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Dave Reed (Colorado College), CoSIDA Achievement Award – College Division
by Diane Nordstrom, University of Wisconsin Associate Director of Athletic Communications CoSIDA Special Awards Committee vice chair
Dave, wife Gerri Anne and son Jackson in the press box before a
Colorado College hockey game.
Dave Reed’s role at Colorado College encompasses much more than his title as assistant sports information director might indicate. Maybe that’s because he handles his duties as media relations director for Colorado College’s Division I women’s soccer program along with 10 of the school’s Division III sports programs with such professionalism and class.
“It’s hard to think of Dave as an assistant SID because he does so much for Colorado College,” said Blake Timm, the assistant commissioner for the communications for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. “He has been the face of the Tigers’ Division III sports for so long, and he does the job with a style that makes things look easy. I know of few SIDs at the small college level who do it better than Dave.”
Reed will be recognized in June with a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Achievement Award. The award annually recognizes both a university and a college division member who serve as an assistant or associate, make outstanding contributions to the field of college sports information, and have provided exceptional service and dedication. (Chris Masters, Big Ten Conference Associate Director, Communications, will receive the university division honor.)
“It’s an honor to be recognized by your peers,” Reed said. “It’s no secret that many of the things we do go unnoticed, so it’s great to receive an award from colleagues who understand what it’s like to work behind the scenes.”
In addition to his duties with his teams, Reed also manages Colorado College’s website and coordinates the live video streaming on the Tiger Sports Network. You can also hear him behind the mic, announcing volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball and men’s and women’s lacrosse.
Previously working at
USA Today, Reed became something of a technical guru while working at the publication and continues to enjoy learning new skills to help promote his student-athletes in the most effective way possible.
During his 18 years at CC, he has promoted more than 50 individual and team conference champions, 24 All-Americans and 16 CoSIDA Academic All-Americas.
“Without a doubt, getting to know our student-athletes and sharing their stories has been the most rewarding aspect of working in athletics communications,” said Reed. “Watching them succeed in their sport and seeing their reactions to receiving Academic All-America and all-conference honors makes all of the extra efforts worthwhile.”
Reed credits Doug Hauschild at Dayton who introduced him to sports information, John Heisler at Notre Dame for teaching him to be a better writer and editor, and Cindy Paavola from Western Michigan and
USA Today for showing him an amazing work ethic and attention to detail.
“I have been fortunate to have worked alongside and learned so much from some of the most accomplished athletics communications professionals in the business,” Reed noted.
With his 18 year-tenure at Colorado College, Reed says it is easy to accomplish so much on behalf of their student-athletes because of his partnership with Dave Moross and Jerry Cross.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with Dave and Jerry for all of these years,” Reed said. “Managing the Division I-Division III split requires a lot of teamwork, and at the same time both have supported my passion to improve as a professional and as a person.”
In 2009-10, Reed was honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association with the prestigious Grant Burger Media Award in recognition of his work as CC's volleyball contact and as a national NCAA Division I volleyball columnist for ESPN.com. Colorado College was one of the first Division III schools to stat all matches played, long before the NCAA made match files mandatory.
An active member of CoSIDA, Reed served a three-year term on the board of directors as a college division representative and was a charter member of the College Division Management Council. He currently serves on CoSIDA's Special Awards Committee and is a member of the Division III leadership group that helps select the Academic All-America Teams. He also served on CoSIDA’s membership and convention programming committees and was on the NCAA statistics and records advisory board, including the final year as chair.
“The most rewarding aspect of being involved in CoSIDA is getting to know and working alongside great colleagues,” Reed said. “I also enjoy serving as a mentor to new members when the opportunity presents itself.
“There’s no question that I have reaped the benefits of being a CoSIDA member, so it is important to me that I give back to the organization. As a young member, I was able to learn what it means to be a professional from the biggest names in athletics communications.”
Reed credits his wife Gerri Anne, who works in the economics and business department at Colorado College, and his son Jackson for keeping him grounded outside of work.
“Gerri Anne and I support each other in everything we do and we share a love of the college,” explained Reed. “She has helped me become a better person and a better father. Since she is not a sports fan, her perspective on what I write and create is especially valuable. Jackson keeps me from working too much. We’re so fortunate that he is growing up on campus and around an athletics department, where there are so many role models he can look up to.”
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