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It is unusual in this day and age for anyone involved in intercollegiate athletics to remain at one institution for a length of time that forever associates
the employee and the school or conference. Even in athletic media relations, where turnover at one time was rare and not the norm.
Fred Stabley was a sports information legend whose name is connected to Michigan State. Roger Valdiserri is Notre Dame. Nebraska? The
Huskers had Don Bryant and he had the Huskers. In the Big Apple there was St. John’s, which meant there was Bill Esposito.
While that type of familiar name link isn’t as prevalent today, it’s not extinct. Case in point is the BIG EAST Conference’s John Paquette – who happens to be the 2014 recipient of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Bill Esposito Backbone Award.
The Esposito Award is presented to a “CoSIDA member displaying sound judgment and unusual courage in taking a stand in intercollegiate athletics contrary to public opinion and sentiment, or who displays sound judgment and unusual courage in guiding their institution through difficult public relations situations.”
Paquette’s association with the BIG EAST actually pre-dates his tenure in the conference office. He was the men’s basketball contact at league-member Seton Hall for four years before BIG EAST Commissioner Mike Tranghese appointed Paquette to the top communications post with the conference in 1990. It was one of Tranghese’s first and most important hires during his time as commissioner.
Paquette became a mainstay as a representative of the BIG EAST. The conference had gained national attention for its men’s basketball rivalries and high-profile coaches prior to Paquette’s employment. He not only helped maintain the good name of the BIG EAST, he strengthened the brand. Soon it was more than just a men’s basketball league, establishing itself with a seat at the college football table and then grabbing headlines with its women’s basketball success.
While Paquette did most of his work behind the scenes, his consistency, his loyalty, his calm, and his congeniality all played a part in the growth of the league’s reputation.
“In terms of name association, there aren’t too many people more closely connected to their organization than John is with the BIG EAST,” said Chuck Sullivan, director of communications for the American Athletic Conference and a former co-worker of Paquette’s. “For a week in March, he’s essentially the mayor of New York City or at least Madison Square Garden.”
The “week in March,” otherwise known as the BIG EAST Conference Men’s Basketball Championship, actually built on its already strong reputation. The BIG EAST Tournament became one of the most competitive weeks in college basketball as the league grew and programs improved. Paquette was charged with coordinating media credentials, press conferences, hospitality, interviews – and he put his own mark on that by consistently responding promptly and evenly to the avalanche of requests he received. Media credentials exceeded 800 for the 2013 tournament, a total that did not include the hordes of folks representing ESPN, the league’s television partner.
“You think about all the glitz and glamour and big personalities and celebrities that typified the BIG EAST, but John was the solder holding all that bling together,” noted Shelly Poe, current president of CoSIDA and a former sports information director at then-BIG EAST member West Virginia. “He was classy as platinum and as tough as titanium.”
Paquette’s backbone was severely tested, in a different manner, when conference realignment started grabbing headlines. As an associate commissioner at one of the BCS conferences, Paquette found himself challenged by media inquiries about something other than the games being played.
The BIG EAST was affected when Miami and Virginia Tech, and then Boston College left the league for the ACC. The conference weathered that
storm and strengthened its standing in some circles by welcoming Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, Marquette and USF into the fold. Tranghese helped orchestrate the maneuvers, while Paquette was charged with spreading the good word.
Those league alterations were mild compared to what came later. A game of dominos ensued that impacted the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, PAC-10, among other conferences. League communication directors needed virtually daily updates to understand which schools were in which leagues.
Through all the turmoil and angst, Paquette remained devoted to the BIG EAST and to his tried and true public relations skills.
“Amid all the conference realignment and flux, one of the best things the BIG EAST did was keep John Paquette onboard,” commented ESPN.com writer Dana O’Neil. “Some people simply work someplace, collect a paycheck and move on. John truly cares about the conference -- its past as well as its future.
“I think I can speak for all of my colleagues when I say John is one of the absolute best in the business, a consummate professional who handles the mundane and the insane with the same calm demeanor.”
Paquette, who was honored by CoSIDA in 2007 with the Arch Ward Award for contributions to the college athletic communications profession, also lent his old-school communication methods to the CoSIDA Board of Directors, serving as a Division I representative from 2009-12.
“A pro’s pro when it comes to public relations, he has done it and done it well under the brightest lights and on the biggest stages,” said Poe. “He has done it with dignity, decorum and honor. If still waters run deep, then John Paquette is the Marianas Trench.”