• 2015 CoSIDA Special Awards general announcement/release
• Special Awards feature story schedule
by Julie Bennett, Baylor University Assistant Athletics Director/Communications
The Arch Ward Award is presented annually to a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) member from the university division
who has made outstanding contributions to the college athletic communications profession and is widely viewed as a credit to the profession. The CoSIDA Awards committee nailed it this year with the selection of Baylor’s Nick Joos for the honor. Joos started as a student assistant in sports information and has worked his way up to be among the leaders in the athletics world.
Joos, a 27-year veteran of the profession, has served the organization on a multitude of levels, including and perhaps most importantly, guiding CoSIDA through a drastic change, choosing to affiliate itself with NACDA. Joos served as CoSIDA’s president during the 2008-09 academic year and led the organization into negotiations with NACDA to form a partnership between the two organizations. Bringing CoSIDA and the athletic administration management association closer together has proven to be invaluable to both factions.
“Nick is a fitting recipient for this year’s Arch Ward Award,” said Charles Bloom, Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs at South Carolina and CoSIDA past president. “His commitment to CoSIDA and adding professional development opportunities for its members is, to me, his signature contribution to our profession. He has looked at opportunities to make CoSIDA and our profession better and has stressed the importance of us adding value to our athletics departments. I consider it an honor and privilege to have worked with him on the CoSIDA board and continue to get his input and opinions on issues of the day
In addition, Joos has served since 2001 on the organization’s Academic All-America® committee and was
inducted into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame last June during the convention in Orlando.
The West Des Moines, Iowa, native graduated from Iowa State in 1987, where he honed his sports information skills as a student assistant in the Cyclones sports information office. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication, Joos moved to Nebraska where he served as an intern in the SID office under the legendary Don Bryant. The Husker organization quickly recognized his talent and Joos was promoted to a full-time position less than a year later. He rose to the title of associate sports information director, working with Tom Osborne and the Huskers’ highly successful football team as well as the men’s basketball and track and field teams.
Seeking to broaden his professional resume, Joos served as director of basketball operations for Nebraska’s men’s basketball program under head coach Danny Nee. Joos directed a school community outreach program, managed the program’s budget and coordinated team travel, scheduling and community relations. In addition, while working with Nebraska men’s basketball, he provided radio color commentary for the Huskers’ hoops team and was executive producer of Nee’s weekly television show.
After his stint outside the SID profession, Joos returned to his professional roots, moving to the East Coast where he became the assistant athletic director for media relations at the University of Massachusetts before moving up to the associate athletic director position. While at UMass, he worked under his current mentor Ian McCaw.
After leaving UMass, Joos migrated to Minnesota where he served as the Golden Gophers’ Director of Media Relations for a brief period. McCaw, who had recently taken over the reins of the Baylor athletic program, convinced his friend to come to the Waco, Texas, campus and help lead the athletic staff.
And, as they say, the rest is history.
At Baylor, Joos has risen through the ranks and is currently executive associate athletic director for external affairs. Throughout his career, all of Joos’ experiences have served him well and in his current position, virtually all of them come into play.
He has oversight over Baylor’s athletic communication, marketing and ticket offices as well as the department’s website. In addition, Joos is in charge of the school’s licensing and broadcast operations and is the liaison for IMG, the department’s multi-media partner. Joos also serves as the sport administrator for men’s basketball and men’s and women’s tennis. This year, for the first time in the department’s history, Baylor is hosting the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships, and Joos is the tournament director.
In the words of McCaw, "Nick is an exceptional leader and visionary in the field of media relations. Moreover, his passion and dedication to the profession and commitment to excellence make him most deserving of this year's Arch Ward Award."
Joos and his wife Jill, who he met and courted while they were both on the athletics staff at Nebraska, are the proud parents of two children, Christopher and Jenna. Christopher, a 2005 graduate of UMass, lives and works for Toyota US in Los Angeles, while Jenna is completing her freshman year at Baylor where she is a song leader.