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, taking place June 23-26.
The final award recipient feature story appears below (June 4 on 25-Year Award recipient Robert McKinney of Willamette.
• Individual feature story schedule for 2012 Special Awards
• CoSIDA St. Louis Convention awards presentation schedule
Special Awards Salute: Robert McKinney of Willamette University joins CoSIDA 25-Year Award winners at June Convention
by Blair Cash, George Fox University Sports Information Director
Robert McKinney, who is now in his sixth year as the athletics communications director at Willamette University in Salem, Ore., will receive his 25-Year Award for his work in the field of intercollegiate athletics communications at the Kickoff Luncheon on June 24 at the 2012 CoSIDA Convention in St. Louis, Mo.
At Willamette, which is affiliated with NCAA Division III and the Northwest Conference, McKinney is responsible for all media relations, statistics, publications and the athletic website for the Bearcats’ 20 varsity sports. He also serves as a statistician, clock and scoreboard operator and public address announcer for numerous Willamette athletic events and teams when needed.
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McKinney has worked for several institutions since he began his full-time career in the profession at his alma mater, Baker University (Kansas). He spent four years as a student sports information director at Baker before taking over the position in 1985 and serving for two years. He became the director of news services for Baker in 1987, with sports information under his department, before taking a graduate assistantship in the sports information office at Pittsburg State University.
Returning to full-time sports information work at Hartwick College in 1989, he served there for three years, then headed departments at Barry University (1992-96), Grand Valley State University (1996-97), Greensboro College (1997-98), and Eastern New Mexico University (1998-2006). While at Greensboro, he was also assistant to the athletic director, and had additional duties as compliance coordinator the first six of his eight years at ENMU.
During his career, McKinney has received almost 20 awards from the NAIA-SIDA and CoSIDA for publications and writing excellence.
His 1985 Baker football game program was awarded first in the nation, as was his 1993 women’s soccer cover and 1994 women’s soccer guide while at Barry. At Willamette, he earned first in the district in writing/event coverage for his 2007 story “Zerzan Wins National Title”, first in the nation in writing/coach or administrator profile for his article about Willamette President Lee Pelton in 2007, and first in the nation for his 2008 cross country media guide cover.
He was media coordinator for the 1995 NCAA Division II Women’s Volleyball Elite Eight and the 1993 NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Final Four at Barry. He has worked countless postseason games in football, men’s and women’s soccer, field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, softball, and baseball. He assisted ESPN in providing statistics for their coverage of the 1988 NAIA National Basketball Tournament, and served in the press box for the 1994 Orange Bowl.
McKinney has been a member of CoSIDA since 1989, and has served as the chair of the Allied Organizations Committee since 1997. He was a member of the Eastern College Athletic Conference-Sports Information Directors Association (ECAV-SIDA) from 1989-92, and is a former member of the NAIA-SIDA, serving as a panelist at a national NAIA-SIDA workshop.
Outside the college ranks, McKinney has served for the past several years as an official scorer for the baseball high school state championships held by the Oregon Sports Activities Association.
McKinney received a bachelor’s degree with a double major in mass communications and English literature from Baker in 1984. He completed a master’s degree in Communication from Pittsburg State (Kansas) in 1989, while serving as a graduate assistant for sports information.
McKinney, a season ticket holder for the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer, is single and lives in Salem.
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 - by Dan Drutz (Saint Peter's College)
Wed., 4: Dave Wohlhueter (CoSIDA treasurer, Cornell-retired): Lester Jordan Award - by Dan O'Connell (Towson University)
Fri., 6: B.L. Efring (Southern Maine): 25-Year Award - by Sheila Stevenson (Rowan University)
Mon., 9: Lawrence Fan (San Jose State): CoSIDA Hall of Fame and Arch Ward Award - by Jack Neumann (University of Calgary)
Wed., 11: Sue Edson (Syracuse): CoSIDA Hall of Fame - by Larry Dougherty (Temple University)
Fri., 13: Mark Bankert (Malone University): 25-Year Award - by Mike Leggert (Malone University)
Mon., 16: Rich Herman (Clarion): Bob Kenworthy Award - by Bob McComas (Slippery Rock)
Fri. 20: Michael MacEachern (Young Harris College)- 25-Year Award - by Tam Flarup (Wisconsin)
Mon., 23: Shelly Poe (Ohio State): Trailblazer Award - by Jeff Hodges (North Alabama)
Tue., 24: Shirley Jones-Hill (Southern Mississippi): 25-Year Award - by Debbie Davis (Conference USA)
Wed., 25: Joe Dier (Mississippi State): 25-Year Award - by Tammy Boclair (Special Awards Committee; former CoSIDA President)
Fri. 27: Roy Pickerill (Kentucky Wesleyan): 25-Year Award - by Ann King (The Sage Colleges)
Mon., 30: Bob Noss (Wright State): 25-Year Award - by Matt Zircher (Wright State)
May
Wed., 2: Wallace Dooley (formerly of Tennessee State): Lifetime Achievement Award - by Bill Hamilton (South Carolina State)
Fri., 4: Jeff Nelson (Penn State): Bill Esposito Backbone Award - by Bill Little (University of Texas)
Mon., 7: Bill Turnage (Florida Southern): Lifetime Achievement Award - by Tam Flarup (Wisconsin)
Wed., 9: Herb Vincent (LSU): 25-Year Award - by Tammy Boclair (Special Awards Committee; former CoSIDA President)
Fri., 11: Mike Mahon (formerly of Drake & South Dakota): Lifetime Achievement Award - by Jack Neumann, University of Calgary
Tue., 15: Bill Wagner (DePauw): 25-Year Award- by Larry Happel, Central College
Wed., 16: Fred Huff (formerly of Southern Illinois-Carbondale): CoSIDA Hall of Fame [Veteran Award Committee recipient] - by Bill Little, University of Texas
Fri., 18: Phil Haddy (University of Iowa): Lifetime Achievement Award - by Larry Scott, Minnesota State Moorhead (retired)
Tue., 22: Dave Geringer (University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth): 25-Year Award - by Larry Scott, Minnesota State Moorhead (retired)
Wed., 23: Charles "Chuck" Prophet (deceased; formerly of Mississippi Valley State): CoSIDA Hall of Fame - by Maurice Williams, Hampton University
Fri., 25: Robert Wilson (Florida State): 25-Year Award -
by Joe Hornstein, FIU and CoSIDA 2nd Vice President
Tue., 29: Dave Fischer (USA Hockey): 25-Year Award - by Dave Moross, Colorado College
June
Fri., 1: Bud Ford (Tennessee): Lifetime Achievement Award - by Tam Flarup, University of Wisconsin
Mon., 4: Robert McKinney (Willamette University): 25-Year Award - by Blair Cash, George Fox University
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, Distinguished Service Award, Lester Jordan, Enberg awards; Capital One Academic All-America® Hall of Fame induction