College Sports Information Directors of America

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Donny Nadeau – Saint Mary's University (Minn.), Sports Information Director

CoSIDA 25-Year Award

by Ryan Klinkner – Saint John’s University (Minn.), Athletic Media Relations Director

Employees are often philosophically asked, “Where do you see yourself in five or 10 years?”
 
A five-year prognostication tends to be easier to answer than the latter, but not for me. In 10 years I’ll be right where Saint Mary’s University (Minn.) sports information director Donny Nadeau is, finishing my 25^th year in the field and accepting a 25-Year Award from CoSIDA.
 
And, he’s soon to become a Hall of Famer at his institution – more on that later.
 
The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) has, and continues to have, a number of sports information directors who are leaders in the field.
 
And Nadeau, who has spent his entire 25 years in the profession at his alma mater, is at the top of that list. He has served as a role model of mine since early in my professional career.
 
As noted by MIAC commissioner Dan McKane, Donny is “a consummate professional and a friend of everyone.”
 
His work is consistent and content-driven, regardless of the event’s outcome. He is a writer at heart, but also led the way with videos and social media, as well as a weekly television show, “The Cardinals Nest,” which he created and co-hosts.
 
“Donny’s work ethic is second-to-none, but the thing that I love about Donny is his love for the university and all the students he works with,” said Nick Winecke, Saint Mary’s associate athletic director and the school’s head baseball coach since 2009. “He is one of the most caring individuals I have ever been around. His work ethic has had a huge impact on me personally.”
 
Deemed “Mr. Cardinal” by many inside and outside the Saint Mary’s community, Nadeau’s impact is far-reaching. It didn’t take athletic director Brian Sisson, who recently completed his second academic year at Saint Mary’s, very long to notice.
 
“Donny is our voice to all of Cardinal nation through the highs and lows, and is a first-class professional in all aspects of this line of work,” Sisson said. “He is invaluable in what he brings to our department and others each and every day.”
 
That even includes jumping into areas many SIDs do not.
 
 
“When I was a player, Donny would travel with the team on our spring break,” Winecke said. “One of my favorite moments was when we were rained out and couldn't play that day. The fields were soaked and we had nowhere to go practice, so we started to take batting practice in the parking lot of the hotel with wiffle balls. Donny jumped in and started to throw some BP. That day in the parking lot, I hit off Donny's BP for it seemed like hours. The next day I had a great day at the plate and it's all because of Donny's wiffle BP the day before.
 
“I will always remember the smile on his face and his love for all things Saint Mary's.”
 
A native of Woodbury, Minn., Nadeau was steered to Saint Mary’s by two people: his soccer and ice hockey coach, Steve Romanchuk — who was an SMU graduate — and his childhood friend, Bill Moore. Moore was a year older than Nadeau and ventured to Winona, Minn., to begin his collegiate career at the small, private school nestled in the scenic, Mississippi River bluffs.
 
When Moore spoke with the uncommitted Nadeau, he had nothing but great things to say about the institution.
 
Nadeau graduated from Saint Mary’s in 1985 with a degree in print journalism and spent 10 years in the newspaper business, as a sports reporter for the Austin (Minn.) Daily Herald and the Winona (Minn.) Daily News. He also served as the Winona Daily News’ sports editor and as a sports copy editor at the La Crosse (Wis.) Tribune. The job often required him to leave for work at 3 p.m., just as his children were returning home from school.
 
In 1994, Nadeau decided he wanted to spend more time with his family, so he left the world of newspapers to take over as the Cardinals’ sports information director.
 
Yes, you read that right. Nadeau recalls that, “the SID in 1994 didn’t work the hours they do now.”
 
Fast-forward 25 years, and a certain member of Nadeau’s hiring committee is still proud of his decision.
 
The current commissioner of the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association, Don Olson, served as the Cardinals’ head ice hockey coach for 30 seasons and as athletic director from 1982-00.
 
“Donny was the best and most important hire that I ever made as Saint Marys' athletic director,” Olson said. “He brought Cardinal athletics into the modern world of sports information and since has kept the college visibility and brand at a level that everyone associated with the college should be proud of. The  levels of excellence he has achieved are most closely related to his commitment, dedication and passion to advance the image of the college through sports.”
 
Moore reunited with Nadeau, his former roommate (having outgrown their alleged addiction to playing “Ms. Pacman” and “Donkey Kong”), at Saint Mary’s as the men’s ice hockey coach in 1989-90 and again for 12 seasons from 2007-19. He witnessed, firsthand, Nadeau’s abilities and hard work.
 
“The best way to describe Donny’s work ethic is the nickname that the MIAC men’s hockey coaches gave him - Super SID,” Moore said. “He never waited until morning to get a late-night story out. The story was out before he went to bed. Between the long days (and nights) and the sending copies of photos to parents, Donny does not know the word ‘no.’ He will get it done.”
 
“The amount of positivity that Donny brings to Saint Mary’s is unmeasurable,” Moore continued. “The stories that Donny writes adds to every athlete’s experiences. Their parents can get information, pictures, descriptions, statistics and any other pieces that will help tell the story of life-long memories. I do not believe anyone at Saint Mary’s creates more great memories for the athletes and their families than Donny Nadeau.”
 
Nadeau oversees 19 sports and has earned national recognition for his sports writing. In the CoSIDA Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest, this includes recent second in the district (event coverage) and third in the nation (athlete profile) honors.

He also has served as the host SID for two NCAA Division III Final Fours - in volleyball and women’s basketball - and spearheaded all media relations for the annual MIAC Men’s Hockey Showcase for the event’s 10 seasons from 2009-18.
 
“Having Donny as my SID during my time as a coach and an athletic director was truly a blessing,” said Dr. Nikki Fennern, vice president of enrollment and marketing at Judson University and Saint Mary’s athletic director from 2006-18. “Regarded as one of the best in the business, I never took for granted the tireless work ethic, countless hours, innovation and commitment of Donny to student-athletes, his colleagues and the university. Most importantly, I am very fortunate to be able to call Donny a great friend. He mentored me as a young coach and was a tremendous partner in administration.”
 
In 2011, Nadeau was named the MIAC’s recipient of the Mike Augustin Award, selected by the conference SID’s and presented annually to recognize outstanding contributions to MIAC athletic programs and student-athletes. 
 
Current St. Thomas (Minn.) head softball coach John Tschida values the contributions that Nadeau made over the years, including his distribution of photos in the pre-digital days. NCAA softball’s all-time leader in winning percentage (.839, 977-187 record), Tschida served as the Saint Mary’s  head coach from 1994 to the national-championship season of 2000. He later won two national championships with the Tommies and reached the Division III College World Series four other times. So, he knows success and great work.
 
“Donny would often take photographs of various student-athletes and give them a framed copy as a memorial for their career,” Tschida recollected. “Especially when photos were not so plentiful, it meant a great deal to the student-athletes in making them feel as if their career at Saint Mary’s was a special one. He presented the photograph along with a personalized letter and card telling them of how great of a career they had and how much they will be missed. He was a super fan, super sports information director and a super friend to the coaches.”
 
Tschida recounted just one example of how Nadeau will go above and beyond expectations in the service to Saint Mary’s student-athletes.
 
“I was especially impressed when Donny made our 2000 national championship in softball something bigger than any of us could have imagined,” he said. “Donny orchestrated a wonderful homecoming event that I have yet to experience or hear about at the Division III level. It was no small undertaking and I am sure he had a lot of help, but it made that championship something really special. Donny brought so many more people into our celebration and showed how sports can touch a lot of people at a very deep level.
 
Among the events he helped orchestrate:

• A police escort for the team from the Rochester (Minn.) airport to campus.
• A welcome-home gathering arranged through the university with a sound system set up to play “We are the Champions” by Queen as the team exited the bus.
• Members of the team were presented with t-shirts designed by Nadeau that read “National Champions.”
• A reception on the graduation stage that the entire school was excused to attend. The mayor of Winona was in attendance and declared it “Saint Mary’s University Softball Day” in the city. Each member of the team was on stage to be honored.
• Nadeau approached the school’s president to sponsor national championship rings.

 
On campus, Nadeau has received the Saint Mary’s Employee Recognition Award three times and earned the institution’s Bishop Patrick Heffron Award in 2014. The Heffron Award is presented to an employee who has contributed positively to the life of the university, demonstrated a long-term commitment to the values of the university and has been a model of the Lasallian spirit in interactions with colleagues and students.
 
Nadeau’s next honor is a huge one. He will be inducted into the Saint Mary's Sports Hall of Fame in March 2021.
 
“We informed him virtually a few weeks ago over a zoom call,” Sisson added. “We were strategic about it and just to see the raw emotion, and know how much that means to him. It was just amazing to see. It’s a moment neither of us will soon forget. The reaction of his Hall of Fame induction from our university and fan base was incredible, which just again goes to show how much he is respected and admired by so many.”
 
The humble Nadeau is like many in the sports information profession. He would rather stay behind the scenes and out of the limelight. But the outpouring of gratitude and praise struck a new chord with him.
 
And he is grateful for the acclaim.
 
“It’s nice to know that what you do is appreciated and valued,” Nadeau said humbly. “The emails and texts from former student-athletes and coaches has been awesome. Seeing the positive impact I’ve left on others has been so rewarding. This is why we do what we do.”