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Past CoSIDA 25-Year Award Recipients
Brad Nadeau – Middlebury College, Director of Athletic Communications
2019 CoSIDA 25-Year Award recipient
by Kevin Beattie, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Associate Athletic Director
There are many in the athletic communications industry who often receive phone calls from the 802. The same thing is true for members of the media, and not just those in Vermont, where the 802 area code originates.
The countless individuals who have grown accustomed to hearing their phone ring and seeing
Brad Nadeau’s telephone number on their screen are in for a treat when they pick up because the conversation will go in a variety of directions.
Is it about an upcoming game with Middlebury College, where Brad has been in charge of athletics communications for the past 25 years? Obviously a good reason for him to reach out, but never the sole topic of conversation.
How are you and how is the family? Inevitable questions from Brad. What do you think of the latest happenings in college athletics and sports information? Of course that will come up. How are your teams doing? He seems to always have an idea even before the question is answered.
Nadeau with his wife Sara and son Ryan in Lake Placid, N.Y. in 2017.
While those are the staples, likely tangents could include discussions about woodworking, concerts, Beverly Hills 90210, Alaska, the State of Maine, the UMaine Black Bears or turkey hunting. The Red Sox come up pretty frequently, as do the Bruins. The New York football Giants? Not quite as regularly as in the past.
Though not yet 50 years old, Brad is old school in that he truly enjoys talking to and messaging with friends and colleagues as often as possible. At Division III Middlebury College, he has strong connections with individuals throughout CoSIDA and ECAC-SIDA, regardless of their school’s NCAA or NAIA affiliation.
It is from the annual conventions and workshops where numerous relationships have been initiated, and it is with Brad’s personal contacts that they are cultivated.
And, at the upcoming June CoSIDA convention, Nadeau will receive his well-deserved 25-Year Award for his commitment and quarter of a century service to the athletic communications profession.
Nadeau wants to be the one you call when you have news to share – hopefully good, but even if it is bad. And he wants to share good news with you, especially if it has to do with Middlebury and its student-athletes. Throughout his career, he has had
a lot of good news to share about the Panthers and the athletic department – one of the most successful in all of college sports over the past 25 years.
In addition to national tournaments appearances, NCAA Championships and a Learfield IMG College Directors’ Cup title that have garnered countless stories in the Green Mountain State, there have been Middlebury-related human interest features in
Sports Illustrated and
USA Today and on CBS News and ESPN. A Google search of ‘Picking Up Butch’ will not only illustrate the point, but be worth the time watching a heartwarming story of love and dedication that Brad played a critical role in sharing.
Other well-done stories, like a piece about an event he hosted with Steven Hauschka, a Middlebury alum who now kicks for the Buffalo Bills in the NFL, and Alexander Wolff, formerly of SI, can be found on the Middlebury athletics website or within the school’s alumni magazine.
Throughout his tenure, Brad has prided himself on being a service provider and not just for the College or the media.
He has mentored former interns who have gone on to excel in the sports world and provided his time, effort and experiences to a variety of organizations. Nadeau served on the Executive Board of ECAC-SIDA for many years, including a stint as president, and continues to be a mainstay at the organization’s annual workshops. He willingly provides expertise on panels and table topics as well as informally in conversation and social settings.
It is well documented that the duties and responsibilities of a sports information office have changed drastically in the 25 years since Brad started at Middlebury and he has deliberately evolved to remain a top professional in the field. One area in which he has not changed, however, is his willingness and effort to build and enhance the connections he has, which are less about his longevity and more because he is someone who cares.
When 802 appears with the ringing of the telephone or the buzzing of a mobile device, those bonds are about to get even stronger.