• 2015 CoSIDA Special Awards general announcement/release
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by Sheila Stevenson, Rowan College Director of Athletic Communications
With over 34 years in sports information, John Stallings is retiring as the assistant athletic director of communications at Rutgers University-Newark and he will receive a CoSIDA Lifetime Achievement Award at the upcoming CoSIDA national convention in Orlando this June.
“I have Elizabeth City State University’s legendary basketball coach and athletic director Bobby Vaughan to blame for my career in sports information,” said Stallings. “I was set to return to UNC-Chapel Hill in 1977 to finish an undergraduate degree in journalism after resigning as the sports editor of the
Elizabeth City Daily Advance. When I stopped by his office to announce my decision, Mr. Vaughn asked me to stop by the next day. I did, and he offered me a modest stipend and a minority scholarship. That’s how I ended up with an ‘on the job’ knowledge of sports information and a business degree from ECSU.”
Stallings’ career has included stints at six different schools and twice he left the business for corporate public relations but returned to sports information. Stallings has spent the last 14 years publicizing the Scarlet Raiders’ athletic program.
“John and I have been at Rutgers-Newark together for 14 years,” said Rutgers-Newark head baseball coach Mark Rizzi. “His professionalism and passion for his work is unmatched. Although the sports information field is sometimes unappreciated and undervalued, John has always focused on performing to the best of his abilities in order to provide the best for the student-athletes.
“In the ever-changing world of technology, John has done an excellent job of adapting to the multi-media landscape to better serve our programs and student-athletes. The web site has been evolving each year mainly due to his creativity and focus on details. The industry is losing a true professional but his legacy will certainly live on at Rutgers-Newark.”
What Stallings will remember the most are, “Associations with student-athletes and people in the sports information field hold the best memories. So much has changed – except for the basic daily interactions.”
“Pros like Wally Johnson (St. Lawrence), Kevin Southard (Scranton) and Ann King (The Sage Colleges) always offered their best regardless of the circumstances,” commented Stallings. “It seems to be a common thread in the field. I believe that much is lost when you don’t share conversation and time with others in the profession.”
In addition, Stallings served as the Sports Information director at two New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) opponents—Kean University for two years (1997-99) and New Jersey City University for six years (1991-97). With the Gothic Knights, Stallings also held the title of compliance officer.
“John is a friend and a colleague that I have always had the utmost respect for going all the way back to my days as a rookie SID at the College of Staten Island,” said NJAC Commissioner Terry Small. “He was one of the individuals that I never hesitated to call when I had a question or a problem, and he always took the time to help me and a lot of other people out no matter how busy he was personally.
“Over the past 13 years, I've had the pleasure of working directly with him in my role with the NJAC. No one has put more time or energy into selflessly promoting the student-athletes, coaches and the administrators of the institutions for which he has worked.
“I consider John to be a consummate professional and one of the best people that I've had the opportunity to cross paths with in intercollegiate athletics.”
Prior to his time at the NJAC schools, Stallings was the assistant athletic director/sports information director at Wagner College for seven years. Before he moved north, Stallings held the position of associate sports information director at East Carolina University (1980-1982).
“I was lucky enough to work for a truly gifted mentor in Ken Smith at East Carolina from 1980 to 1982,” stated Stallings. “He was talented, focused and always involved with his staff, coaches and players.”
In addition, Stallings was the sports information director at his alma mater Elizabeth City State University (1977-1979).
Stallings started his career in the newspaper business. He was a staff writer for the
Thomasville Times (Thomasville, N.C.) from 1974-75 and the sports editor at the
Daily Advance (Elizabeth City, N.C.) from 1975-77.
“John has had a tremendous influence on me and I cannot begin to thank him enough for not only being an outstanding colleague but a great friend,” said Montclair State University Director of Sports Publicity Mike Scala. “He taught many of us how to be true professionals but most of all he taught us how to enjoy what we do every day no matter what the circumstances.
“As SIDs, we’ve all had trying days on the job yet John, with his wonderful and funny sense of humor, could turn that around in an instant. He is one of those special people you meet along the way in your career and I am glad I had the chance to work with him.
"The NJAC sports information directors are going to miss Stallings’ Southern charm and wit," Scala concluded. "I am sure he will be thinking of them when he is spending his free time on the golf course. Especially when he lines up that putt for triple-bogey.”