• 2015 CoSIDA Special Awards general announcement/release
• Special Awards feature story schedule
by Nancy Worley, University of Louisville Associate Sports Information Director
Simply put, 2015 CoSIDA Hall of Fame Inductee Kenny Klein will always be the smartest person in the room -- any room this side of the cocktail party at the Rocket Scientists’ Convention.
Originally a pre-med major, Klein’s love of sports brought him to media relations as an undergrad to the Austin Peay athletic department. He then transferred to Murray State where he earned his bachelor's degree in journalism in 1981, while being mentored by current CoSIDA Executive Director Doug Vance.
As a young, green, but determined 23-year-old, Klein took a head job for two seasons as SID at Morehead
State. When he got the call to become the assistant SID at the University of Louisville, he was more than prepared to take on that task. When the UofL’s head SID, Joe Yates, left for LSU a month later, Klein was elevated in a seamless transition.
“From the first moment Kenny walked in my office as a young student many years ago wearing bright red high tops and a red baseball cap with “LZ” on it, until today, the thing that has always set him apart in my mind is his willingness to make whatever effort necessary to get the job done,” said Vance. “He’s a tireless worker. He’s always made me proud to have played a small role at the beginning of his career. He’s carved his own path at the University of Louisville and very deserving of this honor.”
The Southside, Tennessee, native has always taken the unbeaten path when it comes to forging new technology for SIDs. He helped develop the first computer stat system and Louisville has always been a frontrunner when it came to emerging technology. He soon earned sports information a place at administration table, witnessed by his title of senior associate athletic director.
“Kenny has my utmost trust and I consider him to be a major contributor to the success we have built here at the University of Louisville,” said Tom Jurich, Vice President for Athletics. “His vision and intelligence make him indispensable to me.”
It has been extraordinarily rare that the Cardinals ever have to play catch-up in the ever-evolving world of sports information. Largely self-taught, Klein has transformed himself into an expert in photography, desktop publishing, and web design. His attention to detail, his meticulous fact-checking, and his eye for design make his notes, his brochures and his releases a template of excellence and shamelessly copied by other SIDs. The accuracy and timeliness of his game notes also help build respect and trust with the media.
While his intellect might be more comfortable closeted away coming up with innovative fact and trends for his notes, perhaps the most important element of Klein’s success is his talent for building relationships with media on both the local and national levels. Early on, he knew that Cardinal basketball had telegenic optics with the athletic, high-flying Doctors of Dunk and he got in on the ground floor with always keeping Louisville on television’s radar.
“Sports information directors are the life blood for television producers. Kenny Klein is the heart that pumps that blood,” said Fox Sports Senior College Basketball Producer Steven Scheer and a former Jake Ward winner. “I have known him since his early years at Louisville. Kenny is the type that never says ‘no.’ At worst, he will give you a ‘Let me think about that.’ His ability to do what is good for television and what is good for his school is beyond belief. I know that when I produce a game involving Louisville, I have very little if anything to be concerned about.”
Klein’s insistence that U of L sports information not utilize any kind of automated phone system, meant that when the media members call there is always a real, live human being to answer their questions or consider their requests. He worked deals with local restaurants to provide top-notch meals at event, arranged trade-outs with companies to provide his staff with state-of-the art-copiers, computers, and even transportation.
These are all commonplace practices now, but he was years ahead of his field. With the avid UofL fan base being so generous, Klein always finds a way to leverage that into providing resources for his shop rather than for any personal gain. His hospitality with visiting media both national and local to the opponent has always gone a long way to foster a positive environment for coverage of the Cards, no matter how eccentric or disputatious some of those media members might be.
“Kenny Klein is the ultimate SID. He does not major in minors – he just gets the job done in a way all media people appreciate,” said Hall of Fame Coach Denny Crum, who coached the men’s basketball Cardinals from 1971-2001.
Klein’s willingness to put in yeoman’s hours and take on extra work to host conference events kept Louisville in the national spotlight. He has developed a wonderful knack for accommodating media demands while still maintaining a relationship that can absorb bumps in the road.
"Kenny Klein is the finest person I've worked with in my 40 years,” said UofL men’s basketball head coach Rick Pitino. “His dedication towards excellence is unparalleled in college athletics. He is a true Hall of Famer.”
Klein can disagree with various media outlets and even reprimand them if necessary, without ever making it personal and still maintain a professional and mutually satisfying relationship. Less-than-ideal public relation situations have cropped up in his 30-plus years and the Cardinals have emerged from some trying times and been able to recover from setbacks because of the strong relationships he built with the media. Klein has developed a talent for making all sides of the story available, being proactive and getting in front of bad news and getting it behind us as soon as possible.
When Klein won the Katha Quinn Award from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, Yahoo Sports Columnist Pat Forde said, “Fairness is a trademark of the Kenny Klein experience. When I worked for The (Louisville)
Courier-Journal in the 1990s, I was involved in a long and at times very contentious investigation of the Louisville basketball program. Kenny and I had a few disagreements during the process, but it never prevented him from treating me in a thoroughly professional manner. Unlike some media relations directors, there were no attempts at retribution by withholding access, pulling credentials or punitive seat assignments. That may have disappointed some Louisville fans at the time, but it earned Kenny the respect of everyone at the Courier-Journal.”
Klein was one of the first SIDs to hire not just one but three full-time female SIDs. He added graphic designers, full-time photographers and videographers for a creative and dynamic mix of talents. He has always maintained a well-planned budget that has allowed for technology updates, added positions and outfitted his staff with the tools they need to do their jobs.
Another trait of Klein’s that make him the ideal prototype for a public relations professional is his work ethic that has him at his desk at 8 a.m. no matter what time his plane landed the night before or how late media lingered after a game.
The skills he developed in sports information have put him in high demand. He served as the media coordinator for the 1987 USA Pan American Games men's basketball team, has served on the NCAA Final Four media coordination committee and overseen the Louisville stat crew at the Final Four for 31 years. He has assisted in media operations for the Kentucky Derby. Klein was the local media center committee chairman for the 1996, 2000 and 2014 PGA Championships in Louisville, and served in a similar capacity for the 2008 Ryder Cup, and 2004 and 2011 Senior PGA Championships. He assisted in the media operations at the 1999 Ryder Cup in Boston.
“We met Kenny in early 1995 as we began planning for the 1996 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville,” said Julius Mason, the PGA’s Senior Director, Public Awareness & External Relations. “He was a volunteer on the PGA Championship Committee in charge of the Media Center Operations and assigned to work with the Communications Team at PGA of America Headquarters in Florida. He was then, as he is today—a calm, easy-going, soft-talking, professional with a huge, commanding presence.
“We soon learned just how lucky we were. At the beginning of PGA Championship week as media from around the world began checking in and collecting their credentials, we watched in amazement how many local and regional—and many national media—knew Kenny—and knew him well. We joked about how we needed to build a special reception area where Kenny could take photographs and sign autographs for all that were excited to see him. To this day, we still use the same efficient, smooth operating quote-quote system that Kenny perfected. We consider ourselves fortunate to have had an ‘institution,’ and friend, by our side to successfully manage golf’s major events—the PGA Championship, Senior PGA Championship and Ryder Cup.”
Despite his highly professional work ethic, any discussion of Klein that does not mention his sense of humor would be incomplete. An unapologetic practical joker, his irreverent sense of humor, his fearless karaoke musical stylings and his liquor-fueled, ambitious (perhaps ill-advised) dance moves are the hallmarks of his ability to have raucous fun with just the right amount of wanton hilarity-to-dignity ratio.
“If you polled the college basketball media, Kenny Klein would be on the short-list of all-time great SIDs -- and not just because he's been known to have a postgame Miller Lite or two stashed away for the writers,” Forde noted recently. “Kenny has never left the media work room before I have, or any writer has. He closes the room, every game, no matter how long it takes -- no delegating that duty to an assistant. While we work on stories, Kenny works on his peerless pregame notes.
"His attention to detail and work ethic are part of his high standard of professionalism. We have had some tense moments and disagreements, but Kenny always has been a complete pro," Forde said.."Kenny Klein may never make Dancing With The Stars - he is an enthusiastic but lousy dancer - but he is completely worthy of inclusion in the CoSIDA Hall of Fame.”
“He is a reliable, respected and highly valued member of our athletic administration as well as being a terrific friend,” said Jurich.