Special Awards Salute: Diane Dodson (Wyoming), 25-Year Award

Special Awards Salute: Diane Dodson (Wyoming), 25-Year Award

• 2015 CoSIDA Special Awards general announcement/release
• Special Awards feature story schedule
By  Kevin McKinney,  University of Wyoming Senior Associate AD for External Operations
 
 
While she wasn’t quite sure what she was getting into, Diane Dodson had an idea that it might be a good job for her.
 
After all, she loved athletics, loved Wyoming and was looking for something that might be long-term.
 
Twenty-five years later, as office manager for the University of Wyoming’s Sports Information Department she KNOWS the job was perfect for her.
 
Dodson’s official title doesn’t begin to cover her importance to her unit within the UW Intercollegiate Athletics Department. While handling the many daily duties of her position, her role over the years has evolved into something much larger. For example, she is an integral part of the university’s Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame including handling all publicity for that major enterprise, the department’s premier event. She also is heavily involved in game-day management for football and men’s and women’s basketball. She handles the vast majority of the credential process, the photo archives and research for historical requests.
 
A native of Torrington, Wyoming, Dodson was working in the archives wing
of UWs American Heritage Center, when she was hired by then SID
Kevin McKinney. 
 
“I loved Cowboy and Cowgirl athletics, and I thought it would be a fun and interesting job,” Dodson says. “I had no idea how much work was involved. It was a little overwhelming at first, to say the least.
 
”I started in May of 1987 when things were going great for UW athletics,” she continues. “We were going to bowl games in football and the Cowboy basketball team was playing in the Big Dance.”
 
As with most individuals in the world of sports information, the long hours were a tough adjustment for Dodson. She and her husband Dale had two small daughters at the time, and she freely admits that had it not been for her spouse, she probably wouldn’t have been able to stay in the business.
 
“It’s amazing how long some of the days get, and there were times when I thought, ‘I can’t do this another minute,’” explained Dodson. “But Dale stayed home with the kids many times while I was working the extra hours.”
 
The longer Dodson remained in the job, the more responsibility she accepted. As she grew in the position, she began working home events.  Her first assignment was typing the play-by-play for Cowgirl basketball. Fortunately UW athletics was very much a family affair, and before long Dale and both Dodson daughters, Ashley and Kiley, were event veterans. In fact, Dale is still on the statistical crews for both men’s and women’s basketball and football.
 
“It’s been terrific having them involved with our department,” Dodson said. “It also made it easier to work the events when the whole family was there.  They all love sports as much as I do, and are huge Wyoming fans. They really have enjoyed being involved.  Dale, especially, has been very understanding about my job due in large part to the fact he wanted to be part of it. There were times, though, when he wasn’t as understanding, like when I’d have to work on Christmas Eve a couple of times. He and I have worked hard to strike a balance between family and the job.
 
“The other difficult part for me is hearing people criticize our young student athletes. We tend to forget they are 18 and 19 years old. Those of us in the department know how much time and effort the kids and coaches put into this. When they lose, they don’t have the luxury of going to another job the next day. We all live with it every day. I wish fans were more understanding, but the criticism is part of the deal.”
 
A life-long Boston Red Sox and Denver Bronco fan, Dodson was a psychology major at UW, which has helped her considerably in this business. 
 
“It certainly has come in handy in helping me understand some of the people we deal with,” she laughs.
 
Dodson admits being a little surprised that she has been in the job for this long, but amazed at how quickly the years have melted away.  What has made her stay?
 
“No question it’s the relationships I’ve had with so many great people over the years, especially the student-athletes.  I love the games, and I especially love the victories,” she says with a smile.
 
While the hours haven’t changed much through her tenure, technology has made the job easier, according to Dodson. “When I started, we were copying and mailing our releases and information.  We had just started using the ‘telecopier’ (original fax machine), which was quite a breakthrough, and we also were entering the computer age. 
 
“Email and social media have changed things dramatically because of the accessibility.  But because of that, I don’t think the relationships are quite as good.  We don’t know those in the media quite as well because we do so much electronically.”
 
Memories? Dodson has a ton of them.  
 
“Paul Roach’s years as our football coach (1987-90) were terrific, especially his first two years when we were undefeated in the (Western Athletic) conference and went to two Holiday Bowls in a row,” Dodson recalls. “I got to go to the second Holiday Bowl and that was very exciting for me.
 
“All of our big wins have been great memories for me. I love that because everyone gets a chance to share in those great times.
 
“On the negative side, whenever we lose a student-athlete to a tragedy, it’s just so terrible. The car accident that took the lives of our eight cross country student-athletes (killed in a car crash in 2001) was a horrible time for athletics, our university and the state of Wyoming.  It was a very dark time for all of us at UW, our hearts bled for those families and teammates.”
 
Dodson believes that she, and her boss, Tim Harkins, are becoming the exception rather than the rule in the business of sports information.
 
“The fact that both of us have been in this business for 25 years is not as common as when I started,” she says. “When I started there were a number of SID’s in our conference and around the country who had been in the business for many, many years. It doesn’t seem to be that way as much these days. 
 
“I don’t believe the young people have an idea of the time commitment required with this work. They get into it because they love sports, but they get burned out, and understandably want to spend more time with their families. The hours, and the busy weeks are tough, especially the ‘cross-over’ months like November when we have both fall and winter sports going on at the same time.
 
‘I wouldn’t trade it, though. Wyoming is a special place, and having only one university makes it unique. The entire state is rooting for the bucking horse and rider (school logo).  All of Wyoming’s passion goes into one school, it’s terrific. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”