College Sports Information Directors of America

by Tam Flarup, University of Wisconsin and Chair of the CoSIDA Special Awards Committee

Note: Individual feature articles on each honoree will follow in the coming weeks on CoSIDA.com and will also appear in upcoming CoSIDA E-Digest editions. The March schedule is listed below. The full schedule will be forthcoming.

Congratulations to all the 2013 CoSIDA Special Award winners!

Click here to see the Special Awards feature story schedule

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Updated March 2, 2014

Numerous members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) organization will receive national awards for outstanding achievements and induct its 2014 Hall of Fame class when the organization holds its 57th annual national convention June 8-11 at the World Marriott Center in Orlanda, Fla. This is the second year the CoSIDA Convention will be held in conjunction with the NACDA (National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics) & Affiliates Convention.
 
CoSIDA is comprised of more than 3,000 intercollegiate athletic communications and media relations professionals from colleges, universities and athletic conferences at all divisions of competition in the United States and Canada.

Among the many honors, the organization will recognize its top athletic communications personnel as the newest members of its Hall of Fame. Other awards recognizing emerging leaders, community service, media, trailblazers and lifetime achievement honors also will be presented.

CoSIDA Hall of Fame Class of 2014

Four current and one former sports communications professionals will be inducted into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame at a noon luncheon on Monday, June 9 during the Orlando convention. This CoSIDA Hall of Fame honor is presented to members of CoSIDA who have made outstanding contributions to the field of college athletic communications.

Members of the 2014 Hall of Fame Class include:

• Wayne Block, Sports Information Director at Mesa Community College and former longtime SID at Christopher Newport

• Alan Cannon, CoSIDA past president and Associate Athletic Director of Media Relations at Texas A&M

• Samuel Jefferson, Jr., a former CoSIDA board member and retired sports information director after serving a long tenure at Jackson State

• Nick Joos, also a CoSIDA past president and the Executive Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs at Baylor University

• Bill Wagner, Director of Sports Information at DePauw University.

Jefferson was selected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Selection Committee. The other four were selected by a vote of over 80 CoSIDA Hall of Famers. Cannon served as CoSIDA president during the 2002-03 academic year while Joos served as the organization’s president during 2008-09.


Lifetime Achievement Awards

At that same luncheon on June 9, CoSIDA will recognize numerous professionals with its Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is presented to a CoSIDA member who has served at least 25 years in the profession (as of June 2014) and who is retiring or leaving the profession.

The 2014 Lifetime Achievement recipients include Bruce Madej of the University of Michigan; Rick Leddy, who retired from Southern Connecticut State University in 2007, and most recently served as the secretary to the board of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and as the NABC Director of Public Relations; Tom Renner, longtime SID at Hope College who retired in December of 2013; and Tom Fick of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater;










Arch Ward Award (University Division award)

The Arch Ward Award is presented annually to a CoSIDA member from a university division school or conference who has made outstanding contributions to the field of college sports communications, and who, by his or her activities, has brought dignity and prestige to the profession.

Julie Bennett, the Director of Athletic Communications at Baylor, will be recognized with this award at the noon awards luncheon on Wednesday, June 11.

Bennett has been the primary media relations contact for the nationally-ranked Baylor women’s basketball. She successfully promoted Honda Award winner and multi-player of the year honoree Brittney Griner and the Lady Bears as they raced to a 40-0 record and the 2012 national championship.


Warren Berg Award (College Division Award)

Mark Beckenbach, the sports information director at Ohio Wesleyan will received the college division equal to the Arch Ward as th e Warren Berg Award winner. A dedicated member and leader of the Academic All-America® Committee since 1990, Beckenbach’s distinguished career has  been recognized by CoSIDA before as a Lester Jordan winner (for outstanding support and promotion of CoSIDA’s Academic All-America program) and as a member of the Hall of Fame class of 2011.

Beckenbach currently serves as co-chair of the Academic All-America® Committee, coordinating all the internal/online operations for nominations and votings for the elite scholar-athlete program.

Other 2014 CoSIDA Special Awards

Several other awards will be given at that same luncheon including Edward Hill, Jr., the sports information director at Howard Universit y, who will be recognized with the Trailblazer Award.

This honor is presented annually to an individual who is a pioneer in the profession and who has mentored and helped improve the level of ethnic and gender diversity within CoSIDA. Hill has mentored many current members of professional communications profession and worked passionately to pave the way for women and minorities in the profession.

Sam Atkinson, Gallaudet University Assistant Athletic Director for Communications, will be honored for his community service with the Bob Kenworthy Community Service Award. This is presented annually to a CoSIDA member for civic involvement and accomplishments outside the athletic communications profession.

Community service involvement has been an emphasis for Atkinson all his life. In addition to heavy volunteer efforts in his community, since 2007 Atkinson has served as chair of CoSIDA’s Goodwill and Wellness Committee. He created and now plans and organizes, the CoSIDA community service/charitable outreach/5K fun run events at each convention, working with local non-profits in the convention city and coordinating fundraising for the non-profits. Since the inception of these charity outreaches in 2010, a total of 1,100 items have been collected and donated; 213 volunteer service hours completed by CoSIDA members; and in conjunction with the Young CoSIDA charity raffle, the fun run and on-site donations by CoSIDA convention attendees has raised nearly $9,000.

John Paquette, the Associate Commissioner for Communications for the Big East Conference, is the recipient of the Bill Esposito Backbone Award. This award is presented to a CoSIDA member displaying sound judgment and unusual courage in taking a stand in intercoll egiate athletics contrary to public opinion and sentiment, or who displays sound judgment and unusual courage in guiding their institution through difficult public relations situations.

Having been at the Big East Conference since 1990, Paquette’s knowledge and experience were a guiding force for the new version of the Big East, as he “provided credibility and stability in an otherwise fluid landscape.”


CoSIDA also recognizes its youthful talent with the Rising Star Awards.  This award is presented to both a University Division and a College Division member with 10 years of service or less whose work at their institution and service, dedication, energy and enthusiasm to the profession make that individual a “rising star” in sports information.

Ryan Klinkner, the athletic media relations director at Saint John’s University (Minn.) was the college division choice. Klinkner also is heavily involved in CoSIDA's Goodwill and Wellness Committee community service efforts.

Christopher Yandle, Assistant Athletics Director/ Communications at the University of Miami (Fla.) and a frequent CoSIDA Convention presenter, was chosen as the university division recipient. 
 
The newest class of the Capital One Academic All-America Hall of Fame also will be honored in Orlando, and those inductees will be announced in March. They will be recognized at the Capital One Hall of Fame event June 9.

In addition to the special award winners and Hall of Fame induction, the organization also recognizes those who h ave completed 25 years in the profession.

The following individuals will receive a 25-Year Award plaque at the convention:
Kelly Bird of Linfield College; Kent Brown of Illinois; Mark Cohen of TCU; Stan Cole of Campbell University; Bill Dyer of Virginia Tech; Michael Fragale of West Virginia; Paul Helgren of the University of  Toledo; Joe Hernandez of Ball State University; Dave Hilbert of the University of St. Francis (Ill.); Doug Ireland of Northwestern State University; Steve McCloskey of Mansfield University; Tom McGuire of Bloomsburg University; Mark Owens of Middle Tennessee State University; John Painter of Colgate University; Hunter Reid of Furman University; Stew Salowitz of Illinois Wesleyan University; and Jeff Weiss of Wayne State University.

Individual news releases/feature articles on each honoree will follow in the coming weeks on the CoSIDA.com website and will also appear in the NACDA Daily Review e-news and the monthly CoSIDA E-Digests for March, April and May. That schedule of features will be announced later this week.

2014 CoSIDA Special Awards Feature Schedule

February
• Wed. 26 – Special Awards general announcement                               LINK
by Tam Flarup, Wisconsin Web Services Manager/CoSIDA Special Awards Committee Chair

March
• Wed. 5 – Ann Meyers Drysdale - Dick Enberg Award                                LINK  
by Jim Seavey, Massachusetts Maritime Academy/Academic All-America® Committee Associate Chair

• Thr.  6 – Kent Brown (Illinois) – 25-Year Award                                          LINK
by Jack Neumann, University of Calgary (retired)/CoSIDA Special Awards Committee

•  Fri.  7 – Dave Hilbert (University of St. Francis - Ill.) - 25-Year Award       LINK
by Dennis O’Donnell, University of Rochester/CoSIDA Special Awards Committee

•  Mon. 10 – Hunter Reid (Furman University) - 25-Year Award                    LINK
by Bill Hamilton, South Carolina State University (retired)/Special Awards Committee

•  Thr. 13 - Bill Wagner (DePauw University) - CoSIDA Hall of Fame            LINK
by Larry Happel, Central College/Special Awards Committee

•  Fri. 14 – Sam Jefferson (Jackson State) - CoSIDA Hall of Fame               LINK
by Maurice Williams, Hampton University

•  Thr. 20 - Special Trailblazer Award announcement: Award named for former Penn State associate SID Mary Jo Haverbeck
by Tam Flarup, University of Wisconsin/CoSIDA Special Awards Chair        LINK

•  Thr. 27 – Capital One Academic All-America® Hall of Fame announced   LINK
by Jim Seavey, Massachusetts Maritime Academy/Academic All-America Committee Associate Chair

•  Thr. 27 – Wayne Block (Mesa CC/Christopher Newport) - CoSIDA Hall of Fame    LINK
by Jack Neumann, Univ. of Calgary (retired)

•  Mon. 31 – Paul Helgren (University of Toledo), 25-Year Award                   LINK
by Will Roleson, CoSIDA Director of Internal Operations/Treasurer

April
•  Tue, April 1 – Ryan Klinkner (Saint John's- Minn.), Rising Star Award (College Division)    LINK
by Tom Nelson, St. Cloud State University Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations

•  Tue. April 1 – Mark Beckenbach (Ohio Wesleyan), Warren Berg Award
by Dave Wrath, Augustana College Associate AD/Media & Alumni Relations  LINK

•  Thr. April 3 – Alan Cannon (Texas A&M), CoSIDA Hall of Fame                  LINK
by Bill Little, University of Texas Special Assistant for Communications/Special Awards Committee
                                        
•  Mon. April 7 –  Edward Hill Jr. (Howard), Trailblazer Award                          LINK
by Bill Hamilton, South Carolina State University (retired)/Special Awards Committee member

•  Fri., April  11 – Julie Bennett (Baylor), Arch Ward Award                               LINK
by Debbie Davis, Conference USA/Special Awards Committee member

•  Tue., April 16 – Jeff Weiss (Wayne State), 25-Year Award                            LINK
by Steve Shutt,  Wake Forest Associate AD/Media Relations

•  Thur., April 17 - Rick Leddy (Southern Connecticut State/NABC), Lifetime Achievement Award      LINK
by Ann King, The Sage Colleges Director of Athletic Communictions/Special Awards Committee

• Fri. April 19   – Michael Fragale (West Virginia), 25-Year Award                     LINK
by Shelly Poe, Auburn Assistant AD/Communications/2013-14 CoSIDA President

•  Thur., April  17 - John Painter (Colgate), 25-Year Award                               LINK
by Larry Happel, Central (Iowa) College Communnications Director and Sports Information Director

• Tue. April 22– John Paquette (Big East Conference), Bill Esposito Backbone Award                       LINK
by Pete Moore, Syracuse Director of Athletic Communications

• Tue, April 22 – Steve McCloskey (Mansfield University), 25-Year Award        LINK
by Pete Moore, Syracuse Director of Athletic Communications

• Thr. April 24 – Nick Joos (Baylor), CoSIDA Hall of Fame                                LINK
by Charles Bloom, South Carolina Senior Associate Athletics Director - External Relations

• Mon., April 28 – Mark Cohen (TCU), 25-Year Award                                        LINK
by Bill English, UC Upstate Assistant Athletics Director/Media Relations

• Mon., April 28 – Christopher Yandle (University of Miami - Fla.), Rising Star Award (University)        LINK
by Chris Whitehead, Southern Mississippi Assistant Director/Media Relations

• Tue., April 29 – Doug Ireland (Northwestern State), 25-Year Award                 LINK
by L. Kent Lowe,  LSU Senior Associate Sports Information Director

• Wed., April 30 - Bill Dyer (Virginia Tech), 25-Year Award                                  LINK
by Wayne Block, Mesa Community College Sports Information Director

May
• Wed. May 7 – Tom Renner (Hope College), Lifetime Achievement Award       LINK
story courtesy of Hope College

• Mon. May 12 - Tom Fick (University of Wisconsin-Whitewater), Lifetime Achievement Award    LINK
by Angela Kelm, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Sports Information Director

• Mon. May 19 – Tom McGuire (Bloomsburg University), 25-Year Award            LINK
by Ann King, The Sage Colleges Director of Athletic Communications/Special Awards Committee

• Wed. May 21  – Stew Salowitz (Illinois Wesleyan University), 25-Year Award   LINK
by Mike Koon, Illinois Assistant Sports Information Director

• Wed., May 21  – Mark Owens (Middle Tennessee State), 25-Year Award         LINK
by James H. Freeman, former MTSU SID and Director of Public Relations at Talladega and Daytona International Speedways

• Thr., May 22  – Sam Atkinson (Gallaudet), Bob Kenworthy Community Service Award              LINK
by Barb Kowal, CoSIDA Director of External Affairs

• Tue. May 27  - Kelly Bird, (Linfield College), 25-Year Award                              LINK
by Blake Timm, Pacific (Ore.) Sports Information Director

• Tue., May 27 – Beth Mowins (ESPN), Jake Wade Award                                  LINK
by Barb Kowal, CoSIDA Director of External Affairs

• Thr. May 29– Bruce Madej (University of Michigan), Lifetime Achievement Award                     LINK
by Jim Vruggink, Purdue University Director of Special Projects (Trademarks & Licensing)

• Fri. May 30 – Stan Cole (Campbell University), 25-Year Award                         LINK
by Billy Liggett, Campbell University Assistant Director of Publications

• Fri. May 30 – Joe Hernandez (Ball State), 25-Year Award                                 LINK
by Brad Caudill, Ball State Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations