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2019 Special Awards Announcements
Nearly 60 recipients selected for recognition.
The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) will honor nearly 60 members and distinguished media and collegiate administrators with its 2019 Special Awards at its 62nd annual convention this June.
These Special Awards will be announced throughout the week of Monday-Friday, Feb. 25-March 1, headlined by the announcement of the CoSIDA Hall of Fame class on February 25.
The awards are presented to CoSIDA members and those outside the membership for outstanding contributions to the organization or to their member organizations.
Highlighting the 2019 honorees are six new Hall of Fame inductees:
- Jeff Bernstein – New York University (NYU), Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information
- Dave Lohse – University of North Carolina, Associate Athletic Communications Director
- John Paquette – Big East Conference, Senior Associate Commissioner, Sports Media Relations
- Maxey Parrish – Baylor University (retired), Former Director of Internet Operations and Sports Information
- David Plati – University of Colorado, Associate Athletic Director/Sports Information Director
- Mark Stillwell – Missouri State University (retired), Former Assistant Director of Athletics/Sports Information Director
CoSIDA is comprised of more than 3,000 intercollegiate athletic communications and media relations professionals from colleges, universities and athletic conferences at all divisions of competition in the United States and Canada.
All CoSIDA Special Awards will be presented during the 2019 CoSIDA Convention in June at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida.
The CoSIDA Convention takes place June 9-12 and is held in conjunction with National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and Affiliates Convention Week. This is the seventh year the CoSIDA Convention will be held in conjunction with the NACDA & Affiliates Convention.
“Congratulations to all of our talented, dedicated and passionate award winners,” said Rob Knox, 2018-19 CoSIDA President and the Associate Director of Athletic Media Relations at Towson University. “This is an outstanding group of award winners. We’re elated to recognize them during our convention in June and celebrate their accomplishments as they have been mentors, leaders and innovators throughout their distinguished careers. All of our CoSIDA member award winners have made a significant impact in our industry. Through their consistent contributions, they have brought dignity to our profession while simultaneously elevating CoSIDA. We congratulate those award winners outside our profession who will be recognized for their contributions to college athletics and for their commitment to the ideals and mission of CoSIDA.”
Each of the six Hall of Fame inductees will join their predecessors on the CoSIDA Hall of Fame plaques that are on permanent display at the NCAA Hall of Champions in Indianapolis, Indiana.
In addition to the Hall of Fame, other Special Awards recognize emerging leaders, community service, lifetime achievement and 25-Year service honors. They will be announced throughout the week.
Another highlight of the convention will be CoSIDA's Google Cloud Academic All-America® Hall of Fame induction ceremony, taking place on Monday, June 10 at the convention, where the newest class of distinguished former Academic All-America standouts is enshrined into the Hall and the annual Dick Enberg Award winner is recognized. These honors will be announced in March.
The 2019 Special Awards will be presented on three days during the convention. The CoSIDA Hall of Fame luncheon takes place on Monday, June 10 with the Hall of Fame, Lifetime Achievement, Keith Jackson Eternal Flame and Jake Wade awards given at that luncheon. Awards also will be presented at the Divisional Day breakfast on Tuesday, June 11 and at the Special Awards luncheon on Wednesday, June 12. The final schedule of award presentations will be announced at a later date.
Here’s a closer look at the CoSIDA Hall of Fame recipients.
Jeffrey Bernstein – NYU, Assistant AD for Sports Information
One of the East Coast's top SIDs with a decorated career.
Bernstein has been at NYU since 1999. From 1988-99, Bernstein served as the Director of Sports Media Relations at NCAA Division I Manhattan College. Bernstein began his work in intercollegiate athletics as the Sports Information Director at Hunter College from 1982-88.
A long-time and active member of CoSIDA, Bernstein has volunteered for several committees. He has served as a member of the CoSIDA Recognition Week Committee, and in 2017 he joined the Fred Stabley Jr. Writing Contest Committee and now serves as its chair. Bernstein also serves as the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Chairman of the Division III Player of the Week Selection Committee and is on the Executive Board of the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA).
An active member of the Eastern College Athletic Conference-Sports Information Directors Association (ECAC-SIDA), he served on its board directors from 2004-12, and held the role of president in 2011-12. In 2016, Bernstein received the organization’s Irving T. Marsh Award which is presented annually to a member who has exhibited excellence in the field of sports information. In 2018, Bernstein received the Bob Kenworthy “Good Guy” Award for contributions to the corporation and mission of ECAC-SIDA.
Bernstein has helped NYU receive many awards from CoSIDA in the publications and design contests, while numerous NYU student-athletes have earned recognition as CoSIDA Academic All-America® honorees. He is a 1982 graduate of St. John’s University with a bachelor of science in athletic administration.
Dave Lohse – North Carolina, Associate Director of Athletic Communications
A leader for diversity and inclusion with a rich background in publicizing NCAA national champions.
The anchor of the athletic communications office at UNC, Lohse has worked at UNC since 1979 when he began his career in the Tar Heel sports information office. Over this time, Lohse has worked directly with teams that have won 19 NCAA Division I National Championships: 15 titles in women's soccer and four NCAA championships in men's lacrosse. He also assisted with the Tar Heel men’s basketball national championship teams in1982 and 1993.
Lohse has worked on the staff of two Olympic Games - in 1988 at Seoul, Korea as U.S. Olympic committee press officer for diving and yachting, and in 1996 in Atlanta as media director for the Aquatics Venue (located at Georgia Tech).
Lohse has numerous present and past accomplishments. He received a 2016 CoSIDA Achievement Award, given to an associate or assistant director of athletic communications for outstanding service. He also was a founding member of the CoSIDA Diversity and Inclusion Committee. In 2014, Lohse received the Ernie Williamson Award from the UNC Department of Athletics, a honor given for service to UNC student-athletes and staff over the years. He has also won more than 50 CoSIDA publication awards.
Lohse earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Purdue University in 1977 with distinction, majoring in political science and being elected Phi Beta Kappa.
John Paquette – Big East Conference, Senior Associate Commissioner, Sports Media Relations
The voice of the Big East Conference.
Since 1990, Paquette has served as the unwavering voice of the Big East Conference through its numerous phases, transitions and restructurings. He serves as the media coordinator for 23 conference tournaments, administering at times to more than 600 on-site media representatives annually at Madison Square Garden for annual BIG EAST men's basketball tournament.
Paquette began his career as the sports information director at Wagner College before serving as SID at St. Peter’s (NJ), then as Assistant Commissioner of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and then as Assistant Athletic Director/SID at Seton Hall. Paquette joined the BIG EAST in 1990 as Mike Tranghese's first hire as commissioner, coming to the conference office as its top communications director after serving four years at league member Seton Hall.
He also served on CoSIDA’s board of directors from 2009-12. Paquette has attended more than 30 CoSIDA conventions and served on numerous panels as a presenter and moderator over the years.
Paquette has been honored twice before by CoSIDA. He was recognized as the 2007 Arch Ward winner for outstanding service to the profession, and then again in 2014 with the Bill Esposito Backbone Award. The Esposito Award is presented to an individual for sound judgment, commitment and courage in helping guide an organization through difficult PR situations.
Among other honors, Paquette received the 2009 Katha Quinn Award from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association and the 2013 Distinguished Service Award by the New York Metropolitan Basketball Writers.
He graduated from Marquette University in 1978 with a bachelor of arts in journalism.
Maxey Parrish – Baylor (retired)
Former CoSIDA president and retired SID honored for service.
Parrish is one of two retired members of the profession who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019. He held the 1998-99 CoSIDA presidency while serving as the sports information director at his alma mater, Baylor University.
After receiving his journalism degree from Baylor in 1978, Parrish spent two years as an assistant SID at SMU and served a brief stint as SID at Centenary before returning to Baylor in 1980.
Parrish worked in the Baylor SID office from 1980-1997, first as assistant SID before becoming the head SID. He then left that post to become executive director of BaylorSportsNet.com, the athletic department's then-web site, serving in that role from 1997-2000.
He is currently a professor of journalism, public relations and new media at Baylor where he received the outstanding teacher award in 2005.
As a member of CoSIDA, Parrish was recognized by the Football Writers Association of America, All-American Football Foundation, the NIT and the Drake Relays. He and his staff earned numerous CoSIDA awards for writing and publications. Parrish also served as a press officer at eight events for the United States Olympic Committee, including two Olympic Games and two World University Games.
David Plati – Colorado, Associate AD/Sports Information Director
Buffs historian with 30-plus years in athletic communications.
Plati has spent his entire professional career at his alma mater, the University of Colorado. He is in his 41st year overall as a member of CU’s sports information department, having served as an undergraduate student assistant and as assistant SID prior to his promotion to the head post.
He oversees the sports information efforts for all 16 sports, and has written two books on Colorado football. Almost 100 of his former student assistants have gone on to work full-time in sports information or media relations for a college or professional team.
Plati is also an adjunct instructor in CU’s College of Media, Communication and Information (CMCI), teaching a sports media relations class for the last 18 years.
This past January, Plati was honored by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) with the organization's Lifetime Achievement Award, becoming the sixth person to be so honored. His CU office has been recognized eight times by the FWAA - three times for outstanding press box operations and five times with the FWAA’s Super 11 award for all-encompassing efforts with the nation’s football media.
In 2015, Plati was a recipient of the Robert L. Stearns Award, presented to current members of the CU-Boulder faculty and staff for extraordinary achievement or service to the university.
During his career, Plati has worked 43 football postseason bowl games. He also has been a member of the Denver Broncos statistics crew since 1980. In 2004, Plati was appointed by major league baseball to serve as one of two official scorers for the Colorado Rockies baseball team, and has scored 320 games.
Plati graduated with a bachelor's degree in public relations, along with a minor in geography, from CU in December 1982.
Mark Stillwell – Missouri State (retired)
More than 35 years supporting the Bears.
Stillwell is the second retired professional to be inducted in 2019 after serving Missouri State for 36 years from 1972-2008 as the school’s first full-time sports information director. In his last 10 years at MSU, he was also assistant director of athletics for public relations.
He supervised the Bears sports information operations as it moved from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I in 1982. He also guided and mentored nearly 40 MSU students and staff members who continued their careers in athletic communications after leaving Missouri State. Stillwell and his staff earned more than 60 publication and writing awards from CoSIDA and from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) during his SID tenure.
At Missouri State, Stillwell balanced his on-campus responsibilities with active participation in the U.S. Navy Reserve, committing to monthly Navy drills and two weeks of active duty for training every summer.
He had enlisted in the Navy as a Drury University freshman in 1963, went through Navy Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I., and saw active duty aboard aircraft carriers in Vietnam, Taiwan and Korea from his 1967 Drury graduation until 1970. He then served as Drury SID from 1970 to 1972.
Stillwell received CoSIDA's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 upon his retirement. During his Missouri State tenue, Stillwell attended numerous CoSIDA conventions and served as a convention presenter.
A multi-Hall of Famer, Stillwell was inducted into the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame as winner of the 2008 Paul Morrison Award; into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009; and into the Springfield Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. Most recently in January of 2016, Stillwell was enshrined into Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.