release and graphic courtesy of
ECAC-SIDA.org
Jim Seavey, among the most distinguished individuals within the athletics communications profession, will be honored with the 2013 Irving T. Marsh Award for the College Division at this June’s annual Eastern College Athletic Conference Sports Information Directors Association (ECAC-SIDA) Workshop in Manchester, N.H. That workshop takes place June 4-7.
The Irving T. Marsh Award is given annually to both a University (Division I or II) and College Division (Division III, NAIA) or Junior College ECAC Sports Information Directors Association member who, in the opinion of the ECAC-SIDA membership and Executive Board, has exhibited excellence in the field of sports information. The awards are presented annually at the spring workshop. First presented in 1966, the awards are named after Irving T. Marsh, the ECAC Service Bureau founder and director until his retirement in 1973.
After honoring one person from 1966 through 1990, the Marsh Award was expanded to its present format in 1991.
Later in June after receiving the Marsh Award,
Seavey will be honored by CoSIDA with induction into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame. That enshrinement takes place during the CoSIDA Hall of Fame Luncheon (June 14) during the annual CoSIDA Convention at the Marriott World Center in Orlando.
Seavey is completing his 25th year in the sports information field and fifth at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy where he serves as both the Director of Sports Information and Compliance for 15 Buccaneer varsity programs. He furthermore coordinates all athletics schedules and serves as the advisor for the institution’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Seavey is also in his fifth year as the Director of Media Relations for the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC), where he oversees all public relations efforts for the league's eight member institutions.
A 1986 graduate of Marquette University, Seavey served as President of ECAC-SIDA during its 50th anniversary year of 2004-05 and additionally served as chair and host for a pair of ECAC-SIDA workshops in 2000 (Hyannis, Mass.) and 2005 (North Falmouth, Mass.). In the summer of 2011, he was appointed as ECAC-SIDA's Director of Marketing, a position he previously held with the organization from 2000 through 2002. He has now held elected board positions with four different regional and national sports information directors' organizations: the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), ECAC-SIDA, D2SIDA and D3SIDA.
"Jim has served ECAC-SIDA in every capacity during his superlative career. He has distinguished himself as a truly great athletics communications professional. His devotion to his student athletes, coaches and administrators throughout his career is admirable,” said Geoff Hassard, ECAC-SIDA President.
Seavey most recently oversaw all athletic public relations efforts for Suffolk University's 13-sport NCAA Division III program in Boston prior to his arrival in Buzzards Bay. He spent 17 years working at three NCAA Division II schools, including a nine-year stint (1998-2007) as the Associate Director of Athletics for External Affairs and Communications at Stonehill College as well as a combined eight years as both the Sports Information Director and Director of Athletic Media Relations at Merrimack College and the University of Massachusetts Lowell from 1990 through 1998.
Seavey previously served one-year stints as the SID at both Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa and Nichols College in the late 1980's in addition to his year of service at Suffolk.
He has also worked in various capacities in conference information offices. Seavey was the Publicist for the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) during the 2006-07 academic year and also has served as the Media Relations Director for both the Pilgrim Lacrosse League and the New England Intercollegiate Golf Association. He furthermore served as the Interim Director of Media Relations for Hockey East in 1994.
In June 2009, Seavey received the Lester Jordan Award from CoSIDA that is presented annually for "exemplary service to the organization's Academic All-America program and the promotion of the ideals of being a student-athlete". He served a three-year term on CoSIDA's Board of Directors and is in his 22nd year as a member of the Academic All-America Committee. He was named the Committee's Associate Chair for Marketing & Hall of Fame Event Operations this past summer after serving for four years as a Vice Chair, and he previously served for 17 years as both a national and district coordinator.
Seavey has successfully promoted 18 student-athletes for national Academic All-America honors during his career and received a Citation for Excellence in Publications from CoSIDA in 1991 for his work on Merrimack's women's basketball game program. He also completed a two-year term as a member of CoSIDA's College Division Management Advisory Committee and served for three years as National Program Coordinator for the Daktronics Division II All-America Program.
Additionally, Seavey received the Scoop Hudgins Outstanding Sports Information Director Award from the All-America Football Foundation in December 2008 and was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Jack Grinold Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Football Foundation in March 2008, as he serves as Chair for the Chapter's annual Scholar-Athlete Banquet.
He has been an active member of the New England Football Writers Association since 1989 and is also a member of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association/d3baseball.com National Top 25 voting panel. He served on four NCAA Division II Championship regional advisory committees.
A former chair of the Northeast-10 Conference Sports Information Directors Council for three years, Seavey was honored as part of Stonehill's national championship teams in women's lacrosse (2003 & 2005) and equestrian (2003) that were inducted into the College's Athletic Hall of Fame in September 2011. Last May, he received the Kevin Honkala Memorial Award that is voted upon by members of the Massachusetts Maritime baseball team and is presented annually to recognize contributions to Buccaneer Baseball.
Seavey has had 12 student-athletes featured in Sports Illustrated's prestigious "Faces in the Crowd" column since 1992. He also successfully nominated and promoted two major NCAA honors that Massachusetts Maritime received in an 18-month span, as Captain Richard Phillips received the NCAA Award of Valor in January 2010 and Meredith Hall was one of four recipients of the NCAA Sportsmanship Award in August 2011. In addition, Seavey received national honorable mention recognition from the NCAA and D3SIDA this past November as part of the Division III Quarterly Identity Initiative Recognition Program for his feature entitled "Teddy's Ballgame", which chronicled the Buccaneer men's lacrosse team's involvement with Team IMPACT.
Jim and his wife, Cheryl, (a former basketball standout at Stonehill), reside in Bridgewater, Mass. with daughters Mikayla (14) and Lindsey (11).