College Sports Information Directors of America

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Kent Cherrington – Lasell University, Director of Athletic Communications/Home Event Coordinator/Scheduling Coordinator

CoSIDA Hall of Fame Class of 2020
Presented to CoSIDA members who have made outstanding contributions to the field of sports information in intercollegiate athletics. Minimum 15 years in the profession. Voted on by current CoSIDA Hall of Fame Members and the Special Awards Committee.

There are three categories for Hall of Fame nominations: University Division (NCAA DI), College Division (NCAA DII, DIII, NAIA, Two-year colleges and Canadian/U Sports) and Veterans (retirees/deceased/ former members who have left the sports information profession). All CURRENT professionals shall be nominated in the University and College Divisions, while all other nominees (retirees, deceased and those who have left the profession) shall be part of the Veterans nomination process.

Note: CoSIDA Hall of Fame members of the Class of 2020 and Class of 2021 were celebrated in pre-recorded awards shows during the #CoSIDA21 Virtual Convention. Click here to watch the show. Below is the full interview with Kent Cherrington with expanded answers and thank yous.
 


by Jason Southard, Coast Guard Academy Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations

It’s Kent Cherrington’s time to stand and be recognized.

When it comes to 2020 CoSIDA Hall of Fame inductee Kent Cherrington, several sayings come to mind. It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog; and, don’t judge a book by its cover.

Kent may not be tall enough to ride the rides as Disney World, but he will be taking his rightful place in the CoSIDA Hall of Fame this June in Las Vegas.

For Kent earning a spot in the CoSIDA Hall of Fame was an unbelievable feeling that left him speechless.

“I didn’t know what to say. To paraphrase what some Hall of Fame athletes say in their speeches, I never did this job because I wanted to be in the Hall of Fame,” said Cherrington. “I’m very honored and humbled, and it’s one of the most meaningful things that’s ever happened to me, certainly topping the list for my professional career. To think my name goes on the list among the all-time greats is just an amazing and humbling feeling.”
 

Cherrington is finishing up his second full year as the Lasell University as the Director of Athletic Communications/Home Event Coordinator. He joined Lasell with over 32 years of experience in sports information, having previously served as the Sports Information Director at Plymouth State University for 23 years. Prior to Plymouth State, Cherrington was an eight-year assistant sports information director at Miami University in Ohio.

A former collegiate student-athlete, Cherrington is a pioneer in the sports information field as he was one of the first SIDs to do in game statistics using StatCrew. He helped Plymouth State develop one of the first comprehensive athletic department websites in the nation.

Kent received his degree in sports communications from the University of New Hampshire where he was a varsity student-athlete competing on the swimming and diving teams for four years.

His professional career has been anything but short. The profession has changed so much from when Cherrington began in as an intern at the University of Connecticut in 1983. When he began at Miami of Ohio, there was no email, no websites, no live streams or live stats. They did stats by hand, including football play-by-plays. The results of games would be faxed to media outlets and weekly notes were mailed out on Monday’s.

“I don’t want to sound like an old fogey, but keeping up with the changes in the profession has been the biggest challenge I’ve faced,” said Cherrington. “Almost everything we do now was not part of the job when I started, or at least how it’s now done, particularly in terms of technology. About the only thing that’s the same is the personal relationships, and hopefully that will never change.”

Kent was born to be an SID and lives for the profession and the people involved. While serving as the master of ceremonies at the ECAC-SIDA banquet one year his famous quote was, “You can have Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s because this is my favorite night of the year.”

He enjoyed seeing his peers recognized and honored for doing great things in the field - and now it’s his turn.

Cherrington has won numerous awards leading up to this CoSIDA Hall of Fame induction, including the prestigious Irving T. Marsh Service Bureau Cooperation Award from ECAC-SIDA, given annually to an ECAC-SIDA member who has exhibited excellence in the field of sports information. He served as the President of ECAC-SIDA in 2006-07 and was on the Board of Directors from 2000-2008.

After that, the little big man served on the CoSIDA Board of Directors from 2007-2010 and has served on numerous selection committees, facilitated professional workshops and spent time contributing to many panels at regional and national events. In 2011, he received his CoSIDA 25-Year Award for a quarter-century of service.

In his younger days while not in the office, Kent spent lots of time skiing, biking, backpacking and playing hockey, racquetball, and/or golf. Now, while he still does some of those things, he is just happy to be home with my wife and family, watching football or fixing up their house. They like to go to the theatre when they can, which gives them a little break from sports.

The athletic communications profession has changed so much and continues to be more demanding each and every year. Cherrington has a message to those young people in the business.

“Do everything you can to maintain a work-life balance. It’s easy to fall in love with the profession and work too much, but you have to give yourself a break and live a life away from the job,” he noted. “You’ll also be better at your job if you can do that. Also, don’t let the personal relationships fall by the wayside. Establish and cultivate personal and professional relationships, you’ll be forever grateful.”

Working at the college level has been rewarding for Kent as he positively influences the lives of people who are between the ages of 18-22. That’s very special to him.

“Having people tell me after they graduate that working in my office was the most meaningful part of their college experience means more to me than it did to them,” said Cherrington.

Not a bad career for a kid who wanted to grow up to be a sportscaster, before learning of this outstanding profession of sports information at the University of New Hampshire … and the rest is history.

It’s now time to stand up Kent and take your well-deserved spot in the CoSIDA Hall of Fame.