's 24-sport varsity athletic programs as the Pennsylvania institution's director of sports information.
For more than two decades, DiCamillo has been a sports information director at the NCAA Division II level. His dedication to the profession, passion for Division II, and commitment to CoSIDA began in September of 1990 when he was named the director of sports information at his alma mater, at the age of 25.
As the SID at West Chester, DiCamillo was a one-person shop coordinating publicity for the second-largest NCAA Division II program in the nation. He was a founding organizer of the West Chester University Athletic Hall of Fame, taking a lead role in guiding its growth from its inception.
DiCamillo also developed, managed and actually broadcast an extensive schedule of athletic events over the Internet and on local radio for Golden Ram Athletics during his career, including football, basketball, baseball, soccer and lacrosse. He also oversaw the redesign of the athletic logos and developed extensive distribution lists for the media and alumni to promote Golden Ram athletics.
While at West Chester, Di Camillo had the opportunity to host numerous NCAA II post-season events, including the NCAA Division II Lacrosse National Championship.
He is most proud of his students who created careers in the sports industry - Meaghann Schulte, formerly the assistant director of the Big 5; Dan Drutz, the associate director of athletics for communications at Saint Peter’s (NJ); Tom Machamer, the assistant athletic director at Immaculata; Sean Kane, a senior producer at Comcast Sports in Philadelphia; Leigh Matejkovic, former SID at Neumann College; Alison Luberski, formerly the assistant SID at American University; and Michele Greth, former publicists with NASCAR drivers Sterling Marlin and Ryan Newman.
Di Camillo's commitment and belief in Division II athletics led to his developing the first e-mail distribution list for Division II sports information directors. He also created the first Division II Football Press Box List as a way to promote Division II football.
For more than a decade Di Camillo coordinated the annual Division II Sports Information Directors meeting at CoSIDA. The CoSIDA Board recognized his leadership skills and appointment him to a one-year term on the board as a College Division Representative in 2002-03. He then was chosen for a full three-year term from 2004-06.
Di Camillo has won several CoSIDA Writing Awards and served on the Workshop Committee Program for nearly a decade. From August of 2000 until June of 2006, Di Camillo was a sports writer for Engle Publishing & Printing in Lancaster, Pa., producing five weekly columns on high school athletic events in the region.
From September of 1989 until arriving at West Chester University in September of 1990, Di Camillo was the sports editor for the Coatesville Record, a 7,000-circulation daily newspaper in Coatesville, PA.
A two-time graduate of West Chester University of Pennsylvania, Di Camillo earned his undergraduate degree in liberal studies in 1989 and his M.S.A in sports administration in 2004.
Individual recipient feature story schedule for 2012 Special Awards
General 2012 Special Awards release
March
Mon., 5: Kim Wenger (Centennial Conference): Rising Star Award (College Division) – by Ann King (The Sage Colleges)
Wed, 7: Malcolm Moran: Jake Wade Award: by Joe Hornstein, CoSIDA 2nd Vice President
Fri., 9: Maurice Williams (Hampton University): Rising Star Award (University Division) – by Ed Hill, Jr. (Howard University)
Mon. 12: Bernie Cafarelli (Notre Dame): 25-Year Award - by Debbie White (Old Dominion)
Wed. 14: Peter Schlehr (Towson University): Lifetime Achievement Award – by Ann King (The Sage Colleges)
Fri. 16: Debbie Copp (University of Oklahoma): CoSIDA Hall of Fame - by Ann King (The Sage Colleges)
Mon. 19: Chuck Sadowski (University of Bridgeport): 25-Year Award - by Ann King (The Sage Colleges)
Wed. 21: Bob Condron (USOC): Lifetime Achievement Award and Keith Jackson Eternal Flame Award - by Mike Mahon, former Drake & South Dakota SID
Fri. 23: Jack Neumann (University of Calgary): Warren Berg Award - by Paul Carson, former University of Toronto SID
Mon. 26: John Lewandowki (Michigan State): 25-Year Award - by Jamie Weir-Baldwin (Michigan State)
Wed. 28: Kennan Timm (Wisconsin-Oshkosh): CoSIDA Hall of Fame - by Tim Peterman (UW-Eau Claire)
April
Mon., 2: Tom Di Camillo (Pac West Conference, Central Arizona College): CoSIDA Hall of Fame
Wed., 4: Dave Wohlhueter (CoSIDA treasurer, Cornell-retired): Lester Jordan Award
Fri., 6: B.L. Efring (Southern Maine): 25-Year Award
Mon., 9: Lawrence Fan (San Jose State): CoSIDA Hall of Fame and Arch Ward Award
Wed., 11: Sue Edson (Syracuse): CoSIDA Hall of Fame
Fri., 13: Mark Bankert (Malone University): 25-Year Award
Mon., 16: Joe Dier (Mississippi State): 25-Year Award
Wed., 18: Rich Herman (Clarion): Bob Kenworthy Award
Fri., 20: Shirley Jones Hill (Southern Mississippi): 25-Year Award
Mon., 23: Shelly Poe (Ohio State): Trailblazer Award
Wed., 25: Michael MacEachern (Young Harris College): 25-Year Award
Fri. 27: Roy Pickerill (Kentucky Wesleyan): 25-Year Award
Mon., 30: Bob Noss (Wright State): 25-Year Award
May
Wed., 2: Wallace Dooley (formerly of Tennessee State): Lifetime Achievement Award
Fri., 4: Jeff Nelson (Penn State): Bill Esposito Award
Mon., 7: Bill Turnage (Florida Southern): Lifetime Achievement Award
Wed., 9: Herb Vincent (LSU): 25-Year Award
Fri., 11: Mike Mahon (formerly of Drake & South Dakota): Lifetime Achievement Award
Mon., 14: Bill Wagner (DePauw): 25-Year Award
Wed., 16: Fred Huff (formerly of Southern Illinois-Carbondale): CoSIDA Hall of Fame [Veteran Award Committee recipient]
Fri., 18: Phil Haddy (University of Iowa): Lifetime Achievement Award
Mon., 21: Dave Geringer (University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth): 25-Year Award
Wed., 23: Charles "Chuck" Prophet (deceased; formerly of Mississippi Valley State): CoSIDA Hall of Fame
Fri., 25: Robert Wilson (Florida State): 25-Year Award
Awards to be presented during CoSIDA St. Louis Convention, St. Louis, Missouri
Sunday, June 24: Kickoff Luncheon
Awards presented: 25-Year Awards; Trailblazer, Kenworthy Community Service, Rising Star (University and College Divisions), Keith Jackson honors
Monday, June 25: (two award presentations)
CoSIDA Hall of Fame luncheon
Awards presented: Esposito, Lifetime Achievement, CoSIDA Hall of Fame awards
Capital One Special Awards Gala (dinner/ceremony)
Awards presented: Arch Ward, Warren Berg, Jake Wade, Lester Jordan, Enberg awards; Capital One Academic All-America® Hall of Fame induction