Story courtesy: GoMULions.com
PORTLAND, Ore. – After 27 years in the field of college athletics publicity, Blair Cash, currently the sports information director at Multnomah University, is announcing his resignation from that position and his retirement from the full-time profession, effective on June 30, 2018.
“Let’s face it, I’m a real SID – Sports Information Dinosaur! – and it’s time for the younger kids to take over,” says Cash, 64. “I am grateful to God and the schools where I have worked for giving me the chance to do something I love, covering college sports. I have many fond memories and have formed life-long friendships in this profession, but sooner or later, like an athlete hanging up his cleats, there comes a time to move on to other things. This is that ‘kairos’ moment for me.”
Cash’s longest stint in the sports information field was a 15-year run at George Fox University (1999-2014), where he covered two NCAA Division III national champions (baseball in 2003, women’s basketball in 2009) and received the Jack Sareault Award as the Northwest Conference SID of the Year twice (2009 and 2014). He moved from there to become the NWC SID / assistant commissioner for three years (2014-2017) before taking the Multnomah job a year ago.
A 1976 graduate of Belhaven University, Cash began his career in sports information by being named his alma mater’s first full-time SID upon graduation. After one year, he became SID at the University of Montevallo (1977-1982) and then the University of South Alabama (1982-83). He left the profession in 1983 to attend Reformed Theological Seminary and become an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church USA, but returned to sports information work in 1998 with a three-month assistant’s position at Texas State University-San Marcos and then six months as head SID at Samford University before taking the George Fox opening.
“I don’t expect to leave sports information work entirely,” says Cash. “I want to offer my expertise to schools when they are in need of a fill-in for stats, scorebook, clock operator, PA, or whatever, but I’m ready to do sports when I want to and not when I have to. I will continue to be an official scorer for area minor league baseball teams (and maybe major league baseball when it comes to Portland!), preaching at Grace Presbyterian Church in Portland on most Sundays, birdwatching and volunteering at Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, and I even have some ideas for a couple of books. I may pursue some teaching opportunities as well; I enjoyed doing that as an adjunct at George Fox.”
Plans for the search for a replacement for Cash at Multnomah will be announced at a later date.