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This feature is one of the many profiles we are doing to showcase our diverse CoSIDA membership during 2017 CoSIDA Membership Recognition Week. To see all the feature, please click HERE.
 

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Daniel Gallegos: Southern Arkansas
Assistant Director of Athletics for Communication

by Nathan Yacovissi, University of Dallas Sports Information Manager/
CoSIDA Recognition Week Committee member
 
Since his arrival on the Southern Arkansas University campus five years ago, Daniel Gallegos has been committed to help expand the profile of the NCAA Division II athletic department.
 
Gallegos began his tenure in January of 2013 as a one-man sports information office with some student worker help. Since then, Gallegos has been promoted to his current title of Assistant Director of Athletics for Communication. His staff now consists of one full time assistant, a graduate assistant, and numerous student workers.  
 
There was a process to develop the current staff that Gallegos guides now for the Muleriders.
 
“After one year of being a one-man shop, I was able to hire a graduate assistant,” Gallegos explained. “Later on, that turned into a second GA, and this past year one of my GA positions was moved into the full-time role.”
 
Gallegos believes that broadening the department with a larger group of workers has created the ability to meet the ever-growing amount of expectations in today’s profession.
 
“That staff structure evolution has helped us adapt to the new landscape of the profession and to work with all the new media that is out there,” Gallegos states. “Not long after I started at SAU, I began to really place an emphasis on social media and bolstered our existing Facebook and Twitter accounts while also establishing an Instagram account. Those platforms have been tremendous tools for us to get out information about Mulerider Athletics and have really connected us with our fans.”
 

Southern Arkansas has thrived on the use of graphics and visuals.
 
“From game day to post-game scores to special awards such as athlete of the week or conference and national awards, the graphics have received the most engagement on our social media outlets and is the way most of our fans consume information,” Gallegos noted.
 
Gallegos and his staff continue to put emphasis on the Muleriders live video capabilities
 
“Live video and video streaming of games are the new expectations of fans today, and we’ve adapted,” Gallegos stated. He points to how audiences connect to following the game today compared to a couple years ago. “When I was a student worker in college, and even when I started at SAU, live stats were becoming the fan’s expectations and not just a luxury item that only a few schools were able to provide … and now…,” Gallegos reflected.
 
Gallegos also focuses on improving the student-athletes and coaches experiences. Last winter, there was a complete overhaul of SAU’s end-of-year awards banquet. According to Gallegos, “In year’s past it was a good meal and we honored a lot of deserving student-athletes, but the majority were losing interest and it was becoming stale.”
 
“We changed our format to a real-deal awards show to imitate the ESPYs. We hired a live production crew to come in and help us make it look first-class and they did. I was fortunate enough to emcee the event, and while the work leading up was really taxing, the payoff was the event itself. Our student-athletes were blown away at what we did that night and were buzzing about what would take place in 2018 not long after we finished the first one!”
 
Gallegos has spent his athletic communications career at the NCAA DII and DIII levels. In his roles, he enjoys having the opportunity to cover all the sports at the schools he has been at, even though it presents challenges during crossover portions of the calendar, noting “I truly do enjoy being able to stay connected with all of our sports.”
 

In May of 2010, Gallegos received his bachelor of arts degree in strategic communications at University of the Ozarks. During his undergraduate study, Gallegos was introduced to the field by Josh Peppas, who is someone that he credits as one of several mentors.
 
“Josh helped me see that this was a career path that I wanted to be in and he hired me as a student worker,” Gallegos said. “Then, Troy Mitchell at Henderson State (where Gallegos earned his master’s degree in sports administration in May of 2013) helped me know that I could do the job for real and work independently. When I was a graduate assistant, he gave me the opportunity and freedom to cover nearly half the sports there.”
 
Gallegos also cites sports information directors from the Great American Conference, saying “we are fortunate to have a great group of SID professionals in our league and good mix of experience levels.” Other athletic communications mentors Gallegos mentioned are Scott Goode at Harding, Doug Self at Southwestern Oklahoma, and Jay Lee at Northwestern Oklahoma.
 
“I distinctly remember how Scott helped me through statting my first solo football game. Thankfully, we were playing his team and an even greater blessing was that he was there besides me because the triple-option is not the easiest to stat for your first go-round on your own!”
 
As mentioned earlier, Gallegos enjoys handling multiple aspects of the profession. This includes radio broadcasting. He has called basketball, baseball, softball and soccer games. By far, he says his favorite sport(s) to broadcast are baseball and softball due to familiarity and, as a fan, these also are his favorite sports in general.
 
Both teams at SAU have been able to qualify for numerous regional tournaments, allowing Gallegos to call games on the big stage. “In 2016, I was able to check off a professional goal of mine when our softball team made it to the DII World Series and finished fourth. The experience is something I’ll never forget,” Gallegos reflected. 
 
While Gallegos gained experience from others to help encourage his growth in this profession, he now can pass along advice to other newcomers in the profession.
 
“The most important piece of advice I would give to a young athletic communications professional is to be flexible,” Gallegos suggested. “And I mean that in several ways. Be flexible in your daily schedule knowing that there will be things popping up on a daily basis that will alter your work plans for that day. Be able to take those in stride as well as possible and adjust.”
 

Gallegos is quick to note that the ability to write remains a key skill that every SID needs.
 
“Even with all of the new media and social media, writing is still the heart of what we do and how we communicate with our fans,” Gallegos believes.
 
As he ventures on his athletic communications career path, Gallegos is proud of his profession and hopes to continue to contribute to the growth of athletic communications.
 
He admires those athletic communicators who have been recognized nationally.
 
“I am glad to see the career recognitions SIDs receive. To me, a SID being inducted into a Hall of Fame is the pinnacle achievement that we can reach,” Gallegos claimed. “It means that there was longevity working in the profession for one, and secondly, it means that the work done over time was appreciated and done at a consistently-high level.”
 
Outside of promoting his own department, Gallegos’ goal is to develop current and future student workers, GAs and assistants, help them continue to work in the field and see them advance and move about.
 
“I believe it is a great testament to the quality of work you do and who you are as a person, a co-worker and supervisor when your work and leadership inspires others.”