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Past CoSIDA 25-Year Award Recipients
Bob Heller – Lincoln University, Sports Information Director
2019 CoSIDA 25-Year Award recipient
by James Wagner, Colonial States Athletic Conference Assistant Commissioner
For 25 years,
Bob Heller has been a pillar of sports information expertise in the Philadelphia area. No matter where he has gone, he has put the student-athletes of his institution first.
While that is a given in our profession, whenever I have had the opportunity to work events for Bob, it is easy to see that he really does care for the student-athletes.
If you read through his lengthy (and well-deserved) biography on the Lincoln University website, Bob’s accomplishments in 25 years are more than many can pull off in a lifetime. But what stands out to me in his resume are not his accomplishments — instead, it’s those of his student-athletes. Littered through Bob’s bio are the players that have garnered CoSIDA Academic All-America® accolades; Players of the Year; and appearances in
Sports Illustrated and various other publications.
“As an SID, I love being able to interact with our student-athletes and I love telling their stories both on and off the field accomplishments. I love the fact that my position allows me to travel and see different parts of the country and that I’m able to teach and mentor the student athletes,” noted Heller.
Lincoln Athletics Assistant ADs Jacob Mullins and Kisha Middleton pose with Heller and LU alumnus and CoSIDA board member Rob Knox at Lincoln's homecoming game vs. Virginia State in October 2017.
Heller also worked with his student-athletes during his time as the head cross country coach at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. For 18 seasons, 22 of his teams qualified for the NCAA Regional Championships; 20 of his teams received All-Academic distinction; 10 of them were honored by the CACC for sportsmanship. And, he was named Coach of the Year twice.
Serving student-athletes has been in his DNA, dating back to his days as an undergraduate where he served as a manager for several of Villanova’s teams, the “Main Line” school where he got his start in Sports Information. Now, 25 years later, he’s still serving student-athletes at Lincoln.
Go to a Lincoln University athletic event, and you’ll find Bob right in the middle making things run. While making sure the stats are being kept, the scoring table is running smoothly and the webstream is running, Heller also makes sure the media members are set with what they need — that is a part of our profession that everyone should hold dear, is making sure the people coming to cover our student-athletes feel welcome.
“I have had student-athletes who I have worked with as part of a team and others who have worked with my office directly as student workers. They get to see my work ethic and commitment, and how I treat them and I hope that they will do the same when they enter the workforce,” added Heller. “I always want to instill a sense of pride in everything they do. Every athlete I interact with I hope will take something positive about their student-athlete experience with them when they graduate.”
What’s more, he’s been honored numerous times by his peers for his work in athletic communications. An ECAC-SIDA Bob Kenworthy Award winner in 2015, he was inducted into the Philadelphia Small College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013, an organization he put a lot of time into on top of his regular duties. The latter organization also honored his service with the John McAdams Service Award on two occasions (2003 and 2016).
Heller also devotes his free time — which is very small — to writing for Mel Greenberg’s women’s hoops blog, which highlights student-athletes playing in summer leagues. Additionally, he received national recognition from the American Volleyball Coaches Association he AVCA also bestowed the Grant Burger Media Award upon him in 2005.
Personally, Bob is someone I have looked up to and tried to emulate in my time in sports information. When I came to Philadelphia in 2004, Bob was one of the first people to welcome me and help me learn the ropes of this city. Mind you: there are 28 schools in the Philadelphia area, so getting media attention can be a challenge. More importantly, Bob has been a great friend and helped me through some of the harder times in my life and career. Not surprisingly to this effect, he has put service above himself on numerous occasions.
He has been there when I needed him, and vice-versa. When Heller first took the job at Lincoln, I told him I would be at every football game that I can be at — an offer that merely emulated what he had done for me time and time again.
Over 25 years (and here’s hoping for 25 more), Bob has been an example that athletic communications directors in our business should strive to be: one that serves our student-athletes’ best interests.