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Like many outside of the profession, Kelly Bird didn’t quite understand what sports information was all about when he applied for the opening at Linfield College in 1989.
Destined for a career in radio coming out of college (he had dreams of becoming a big city disc jockey), Bird found himself frustrated with the lack of on-air opportunities for young up-and-comers. The chances to move up weren’t coming and he loved sports. It looked like fun.
“I didn’t really know what being a sports information director entailed, but it sounded as though it fit my skills and interests,” Bird said. “The first year was really rough for me because I didn’t understand all of the duties I needed to be completing, but the people at Linfield were good to me, the programs were successful and I could see a lot of potential for growth once the rough spots smoothed out.”
Twenty-five years later, Bird has not only smoothed out those rough spots, but he’s established one of the highest standards around for athletic communications in one of Division III’s most visible athletic programs.
Bird will be recognized for his quarter-century of service this June with the College Sports Information Directors of America’s (CoSIDA) 25-Year Award. The award will be presented on June 11, during CoSIDA’s annual convention in Orlando, Fla.
Linfield has given Bird plenty of chances to stretch his abilities and promote some amazing moments and individuals. Many of those are in football, where the Wildcats have a tradition of excellence going back 60 years.
Bird was the point man in publicizing the efforts of Division I transfer quarterback Brett Elliott, who set numerous school and NCAA Division III records while leading Linfield to the 2004 Division III championship. His promotional efforts helped Elliott win both the Gagliardi Trophy and Melberger Awards as well as selection as the Oregon small college athlete of the year.
And there is “The Streak,” Linfield’s all-division record of 58 consecutive winning football seasons. Bird’s promotional efforts have landed “The Streak” in many national publications, most notably
Sports Illustrated.
Outside of football, Bird’s promotional efforts have included work with two Division III champion softball teams and a NCAA title-winning baseball team, numerous individual national champions, 12 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans and six Oregon small college athletes of the year. He successfully promoted volleyball player Lindsey Harksen as the 2006 CoSIDA Volleyball Academic All-American of the Year and spearheaded the nomination that made Amber Larsen a finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year award.
In addition, Bird has become the de facto publicist for Linfield Baseball Coach Scott Brosius, the former New York Yankee and 1998 World Series Most Valuable Player.
“There have been so many great moments and good times, it’s hard to capsulize them all,” Bird said. “I had no idea when I took the job that I would have the opportunity to publicize four national championship teams, 10 individual national champions, and conference championships in all but two sports that Linfield offers. Wow, even saying that is a mouthful.”
While the publicity duties are enough to keep him busy, the job is much more than that for Bird. He has evolved into the Wildcats’ brand ambassador. His mark is all over Linfield’s video boards, athletic complexes and external promotional materials. He takes all of the department’s high-quality action photos. He prides himself on the continual progress of Linfield’s in-house athletics website (which he redesigned once again in March).
He also spearheaded the renovation of Linfield’s Athletic Hall of Fame, in which he engineered a touch-screen display of the hall’s inductees and designed the background mural lining the hall’s walls.
To Bird, those duties are just as rewarding as the publicity work. “It’s neat to see my work leave lasting marks on the college,” he said. “How many SIDs are asked to create designs for their football press box, athletics hall of fame or signage that’s permanently affixed to their sports venues?”
Bird’s attention to detail and drive to be the best is not lost on his colleagues.
“Kelly has set a standard of professional excellence for his colleagues in the Northwest Conference,” said Whitworth Sports Information Director and CoSIDA Board Member Steve Flegel. “No other individual has been ahead of the curve like Kelly when it comes to marketing his department and utilizing available technology. And he sets the standard when it comes to promoting national champion level teams.”
“Linfield’s student-athletes and coaches are so fortunate to have Kelly Bird in their corner,” said Linfield Assistant Director for External Relations Katherine Brackmann, who joined the staff as the school’s first assistant SID in 2010. “Not only does he strive to serve and promote each program with superb storytelling, phenomenal photography, riveting recruiting resources and countless other day-to-day needs, his passion for what he does is palpable and clearly evidenced by his voracity to go the extra mile.”
Along the way, Bird has made his work a family affair as well. It is not unusual to see his wife, Jolene, and two daughters with him at away games, helping Bird snap photos or keep track of stats. His oldest daughter, Karlee, is beginning to follow in her father’s footsteps, helping to run scoreboards and pulling public address duties for the Linfield softball program.
The 2008 Northwest Conference Sports Information Director of the Year, Bird was honored as the Linfield College Administrator of the Year in 2007. He has won 22 CoSIDA Publication Contest honors, including five “Best in the Nation” awards. His work on Linfield’s video assets has earned “Best of NACMA” award four of the last five years.