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Tony Neely (University of Kentucky) – 25-Year Award
by Rob Knox, Towson University Associate Director of Media Relations/CoSIDA 1st Vice President
The Neely family: son-in-law Wes Johnson, daughter Grace and wife Terri.
Tony Neely has been working in athletic communications for 40 years. So it shouldn’t come as much as a surprise that his wife, Terri, is an integral part of the profession as well.
Even if it’s by accident.
“I got reminded I married well (one recent morning),” Neely said laughing. “After waking up, the first thing my wife said to me was who’s pitching today? Not good morning. It was who’s pitching today. Just another reminder of just how well I married.”
Neely has been a treasure of excellence during his distinguished career that started in 1978 as an undergrad at Vanderbilt and continued for the last 24 years at the University of Kentucky. He has been a living highlight reel to just about every great moment that has occurred in the Southeastern Conference since he stepped foot on Vanderbilt’s campus.
Neely will be recognized during the CoSIDA Special Awards luncheon during the 2018 CoSIDA Convention (National Harbor, Md.) on Saturday, June 30, when he receives well-earned recognition for 25 years or more of service, pride, and dedication to our profession.
While he loves his role at the University of Kentucky and the profession, family means everything to Neely. His father, Jim, who was a student manager at Rice, exposed Neely to sports information. It merged his two passions: statistics and writing. That led to meeting his wife.
“I met Terri at church in the 1980s and being that we had a small staff (at Vanderbilt), she volunteered at games,” Neely said. “She worked her full-time job during the day and helped me at night and at games. She’s a wonderful person. I’ve been so fortunate that my daughter Grace also loved being with her dad anytime she could. She would come with me to the football games three to four hours early to help set the press box. Her idea of fun was to come to football practice. UK is her occupational passion. She just graduated last year and works full-time at the campus visitor center, recruiting students to UK.”
Neely, who started at Kentucky in 1994 after being hired by former athletic director C.M. Newton, has been the primary media relations contact for UK’s football team. In 2010, Neely and his staff were named one of the best football media relations staffs in the country by the Football Writers Association of America. Currently, he oversees UK Athletics' communications and publicity while working with football as needed.
He has received several publications and writing awards from CoSIDA, and during his UK tenure, its football program has seen unprecedented growth in media coverage from national television to national publications – all of which is coordinated by Neely. Neely has also served numerous times as the media relations coordinator for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Rupp Arena.
With Kentucky being a blue-chip athletics program, Neely embraces and appreciates the intense interest as well as being under the microscope under a daily basis.
“It’s invigorating,” Neely said of the interest in Kentucky athletics. “It’s one of the things that keeps me passionate. I get up every day and know what I do is interesting to millions of people. That’s something that keeps you going. The flip side is when there are some struggles and the team isn’t doing well or there are difficult issues, you’re under that microscope. It’s challenging to work through those times, but it’s all a part of it.”
Prior to his time at Kentucky, Neely spent 16 years in media relations at his alma mater, Vanderbilt University from 1978-94 after he was hired by Lew Harris. The Nashville native started as a Vandy student assistant, then served as an assistant sports information director and associate sports information director from 1982-92. He was promoted to head SID in 1992, supervising all functions of VU’s sports information office for all men’s and women’s sports.
“I never knew sports information existed and I didn’t know what to think,” Neely said. “I got into it and loved every minute of it. I spent every moment I could in the office. I was a real eager beaver. I was fortunate that folks overlooked my inexperience and lack of knowledge of how to be an SID. I just remember everyone being very patient with me when I was learning what this profession was all about.”
Like everybody else, Neely has witnessed the evolution of the athletic communications profession. Today’s world is more challenging than ever with everybody being tasked to do more in addition to hosting media at practices, preparing game notes, and exchanging Statcrew files.
Now, athletic communication pros are tasked with creating social media content, producing game highlight and recruiting videos, and designing eye-catching graphics. It’s enough to wear down the most seasoned professional.
However, Neely has advice for young professionals entering the business and those that have between 5-10 years of experience.
“I would advise them to periodically take a step back and ask themselves, ‘where do I want to end up?’,” Neely said. “Do I want to stay in college athletics? You have so many marketable skills that they can apply in the business world and many other professions. Sports information directors can branch out into other areas of athletic administration as well. I would encourage you to stay if you love it and are happy. Also know that there’s a lot of other areas in which you can grow professionally inside and outside of college athletics.”
Now, 40 years later, Neely’s wife anxiously awaits the pitching matchups. His daughter helps share the beauty of Kentucky’s campus with thousands of visitors. Neely’s student-athletes continue to achieve at high levels on and off the field. And more importantly, he still demonstrates the same enthusiasm, passion, and appreciation for coming into the office just as he did in 1978 when he first entered the profession as an ‘eager beaver.’
“God has taken care of me in so many ways and blessed with me with wonderful people during my career – athletic directors, coaches, student-athletes and sports information co-workers,” Neely said. “My family means everything to me and I am appreciative of their support and love.”