Release and graphic courtesy of
ECAC-SIDA.org
Carole Grills, a former Sports Information Director at Smith College who is enjoying retirement, has been named the 2015 recipient of the ECAC-SIDA Pete Nevins Award for Distinguished Achievement. The award is presented to an individual in recognition of his or her advancement of the field of athletic communications and advocacy for intercollegiate athletics. The winner must have served at least 25 years in the sports information field, and be either a current or former member of ECAC-SIDA.
"I am deeply honored to be this year's recipient," said Grills. "I know how highly Pete was regarded and respected by this organization and his commitment to sports information has served as an example to many of us. To receive such recognition from my peers and join the select group of sports information professionals who have previously won this award is truly a highlight of my career."
In 2013, she became the first Division III female recipient of CoSIDA's Lifetime Achievement Award, and was the 2006 recipient of the prestigious Irving T. Marsh Award presented by ECAC-SIDA. Grills served as the first Sports Information Director at Smith College until her retirement in January, 2010. She was appointed to that position in 1981 and was one of the original members of the athletic department. In addition to serving the media needs of fourteen Pioneer varsity teams, she also performed numerous administrative duties including serving as the liaison between the Athletic Department and the Office of Admissions and administering the eligibility of student-athletes.
"Carole has been a role model for myself as well as many others, who have followed in her footsteps," said Ann King, long-time friend and Director of Athletic Communications at The Sage Colleges. "She has shaped the lives of many young people with her dedication and tremendous work ethic, it is only fitting that she becomes the first woman to earn this award."
During her tenure at Smith, Grills captured eight CoSIDA Citations for Excellence in Publications including five for "Best in the Nation". She has also hosted over 50 ECAC, NEWMAC, Seven Sisters, MAIAW and New England championships. In her time at Smith, her teams and athletes made 26 NCAA national appearances, including three individual national champions, and over 63 of her athletes received All American honors. Grills had two state winners in the NCAA Woman of the Year program.
Grills also received numerous accolades for committee work over the years. She served on the 90th Anniversary of Women's Basketball committee in 1993 and coordinated the festivities at Smith that received national coverage including the reenactment of the first game played at Smith in 1893. She served on this committee again in 2003 when Smith celebrated the 100th anniversary.
Former colleague Roger Crosley noted, "Carole was also a trailblazer. She was one of the first female sports information directors in New England, and was a constant proponent for the advancement of women in college athletics. Many of her former students have gone on to very successful athletic administrative careers, and all of them have given Carole much of the credit for their success."
Grills is the mother of two daughters and has one grandson and three granddaughters. Both of her daughters are graduates of Smith who went on to pursue graduate degrees. Jennifer received a law degree from Villanova and Amie a doctorate in Clinical Child Psychology from Virginia Tech.
The Pete Nevins Award for Distinguished Achievement began in 2007, when Pete Nevins, the long-time sports information director at East Stroudsburg University who was a legend in the industry for over 30 years, passed away. It is presented at the discretion of the ECAC-SIDA Executive Boad, and only one winner can be named per year. Past recipients include Bob Cornell of Colgate University in 2008, Al Shrier of Temple University in 2009, Jack Grinold of Northeastern University in 2010, Wally Johnson of St. Lawrence University in 2012 and
Bob Beretta of the United States Military Academy in 2014. The award will be presented at the ECAC-SIDA Awards dinner held on Thursday, June 4 at the Sea Crest Resort in North Falmouth, Massachusetts.
A complete list of Irving T. Marsh Award winners is available at
www.ecacsida.org/nevins.
About ECAC-SIDA
Established in 1955, the Eastern College Athletic Conference-Sports Information Directors Association provides support for the sports information directors of the many schools affiliated with the ECAC. Membership is open to all sports information directors, conference information directors, public relations directors, athletic communicators and corporations that have a vested interest in the welfare of the organization. ECAC-SIDA is one of the nation's largest sports information director associations, with member colleges and universities ranging from Maine to North Carolina in Divisions I, II and III as well as NAIA institutions and junior colleges.