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Earl Zukerman (McGill University) – 25-Year Award
by Jack Neumann, University of Calgary (retired)/CoSIDA Special Awards Committee member
The Zukerman family pictured in 2014 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Earl Zukerman does not mind being referred to as a “Sports Information Lifer.” The 61- year-old year old Zukerman has been a fixture in the McGill University athletic department since 1979 as its department of athletics’ Communications Officer.
The longest-serving sports information director in Canada, Earl has seen many changes in the profession during his tenure but one thing has remained constant: is his devotion to the Redmen and Martlets, the McGill athletic teams.
“I am happy being a sports information director. I like what I do. I love the interaction with the student-athletes and coaches and I love sports,” Zukerman stated.
Zukerman’s career actually commenced as a freshman student at McGill in 1976. He saw an advertisement in the student newspaper for a hockey statistician and applied to late sports information director Harry Zairns. The result was the commencement of a distinguished career at McGill spanning almost four decades.
Zukerman, known fondly as Zuke, became the full time SID 1987 after serving as a contract SID for nine months each year from 1979 through 1986.
Earl has seen a lot of changes technologically over his career.
“The profession is changing constantly with the technological advances. The fax machine was huge and email has been great to communicate amongst us, as has webstreaming to showcase our teams,” said Zukerman who remembers the days taking an opponent’s roster over the telephone.
Current Toronto Maple Leafs National Hockey League and Canadian Olympic gold medal coach Mike Babcock, who spent four seasons at McGill, has fond memories and utmost of respect for Zukerman.
“I first met Zuke in 1983 and now, 35 years later, he’s still an unbelievable friend. I’m still as tight with the McGill Redmen of my era and the many other eras because he kept us all connected,” stated Babcock, who was a student-athlete at the Montreal based institution.
“Zuke kept you together – he told you what you should be at, when you should send money, what you should say and when you should do it, and he doesn’t mind giving you a good tightening if you are not doing the right thing. He’s been absolutely fantastic. The job wouldn’t be for everybody for as long as he’s had it but Zuke loves McGill. He loves the guys and he loves doing what he does. It’s a great accomplishment to be recognized for his longstanding service. A big congratulations to him.”
Zukerman had many highs over his career, including McGill teams winning the 1987 Vanier Cup (National football championship), the 2012 U Sports men’s hockey title, and four National Women’s Hockey titles in five years and a 2012 U Sports National Women’s basketball championship.
A testament to his ongoing close relationship with his student-athletes is that Zuckerman has been invited to three Stanley Cup celebrations where he was allowed to drink from the hallowed trophy – once with the Detroit Red Wings (Babcock) and two with Chicago Black Hawks (assistant coach Jamie Kompon), both McGill athletic alumni.
“It is quite an honor to be recognized by an organization as widespread as CoSIDA,” Zukerman stated. “Only an SID knows the type of challenges we face. I have great mutual respect for everyone in the profession.”
Earl is an alumnus of McGill, graduating with B.A. in sociology and also earned a Certificate in Advertising, Public Relations, and Journalism from Montreal’s Concordia University.
Zukerman, who is single, becomes just the third Canadian to receive the 25-Year Award, following in the steps of Paul Carson (Toronto) and Jack Neumann (Calgary).