Note: This is the 12th article in the CoSIDA Special Awards feature series which will highlight all 2013 Special Award recipients. All recipients will be honored at the
CoSIDA Convention (June 12-15) in conjunction with the NACDA and Affiliates Convention at Orlando's Marriott World Center.
See the full list of recipients and features schedule.
by Ann King
The Sage Colleges Sports Information Director
CoSIDA Special Awards Committee
In life we are blessed to have special people come into our lives. For me that unique person is Rowan University Sports Information Director
Sheila Stevenson, the 2013 recipient of CoSIDA’s Warren Berg Award.
The Warren Berg Award is presented annually to a CoSIDA college division member who has made outstanding contributions to the field of sports communications, and who by his or her activities, has brought dignity and prestige to the profession.
When I first met Sheila I did not realize at the time what a difference she would make in my life both professionally and personally. Many of us have those unique people that we work with that become more than just a person in an office down the hall or a colleague we enjoy getting to know outside of work. For me, Sheila is that person that has made a huge difference for me beyond the walls of sports information.
For me as a newcomer to the field in the mid-1980’s, Sheila was the person at the other end of the Garden State who ran a sports communication office that sizzled with efficiency, success and organization. I dreamed that someday I could run such a shop.
As the years passed and our teams played one another more and more, I was lucky enough to get to know the person behind the success of then Glassboro State College’s sports information office. Not only did she know how to teach and guide young student workers, but she aided in the development and education of the student newspaper and student radio station workers she worked with so often. She knew NCAA policies of how to do championship press conferences, what to do and what not to do. She zoomed around her campus and the various athletic venues with ease and style! I watched. I listened. I learned and I even asked questions.
Stevenson did not even realize that she was a mentor for me, but she has been all of these years! Her friendship is one thing I treasure the most about her. She never forgets a birthday or a special day for my family, but that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Sheila. She does so much for her extended family, the student-athletes and the staff at now Rowan University. She is the best role model and spokesperson for her university and our profession with what she does away from her desk. She has been an advocate for so many needy and important causes in her hometown.
Named the recipient of CoSIDA’s Good Person Award in 1996 (now the Bob Kenworthy Commumity Service Award) and the ECAC Irving T. Marsh Award in 1999, she has been a true trendsetter in the sports information profession. Stevenson has always remained active in the profession, be it serving on the CoSIDA's Special Awards Committee, serving as President (1989-90) of the Eastern College Athletic Conference-Sports Information Directors Association and as a workshop host, working as a member of the Division III Hewlett Packard All-America Football selection committee, Rowan University's Hall of Fame Committee, the Rowan University All-College Athletic Committee, and countless other committee service organizations. Sheila has been exemplary in her devotion to the betterment of sports information.
She is not a person that likes attention turned in her direction. Sheila strives to make a difference for others and wants little fanfare or attention for her efforts.
Dan O’Connell, Director of Athletic Communications at Towson University said, “In more than 30 years in the field of sports information, I have known some amazing people who are dedicated to this profession. Sheila Stevenson is one of the most amazing people I’ve known.”
“It’s doubtful that many SID’s know Sheila and that’s just the way she wants it," O'Connell said. "Sheila is one of those SID’s who doesn’t want to receive any attention for doing her job well. She wants no thanks and no recognition. In fact, most of the time, she would prefer someone else receive the credit.”
Tony Lisa, Head Swimming Coach at Rowan University had this to say about working with Stevenson.
“I have known Sheila and witnessed her great work for over 20 years. She goes above and beyond the call of duty in her job each and every day. She has high standards and doesn’t just try to meet them. She strives to exceed those standards.”
Lisa added, “In a cramped and understaffed office, Sheila has made our athletes look good and get the recognition that they deserve. She has garnered awards for our athletes when we didn’t even know that those awards existed. Sheila has done more with less than can be imagined. Her creativity, planning and attention to detail are amazing. Not only is Sheila a great Sports Information Director, she is a wonderful woman. She volunteers for any activity that helps others. She has been instrumental in a holiday gift drive through her church, a clothing drive, and more. Sheila is a shy, private woman who is always looking to help others. She is a great individual who has brought honor and respect to our institution.”
Stevenson began her outstanding career as a student assistant at Rochester Institute of Technology and was a member of the women’s ice hockey team. She graduated with a bachelor of science degree in printing technology.
In writing about my dear friend for this most deserving CoSIDA Award, I was blessed to learn about a side of her I never knew about.
In 2005, she was inducted into her alma mater’s Athletic Hall of Fame for her time as a former student-athlete. “With determination, freshman Sheila Stevenson created interest in women’s hockey at RIT. The Canton, N.Y. native did the leg work, talked to the right people, and on March 5, 1976, her dream became a reality when RIT played its first women’s hockey contest. That initial season RIT was a club team and played two games against Cortland and St. Lawrence. Sheila played in 32 games over four seasons, recording one goal and three assists for four points. She was a four-year captain and finalist for RIT Woman Athlete of the Year as a senior. While at RIT, Stevenson worked as a student assistant in the sports information office, served as a resident advisor and was a member of Student Government and the Student Activities Board.
Her passion and dedication led her to her first position as a graduate assistant at Delta State University, before she took on a role as the sports information director at Clarkson University from 1981-1982. She had stints as a graduate assistant at New Hampshire College (Now Southern New Hampshire) and as an assistant SID at the University of Pennsylvania (1984-1985) before landing at Rowan University in May of 1985.
This May marks her 28th year telling the story of the Profs and what makes Rowan University such an ideal place. I think if the truth be told, it’s Stevenson that makes Rowan such a special place.
That sentiment is shared by so many she works with. Joe Cassidy, Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Rowan commented that “Sheila is as conscientious, professional, and respected SID as a school could find. Her diligence and her attention to detail are unmatched. Her ability to keep all teams, athletes and coaches updated on all of the intricacies is unparalleled. Information and statistics of the sport is incredible to me. Sheila is in her office, long hours, on late nights, just getting the job done. Over and over again, on my travels throughout our conference, I hear the respect for her and the words, ‘Sheila is so good at what she does. She is a very strong athletic ambassador for Rowan University for players and teams, both past and present.’”
Among the Rowan staff that also sings her praises is Jonathan McMenamin, who served as the Assistant SID at Rowan for nearly nine years.
McMenamin noted, “I have known Sheila for the past 13 years. She took a chance and hired me as a student-worker in 1999 and has served as an ideal role model for me ever since. Sheila hired me as her assistant sports information director in 2004 and has aided in my growth as a professional and as a person. Sheila is one of the hardest working individuals I have ever met. She spends countless hours promoting Rowan University’s 18 athletic teams. Sheila not only performs the day-to-day tasks of a sports information director, but she goes above and beyond to make the experience for the student-athletes better. Sheila works six, often times seven days a week during the school year organizing various events or offering to help out with departmental or campus events.
"Sheila’s dedication to the sports information profession is obvious to anyone that has ever met her," McMenamin stated. "She is constantly finding new ways to promote Rowan’s athletic teams. Sheila is well versed in keeping statistics, writing press releases and creating game programs and schedule cards. She continually attempts to come up with feature story ideas that highlight stories about the University’s student-athletes that you cannot get from reading a box score. Sheila is meticulous and sometimes a bit of a perfectionist. She has become a part of the Rowan family and truly cares about portraying it in a positive light.”
Terry Small, Commissioner of the New Jersey Athletic Conference says of her, “I can honestly say that every facet of Sheila’s professional performance, including her organizational skills, her writing ability, and her attention to detail, are truly outstanding. But to me, the thing that separates Sheila from her colleagues is her care for the people that she comes in contact with every day.”
“The selection of Sheila for the Warren Berg Award has special meaning to me personally due to the fact that she was instrumental in helping me get started in my career in intercollegiate athletics," Small continued. "Like so many individuals who have worked for her and with her over the years, I benefitted greatly from her guidance and counsel as a young person trying to learn the field of sports information. I know of few other people who have spent more time selflessly promoting the individuals that they work with. Her efforts on behalf of the administrators, coaches, and student-athletes of Rowan University have been truly remarkable. I also know of few other sports information professionals who are appreciated more by various constituents including the media, her institution’s administration, her faculty, her coaches, her student-athletes, and her peers in the sports information field.”
Other esteemed leaders in athletic communications also take notice of Sheila's work and commitment.
Larry Kimball, retired SID from Syracuse University said the following: “Rowan and Syracuse are not familiar opponents in the intercollegiate field but Sheila Stevenson is one of my all-time favorite SIDs. We have spent much time together over the years and the sport is not even an official NCAA men's sport. Ok, quickly without having to prime the brain, what's the answer? Time's up. The answer: men's rowing. Kimball has been involved with the IRA events for over 42 years and when the event was moved to its present home in 1995, I was most fortunate to meet Sheila.”
Kimball and Stevenson’s kinship started when Kimball received a call from Stevenson asking "Could you use some help?" And as Kimball remarked, “Am I glad I said yes! There were times when nearly 50 races were held over the three-day event and results had to be posted, new race schedules determined by a special formula, and all the information compiled and distributed to many sources. The days were long but Sheila was always on hand at least an hour before the first race of the day (often around 7 a.m.), ready to go. Often 12 hours later we were still in our little trailer that served as press headquarters. We had several others sharing it and it was a great group that truly enjoyed what they were doing and those involved.”
“There is a way to do a job right and Sheila has always been a leader in that belief," Kimball added. "Sheila brings a smile with her positive attitude. If there was an All-American team picked, she would lead it. What a lucky day for me back in 1995 when she asked, ‘could you use some help?’ Thanks, Sheila, and congratulations on your honor.“
So it with great pride and enthusiasm I am able to say that this year’s CoSIDA Warren Berg Award recipient is Sheila Stevenson.