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Note: This story appeared in the Winter 2020 February edition of CoSIDA 360 Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.
A Big-Picture Perspective
Understanding the job of being a sports information office administrator.
by Doug Vance – CoSIDA Executive Director
Once upon a time when their futures were still a bewildering question mark, Nick Joos and Matt Ensor were at the bottom rung of the sports information office totem pole and being introduced to the profession by handling all of those necessary but sometimes mundane jobs typically associated with that level of the job.
Joos was a student assistant at Iowa State and Ensor a graduate assistant at Virginia Commonwealth.
It’s often the starting point for careers in athletic communications.
Today, the totem pole position has clearly changed for Joos and Ensor and the questions regarding their career paths have been resolved. Their viewpoint offers an all-inclusive 360 degree perspective and instead of handling the mindless tasks that launched their careers they are now the ones issuing the orders.
Their rank is one that signals wall-to-wall administrative oversight.
A veteran administrator, Joos last handled SID duties in managing communications for a sport at Baylor in 2006. Ensor is a newcomer to the role as he was promoted at the start of 2018 after handling men’s basketball at the University of Arizona.
Nick Joos (right) being presented with a basketball commemorating his 2011 CoSIDA Hall of Fame induction by Baylor men’s basketball coach Scott Drew.
Joos currently serves as the deputy athletic director for communications at Missouri and Ensor is director of communication services at Arizona.
The job of being primarily an administrator with oversight of the department communications office master plan is not an uncommon one for athletic departments at the upper echelon of NCAA Division I.
Absent, most often, from their job description is an individual sport assignment. But, both Joos and Ensor are quick to point out it’s a bit of a misnomer.
“In reality, I have all 20 sports we compete in,” explains Joos. “Plus, the athletic director and all of the other departments we have at Missouri.”
“I consider the athletic department my sport,” observes Ensor.
One of the defining differences in an oversight role is focusing on the big picture in their respective athletic departments. Joos and Ensor operate with a global perspective that includes managing budgets, people and problems while making sure goals are met.
“It’s about keeping the message positive and putting the department in the best light possible,” says Joos. “You need to be prepared to react and respond where needed.” Nick Joos
Joos has carved out an impressive 32-year career which has prepared him for the job demands. A CoSIDA Hall of Famer, Arch Ward Award recipient and former CoSIDA president, Joos has worked at Nebraska, Massachusetts and Baylor before moving to Missouri three years ago. In addition to oversight of the Mizzou communications office, Joos is also the department team sport administrator for football and men’s golf.
Joos (third from right) on the SEC Nation set with the iconic Mizzou Columns in the background.
“I found that as an SID, no two days were the same,” says Joos. “The same holds true for this job. I like that part of it because I think it helps keep you hungry for the challenges.”
Ensor still considers himself a “grinder” when it comes to the job with a “first in the office and last out” mentality.
It’s that earnest and diligent approach that has propelled Ensor’s rapid ascension up the ladder of success in the college athletics communication profession.
“For most of my career, the job has been keeping my head down with the day-to-day grind,” Ensor explains. “Now, I need to lift my head and gaze at the bigger picture and see things from that 30,000-foot viewpoint.”
Both Joos and Ensor admit they remain SIDs at heart.
“I miss the daily contacts you have in sports information,” admits Joos. “But, I still have involvement. I coordinate media activities that involve our athletic director and I visit the football pressbox on game days.”
Joos admits that some old SID habits are hard to leave behind. “I still proof the football media guide,” he adds. “I enjoy it and it helps me keep an eye on everything we produce.”
Ensor’s role is more singularly focused on the scope of the communication office activities.
Matt Ensor courtside with Bill Walton.
“Changing my approach as an administrator is more about changing priorities.” Ensor explains. “I’m still involved in supporting men’s basketball and I’m always there for big-ticket events like NCAA post-season play for all of our teams. It’s how I continue to get my SID fix.”
Joos, speaking from a successful platform of lengthy experience, has insightful advice for anyone who has hopes of moving up the athletic department ladder.
“Working in a sports information office prepares you for these opportunities,” says Joos. “And when you are presented with a chance to go above and beyond, treat it as an opportunity to shine. It might be your ticket to future career advancement.”
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