Related Stories
•
2018 Special Awards Annoucements and Features
•
#CoSIDA18 Headquarters |
Register for #CoSIDA18
David Worlock (NCAA) – 25-Year Award
by Andy Seeley, UCF Associate Athletics Director - Strategic Communications
Worlock pictured with his wife, Andrea and sons, Nicholas (left)
and Adam (right).
David Worlock is fulfilling a nearly lifelong dream as Director of Media Coordination and Statistics for the NCAA.
Worlock has wanted to be a part of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship tournament since he was a boy. In his current role, he has been courtside at the tournament for the past 13 years. And, he knows just how fortunate he is to be doing something he’s wanted to do for almost as long as he can remember.
“I can’t tell you how many times I have reconnected with a long-lost friend on Facebook who has reminded me of how I used to be obsessed with March Madness and how I wanted to be involved in some form or fashion with the tournament,” Worlock said. “After 13 years of sitting courtside, I still get the same goosebumps I had in my first year. To play a small role with the organization and execution of this championship is something I don’t take for granted.”
While he’s been working in March Madness for 13 years, he recently surpassed the 25-year milestone in the sports information/media relations/athletics communications profession. While many in our profession entered the business in different ways, Worlock came through student journalism at Henderson State and he’s glad his alma mater’s SID reached out to him.
“I wrote something sports-related for the school newspaper that was seen by the school’s SID, Steve Eddington,” Worlock said. “He contacted me to speak to me about a work study position that was available. I knew I wanted to be in this profession, but it wasn’t until that meeting with Steve that I had the clarity and understanding of what I wanted to do in my career. I can say with all certainty that even on my worst day, I’ve never regretted going down this road. It truly has been a dream come true.”
Meanwhile, it was a chance meeting and a great reputation that led to him joining the NCAA on the statistics staff. In 1997 at the CoSIDA Convention, while working for Henderson State, Worlock wanted to introduce himself to Jennifer Scheibler of the NCAA statistics staff after her presentation on volleyball statistics.
“As I approached her, she glanced at my name badge and said something to the effect of, ‘David Worlock from Henderson State!’ as if she just met someone famous,” he said. “She then explained how I developed a reputation with the stats staff at the national office because of how quickly I submitted the season statistics form that we used to have to type out for each sport. From that point on, I was on a mission to live up to that reputation.
“So when the NCAA stats staff had an opening in 2001, I applied for it and my name stood out because I was someone who had, unknowingly at first, developed a good reputation with that team. I get to speak to young people from time to time and tell that story often, with the message being that you never know when someone might be watching you and the work you’re doing.”
Worlock began working with soccer, lacrosse, football, basketball and hockey when he started at the NCAA and also served as media coordinator for the College World Series and the NCAA’s indoor track and field championships. He joined the men’s basketball staff in 2006, focused on media operations. In 2011, the media coordination staff was formed and merged with the statistics group and he was moved to this newly-formed staff.
“Two years later, Jim Wright retired and I was fortunate enough to be named director, a position I’ve held since,” Worlock said. “I still focus on the media coordination of the men’s basketball championship and I work with football statistics, and I lead a group of 14 individuals who serve the membership on a daily basis through their on-site media coordination of 24 NCAA championships and the daily stats collection and compilation, records books updates, RPI and score reporting calculations and so many other responsibilities. They are all superstars.”
As Worlock looks back on his 25 years (and counting) in the business, he still appreciates what CoSIDA means to the profession and realizes the importance of the organization to the NCAA.
“I think it takes someone who has worked in the sports information field to truly understand what an SID goes through on a daily basis,” Worlock said. “It’s always been a profession where you have to work hard, have a diverse skill set and be willing to adapt to different personalities and leadership styles. Truthfully, that’s not different from any other profession. But only an SID knows what the men and women of this profession, past and present, endure on a daily basis. And by daily basis, I don’t mean Monday through Thursday and a half day on Friday. I mean daily. Monday to Sunday during many weeks of the year.
“CoSIDA brings us all together, to talk about our work items and issues, but also about the sacrifices we make for our families, the personal challenges we’re all faced with and the love we have for this profession,” he added. “It’s important to not only me, but to all of us at the national office, to remain involved with CoSIDA because we have been on campuses and at conference offices, so we feel we can relate to you — and you can relate to us — more than anyone else.”