College Sports Information Directors of America

A self-proclaimed late bloomer in the profession, not stepping foot in the sports information office at his alma-mater Mississippi State until his senior year, Kevin Maloney has now been in the business for 14 years. This past July, Maloney was named Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information at Jones College, a NJCAA institution in Ellisville, Mississippi.
 
Maloney’s career has taken him from Division I to Division III and most recently to the junior college level since 2010 where he has worked at at Northwest Mississippi and Jones. In addition to his responsibilities at Jones College, Maloney is heavily involved in CoSIDA. He serves as the Two-Year Sports Information Directors Association (2YSIDA) President and is on the CoSIDA Publications and Digital Design Committee and the Goodwill and Wellness Committee. He also is involved in the CoSIDA Mentorship Program.
 
No stranger to national media relations volunteer opportunities, Maloney has had the privilege of working numerous national events including the Allstate Sugar Bowl, AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Division I Men’s Basketball South Regionals, SEC Football and Women’s Basketball Championships, FCS Football Championship, NCAA Baseball Regionals and the Conference USA Baseball Championship. He also spent five seasons as a member of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies’ stats crew. Since 2007, Maloney has done freelance work for ESPN, Fox Sports and CBS along with SiriusXM's NFL Radio network.

 

 
What is your top professional development tip to share with colleagues throughout the business?
Join organizations, meet people, step out of your comfort zone, take down phone numbers and emails, and network as much as possible. You never know when you're going to get that phone call that changes your life. And when you join an organization, get involved on a committee, make a difference and enjoy working with people of various backgrounds and skill sets. Don't join just to have it on your resume.
 
Starting with my fraternity in college, I worked my way up from secretary to VP to president. In CoSIDA, I'm involved with three committees and am the 2YSIDA President. I really enjoy engaging with other SID professionals on a weekly basis. 
 
Is there an achievement or contribution that you are most proud of?
A friend and former player of mine at Millsaps College, the late Juan Joseph, won the 2008 Cellular South Conerly Trophy, given annually to the top college football player in Mississippi. Not only was he the first-ever and only Division III player to win the award, but he beat out a pair of future NFL players – defensive tackle Peria Jerry and offensive tackle Michael Oher, both of Ole Miss.
 
The committee chairman told me that out of 60 people who voted for the award, only four had ever seen him play. He credited my weekly emails for three months straight of boasting about his stats, our team and why he was deserving of the award to be a large reason why he won. Until this day, that is the single greatest accomplishment I've relished in as an SID. I only wish he was still around to be able to relive that great moment, one that's framed in my office and one that I'll never forget.

 

 
Talk about some of the “big games” you have worked over your career and how you got involved with some of those opportunities (Sugar Bowl, Liberty Bowl, etc., ESPN and CBS freelance work, etc.)
I was in the TV booth last year for the longest game in NCAA football history: the LSU-Texas A&M seven OT game in College Station. It was insane, and honestly, I didn't want it to end. I was hoping we'd go 10 overtimes! I've worked numerous other great games for TV and national radio doing talent stats for the FCS Football Championship, Auburn-Clemson, LSU-Auburn, several NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments, the NBA Playoffs and was volunteering for the Sugar Bowl in 2009 when Utah upset Alabama.
 
It's hard to remember just how many great ones I've experienced. I bet I have over 400 credentials in a box in my office of all the events I've worked. I started as a volunteer back in 2006 and eventually found my way into a paying gig. 
 
What advice would you give someone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
Volunteer at as many events as possible. That's a great way to meet people and a chance to showcase your talents. I started my career in Division I, then went Division III and have now worked in junior college for a decade. Nowadays everyone seems to be so engulfed with working in Division I athletics that they get discouraged if they don't get a job at that level. I say the level doesn't matter, it's the skill set and the person's work ethic that do. You can make a difference at any level.
 
When you get to where you're going, give back. Help others along the way who want to work in the same field as you. Be prepared for rejection. I was turned down for over 75 Division I jobs and now I'm working as a remote talent statistician for ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports. It's ok if you don't get your dream job right away. Keep pushing.

 

 
Do you have any key mentors or people who deeply influenced who you are, what you believe in and what you’re committed to in your work and life? Tell me about them.
I applied for one job out of college and got extremely lucky to get it. Ron Mears, formerly of Rice, Memphis and Oklahoma State, hired me at Texas State in January 2006 when I had no business getting the job. I had only worked for one semester as a student assistant at Mississippi State and didn't know much. But he gave me a chance and that's all I needed. I looked up to him and sometimes asked for advice early on. I had to teach myself a lot of things, how to write stories, learn StatCrew, InDesign, etc., and I appreciated that he made me learn by making mistakes.
 
Another driving force for me each day is that as a senior at Mississippi State I was told by one of my bosses at the time (someone I know very well now, lol) that I would not make it in this field because I started too late and that I should have gotten involved as a freshman in college. Well, here I am, 14 years later; still in sports information and proving people wrong every day!
 
What might (someone) be surprised to know about you?
I'm a really good bowler and a really good dancer. I won about 60 bowling trophies when I was younger, participated in a ton of tournaments and was in a league for probably 20 years. If I was in a league today, I'd probably carry between a 190-200 average. I've never bowled a perfect game, but have been over 250 a lot.
 
As far as my dancing moves, they come out very seldom now. Maybe once a year and it has to be a special occasion. When Michael Jackson comes on, that's typically when folks I know start looking around toward me. RIP to the King of Pop.