College Sports Information Directors of America

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• 2019 Special Awards Annoucements and Features
• #CoSIDA19 Convention Home
• Past Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients
• Past CoSIDA 25-Year Award Recipients

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Steve Schwepker – Point University, Sports Information Director
2019 Lifetime Achievement Award
CoSIDA 25-Year Award recipient

by Dave Beyer, Oklahoma Panhandle State University Director of Sports Information

As Steve Schwepker — who is receiving both his 25-Year Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award from CoSIDA this June — calls it a career as an athletics communications professional (or just plain old “SID” for us dinosaurs), everyone could learn a lot from how he has handled his career, which has spanned better than 30 years, all told. I know for a fact that I did, as someone who was blessed to work, learn and live having Steve as a supervisor, peer and friend.

Oh, Steve doesn’t have magic potions or secret tricks that make the life we lead in the profession any easier. He hasn’t invented voice recognition volleyball stats. No teleporter to get us back from road games any quicker.

But what Steve has mastered in his three-decade career is the way to roll three of the greatest loves in his life — God, teaching and sports information — into one neat little package. It has not always been easy; it has not always been expected, but it has always been his priority. Simply put, one has not existed without the other two components in some fashion in Steve’s years of working.

And the fact that Steve is just now getting around to receiving his 25-Year Award should tell you all you need to know about Steve. He puts others and the profession well before thinking of himself and accolades.

As someone with nearly 40 years as his protégé and friend, I can tell you it all comes down to the fact that Schwepker does not compromise his Christian faith, his gifts or his love for our profession.
 

There’s an expression I learned working as a carpenter, “You’ll never know if you use too many nails. But you’ll always find out if you use too few.” That’s Steve! He would rather sacrifice an hour of his own time to make sure he has received the best possible outcome, rather than possibly shortchange his athletes and/or school. To him, that would be compromising the profession and his God-given talents.

Our friendship was cemented in a less-than-congenial moment on my part, yet with love and graciousness by Steve. My senior year at Biola University, where I was a four-year member of the Eagles' wrestling team, I had had a particularly bad practice and coach told me to leave the wrestling room. I went around the corner to see Steve and brood at his office, but he was on the phone. He waved for me to hold on; in my agitated state I took it as “go away” and threw a box of media guides on his desk — which exploded all over — and walked out to go to our locker room.

A few seconds later, Steve chased me down and yelled for me to wait up, but I kept going. Steve grabbed the back of my singlet (bad move #1, given I had about six inches and 100-plus pounds on him) and I shoved him away, still fuming at myself. Never one to be deterred — especially to a friend in need — Steve followed me inside the locker room and grabbed my shoulder (bad move #2). I whirled around, picked him up and lifted (slammed, if you ask Steve) him into the lockers before the athletic training staff separated us. 

I tell this story to demonstrate the loyalty, depth of friendship and commitment Steve has always shown to those under his charge. While Steve may not have effectively utilized the lessons from his Biola degree in psychology during our little confrontation, he did clearly communicate a caring, Christ-like love and attitude that still resonates through him to this day.

Steve has cultivated relationships and a dedication to the profession since he first became the assistant SID at Biola in 1971 as a student, to his years as the school’s first-ever full-time SID from 1980-84. His other athletic media relations stops included Saddleback College (1989-91), Wheaton (Ill.) College (1991-99), Southwest Baptist University (1999-2000), Mid-Continent University (2008-11), Arizona Christian University (2011-13), Grace (Neb.) University (2013-16) and his current position at Point University (2016-present).

He even took time away from the SID field to work as a Christian school teacher twice in his work career, again giving him a chance to combine three of his great loves: God, teaching and sports information! Never before have fifth and sixth grade basketball teams had perfectly balanced box scores!

“I first became interested in sports in high school as the editor of our school newspaper,” Steve explained. “When I went to Biola, my uncle was the public relations director at the time and he had responsibility for sports information, as well. He caught on to the idea that it was something I could easily become interested in and gave me the chance. And the rest is history.”

Steve has had his share of honors and memorable moments, as well. He was honored by his peers as the 2018 Appalachian Athletics Conference Willie Belcher Sports Information Director of the Year and has received 16 CoSIDA Publication and Digital Design Contest awards. Amateur Wrestling News honored him with four Best in the Nation awards, and to his credit he also has four NAIA-SIDA awards for men’s basketball and wrestling and a 2000 Dick Butkus Football Network All-Pro Football web site honor.

Steve was the SID for a fast-growing Biola athletics program which experienced such successes as a 39-1 and number one-ranked men's basketball team, a first-round baseball draft choice (Todd Worrell, who went on to pitching fame with the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers), and national championship competition by teams or individuals in eight sports.

He also served as Assistant Venue Press Chief at the wrestling competition of the Los Angeles Olympic Games with responsibility for the successful operation of the Media Center at the Anaheim Convention Center. Those Olympic media relations efforts won Schwepker a top 10 percent ranking among all Olympic volunteers. 
 
Looking back, it’s not the awards that mean as much to him as the memories.

Steve recalls with fondness the old ways he used to do things such as distributing press releases post game. “I’d write the stories,” Steve recalled. “My uncle would print the pictures, our secretary would make up envelopes and then I’d drive a route around the Los Angeles area dropping off the releases.” It was a couple hours long process after gameday duties!

Yet, it’s what had to be done for the athletes and the school to get the best possible outcome. That was, and still is, Steve’s ultimate objective each day. Anything less, would not be glorifying God with the gifts given to him.

So, thank you to Steve Schwepker for being a role model for many student workers, student-athletes, coaches and peers. We’ve all been made better by your work ethic and moral compass, directing us as someone with a true love of this profession.