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Ivan Maisel – ESPN.com

Jake Wade Award recipient (CoSIDA's media award)
 

by Claude Felton, University of Georgia Sr. Associate Athletic Director

In the spring of 1980, the University of Georgia was hosting the NCAA Men’s Tennis Championships for the fourth consecutive year. I was in my first year as sports information director with the Bulldogs. In the mid-1970’s under coach Dick Gould, Stanford was beginning to put a stranglehold on the NCAA men’s tennis title. Georgia was on its way to calling ourselves the Mecca of collegiate tennis as we would go on to host what is currently 35 of these annual championships and also house the ITA Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame.

Walking into what was then the old wooden press box atop the grandstand at Henry Feild Tennis Stadium on the first morning of the 1980 championships, a young man with pad and pen (or may have been a pencil) was sitting on the far right side— and that was not too far since ten seats was about capacity.

I introduced myself to him and he said “I’m Ivan Maisel from the Stanford Daily.” Ivan was good luck for Stanford as the Cardinal won the title that year. He must have done a good job since the paper sent him back again the following year to cover what was another Stanford championship. 

And most of us know the rest of the story.
 

But that was the beginning of what would become a career worthy of the highest awards and recognition in the profession, and now CoSIDA’s Jake Wade Award — presented annually since 1958 to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution in the media to the field of intercollegiate athletics. This Wade honor is an appropriate way to express how much the college sports information and media relations professionals across the country appreciate the opportunity to work with Ivan over four decades. 

To recap the required bio following graduation from Stanford: The Atlanta Constitution (1981-82), Sports Illustrated (1982-87), The Orlando Sentinel (1987), Dallas Morning News (1987-94), Newsday (1994-97), Sports Illustrated (1997-2002); and now, since 2002, Maisel serves as ESPN.com Senior Writer.

Borrowing from his official ESPN bio, Ivan has been “…honored seven times for Best Story by the Football Writers Association of America, most recently for a 2018 ESPN.com column about the family of Tyler Hilinski, the Washington State quarterback who ended his life in January of that year. The FWAA honored Maisel in Jan. 2016 with the Bert McGrane Award, the equivalent of the organization’s Hall of Fame. He also has been honored twice by the Associated Press Sports Editors, who in 2019 named him one of the 10 best sports columnists in the nation. Maisel also serves on the Honors Court, which selects the members of the College Football Hall of Fame for the National Football Foundation.”

Most recently he is best known as the Editor-at-Large for ESPN College Football 150, the multi-platform project commemorating the sesquicentennial of the sport this past year.
 

Those are facts and figures. His story and his legacy, however, are best told by some of those in our profession who have had the good fortune to cross paths with Ivan along the way:

“Ivan is a true southern gentleman — respectful, thoughtful and considerate. Just try to imagine a Mobile, Ala., guy fitting in at Stanford, and you will understand what makes Ivan a good friend to so many SIDs. We’re all better off for having crossed paths with him.” — Bill Hancock, Executive Director, College Football Playoff
 
“Ivan has a God-like voice when he talks and he should be a god-like figure for up-and-coming young journalists to emulate. He is the best.” — David Housel, former Sports Information Director and Director of Athletics, Auburn University (retired)
 
“It’s my belief that outstanding writers like Ivan Maisel have played a meaningful role in helping elevate the popularity of college football through the years. He always goes below the surface of a story and brings to life a perspective that isn’t always obvious. Any story that has an Ivan Maisel byline is an adventure that captures my undivided interest and takes my mind on an entertaining and revealing journey. And all of us who’ve had the opportunity to work with him also understand that behind the writing is a caring and compassionate person who brings great dignity and class to his profession.” — Doug Vance, Executive Director, CoSIDA
 
“Ivan is one of those icons of the business. There was a long period of time that if you were hosting a big game, Ivan was going to be in attendance and write not just one, but several stories leading up to it. A true friend of college sports and always fair and accurate in his reporting.” — Dave Plati, Associate AD/Sports Information Director, University of Colorado
 
“I’ve had the great fortune of knowing Ivan Maisel since he began covering college football in the mid-1980s. When Ivan comes calling, you know you are getting an interested, passionate and personable journalist who will cover your story fairly and accurately. He has done numerous USC stories over the years, as conflicting as that might be for a Stanford grad raised in Alabama, and each one provided readers with nuggets that other writers hadn’t unearthed. Our coaches and athletes always enjoy their time with Ivan, not only because he is so easy to work with but he has incredible depth and breadth of knowledge on all things college football. The job he did last year helming ESPN’s celebration of college football’s 150th anniversary was phenomenal … and no one in the country was more capable of taking on that project than Ivan.” — Tim Tessalone, Sports Information Director, USC
 
“Spend any amount of time with Ivan and it's quickly apparent he is thoroughly invested in college football—its people, its history and its traditions. With his wry sense of humor and his measured disposition, you always know what to expect from him. When ESPN put him in charge of content creation for the CFB150 celebration, it was hardly a surprise—he was the obvious and perfect choice.”  — John Heisler, Senior Associate Athletics Director, University of Central Florida
 
“Ivan Maisel has long been recognized as one of the giants of his profession. His coverage of intercollegiate athletics, especially football, continues to provide fans throughout the nation with journalistic excellence. Not only is Ivan an award-winning and nationally respected journalist, he is an even better person who has been a great friend to CoSIDA and to those in our profession who have enjoyed the honor of knowing him.” — Langston Rogers, former Sr. Associate Athletics Director, Ole Miss (retired)
 
“Ivan’s first job out of Stanford was covering Clemson for the Atlanta Constitution in 1981, the year Clemson won its first National Championship. There were many great personalities for him to write about, from Danny Ford to William Perry. He captured it all for his readers. I was just 25 and in my fourth year working under the legendary Bob Bradley so it was a great season for both of us. You could tell from the get-go he was a terrific writer and he was as professional as a 20-year veteran on the beat.” — Tim Bourret, former Assistant Athletic Director/Sports Information Director, Clemson University (retired)
 
“Name two people who have more knowledge of the game of college football and its grand history than Ivan. I think you would be hard-pressed to find even one who could match his knowledge of the game. That’s why he was chosen to lead the charge in commemorating college football’s 150th anniversary celebration this past season. He is the authority. And, his expertise doesn’t end with just one sport. His knowledge and the quality of his writing on the collegiate landscape is vast, which in turn benefits all of us who follow him.” — Charlie Fiss, Vice President of Communications, Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

Great testimonies to a 40-year career chronicling college football. 

Ivan is par excellence as a wordsmith, brings respect from all those with whom he works, does it all with extraordinary integrity, and brings admiration from his peers in the profession as well as those of us with whom he has worked so closely.

A huge CoSIDA salute and congratulations to Ivan Maisel – our 2020 Jake Wade Award recipient.