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Adam Ledyard: East Texas Baptist University
Assistant AD for Communications
by Nathan Yacovissi, University of Dallas Sports Information Manager
CoSIDA Recognition Week Committee member
Adam Ledyard, currently the East Texas Baptist University Assistant AD for Communications has a wealth of experience to the athletic communications profession with 17 years in the industry, working in the Midwest, Southeast and Southwest parts of the country.
He started his career at Olivet Nazarene University (Bourbonnais, Illinois) as a student assistant for the football team, where he had the chance to travel with the team through the 1998 NAIA playoffs to the national championship game in Tennessee.
Ledyard next interned in 1999 under Dean Hybl at Rollins College, and credits Hybl in teaching him the tricks of the trade of the business. Ledyard has made stops at Rollins (one year), McMurry University (two), Southwest Baptist University (three), Judson University (five), and is in his sixth at current institution East Texas Baptist University.
At each stop, Ledyard has been responsible for redesigning, maintaining and content creation for each school’s athletic website. For his efforts, Ledyard earned three website awards from the NAIA-SIDA and implemented video as a key component of the sites at his last three stops.
Ledyard had changed the landscape of the ETBU Tigers athletic communications office by creating a top-notch social media network. ETBU is an NCAA Division III institution and member of the American Southwest Conference (ASC).
With a small enrollment of 1,339 and a population of 23,561 in school’s city location of Marshall, Texas, Ledyard has propelled ETBU to the top five social media network in NCAA DIII and tops in Texas.
At an ASC Tournament playoff match for women's soccer. Ledyard with Mark T. Robinson, AshLynn Burns, Brea Robinson.
Row 2: Thomas Welle, Trace Reed, Selena Heredia, Chloe Jenkins, Kymie Creel.
Ledyard was asked how he developed a social media network of that magnitude.
“Time. It takes time, research, and networking,” Ledyard noted. “I started researching social media when I was still at Judson University and trying different methods there with Twitter and Facebook, using videos and in-game tweeting. I wanted to have a NCAA Division I feel on a smaller level so I would watch what other schools were doing and try and take small pieces from different areas and use them.
“When I came to ETBU, I assessed the social media culture the first year to see who engaged and what sports engaged on social media,” he continued. “I also started to reach out more to NCAA Division I digital communicators and other SIDs to see what they were doing. I built a network of professionals in the business that I would ask for feedback from every now and then. Nebraksa’s Kelly Mosier, Oregon State’s Russell Houghtaling, Central Florida’s Eric DeSalvo, Baylor’s Andrew Lentz, Northwestern’s Doug Meffley, and former SID Chris Yandle have all given me input into what I do.”
A successful network take support from the users and having a receptive audience.
“After assessing and building a network I went to work with training coaches, interacting with fans on all networks, posting pics and videos, and engaging student-athletes,” Ledyard explained. “I used the student-athletes handles from the beginning, if they were clean, and promoted them on Facebook and Twitter sharing stories on their timeline. From there it started to take off as the fans, students, and family saw what we were doing.
By my third year at ETBU all the sports had their own twitter accounts which were not the norm at that time for NCAA Division III. Our fans at ETBU knew they could now rely on social media at home and on the road for updates and more followers came. Now, each year I try to add something new for our fans to use or engage with.”
Examples of new social media tools that the Tigers added this year were SnapChat and Instagram stories on home game days.
“A big part of our success is that I have the support of my Vice President for Athletics Ryan Erwin and our president Dr. J. Blair Blackburn,” Ledyard concluded. “If it wasn’t for the buy-in from my administration I would not be able to do what I do with social media and promotion.”
Ledyard holds his youngest son, Titus in this family
photo with his wife, Thea and three older sons
(front row) Zeke, Sam and Cooper.
Besides being the social media coordinator, another favorite part of Ledyard’s job is serving as a broadcaster. “It puts me back in the game and being able to paint a picture for the listeners telling a story of the game,” he stated.
When asked about his favorite moments in working championships and tournaments, Ledyard mentioned some of his favorite professional experiences took place at the 2006 MIAA men’s basketball championship in Kansas City with Southwest Baptist, the 2010 CCAC men’s basketball tournament at Judson, and the 2015 ASC men’s basketball tournament championship and 2014 Super Regional softball championship, both with ETBU.
He does have one particular favorite moment.
“One experience that will always stick with me, along with respect for the coach, is the 2000 Florida Citrus Bowl. I had the chance to work it being at Rollins College and saw how a professional event should be run. The best moment came when I led Florida’s Steve Spurrier into the press conference and when he got out of his car he said, “Hello Adam (looking at my name tag), how are you doing today?” I couldn’t believe how personable he was taking the time to call me by name and then talking briefly with me as I walked him into the press conference. That will be a moment I will always remember.”
Despite all the demands of the job, Ledyard makes sure to always make his family a priority.
He and his wife, Thea, are the proud parents of four boys – Samson, Ezekiel, Daniel Cooper and Titus - all under the age of nine!
“I have a very understanding wife, who literally is a coach’s wife for three seasons instead of one, and supports what I do,” Ledyard commented. “My wife will bring the boys over to sporting events to say hello and then they go play. They do not help in the office yet but do leave me messages and draw super heroes on the dry erase board!”
Ledyard makes the most of available opportunities with his young growing family.
“I take my boys, Samson (8) and Zeke (6) to school in the morning and Cooper (3) comes with us to hang out,” Ledyard elaborated. “We have about a 20-minute drive so I get to talk to them in the morning. I try to be home between 5-6 p.m. every day except on game days and when I get home I spend all my time with my boys – supper, playing, bedtime stories, and kisses. Then, on holidays or extended breaks, I plan to either work from home some or take days off. If I have work to do, I will do it after they go to bed.”
There is not much down time when you are in this profession and are a parent. When he is not in the office he is at home with his family and when he is not with the family he is in the office or doing work at home. “It is non-stop all the time but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Ledyard said with a smile.