College Sports Information Directors of America

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• Past Mary Jo Haverbeck Trailblazer Award recipients

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Sam Atkinson – Gallaudet University, Associate Athletic Director for Communications
Incoming 2020-21 CoSIDA President

Mary Jo Haverbeck Trailblazer Award
Presented annually to an individual who is a pioneer in the field of sports information who has mentored and helped improve the level of ethnic and gender diversity within CoSIDA. Voted on by the Special Awards Committee.

by Aaron Sagraves – Cornerstone University, Director of Athletics/former CoSIDA Board member and former NAIA-SIDA President

Hard work, dedication, creativity, and passion are instrumental traits to any successful professional and ones that carry them through the workday, season after season, year after year. For Gallaudet University’s Sam Atkinson, currently serving as CoSIDA’s first vice president, these are the traits that have helped him shape the lives of hundreds of student-athletes and coaches - at what many of us would consider to be one of the most challenging jobs we have ever faced.
 
According to the Gallaudet website, the school is viewed by deaf and hearing people alike as a primary resource for all things related to deaf people, including educational and career opportunities; open communication and visual learning; deaf history and culture, American Sign Language (ASL) and the impact of technology on the deaf community.
 
“Sam shared his story of learning American Sign Language when he got the job at Gallaudet, commented Laurie Bollig, CoSIDA’s Director of Membership Engagement. “It was important for him not only to learn the language but also the nuanced meanings and the ways it is spoken by the student-athletes on his campus. He really immersed himself in the culture of the university, and we know it did not go unnoticed.”
 
 
Responding, training himself and learning the aspects of the deaf community culture and excelling at it all is one of the major reasons why Atkinson was selected as recipient of CoSIDA’s 2020 Mary Jo Haverbeck Trailblazer Award. This honor, named for the late Haverbeck, a long-time Penn State university sports information professional, is presented annually to an individual who is a pioneer in the field of sports information and who has mentored and helped improve the level of ethnic and gender diversity within CoSIDA.
 
Atkinson is a leader in CoSIDA and at the NCAA level as well. In 2015, he was named to the CoSIDA Board of Directors and has since moved into the officer rotation. He will take over as the organization’s President in June. He will become the second person to serve as CoSIDA President while an active member of NCAA Division III. Atkinson also just completed a four-year term on the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Committee. He broke a barrier by becoming the first SID to sit in the role of committee chair, serving in that role for two years (2018-2020).
 
When we think of how many athletic communication professionals go through their days, we think of the interactions with coaches, video interviews to set up a marketing campaign, statistics for a showdown between rivals, writing feature stories, interacting with administrators on communications strategies, and much more. What we don’t think about is how easy those responsibilities may come to us compared to what Sam has had the challenge and opportunity to do at GU.
 
“At Gallaudet University, we have amazing stories to share with the world. There is no other place like Gallaudet in the world,” noted Atkinson.
 
From the very start, that dedication was shown in abundant ways as he had to learn American Sign Language (ASL) to work directly with his fellow employees and student athletes.
 
“The first year was a big transitional year for me and a shock to my system”, added Atkinson. "This was not your typical sports information job. I had so much to learn and I was humbled by my lack of communication skills in the deaf world. It forced me to change my approach and I knew I was going to be the one who had to adapt and learn how to sign and communicate or this wouldn't last long.”
 
The significant challenges at Gallaudet, with it being a school for the deaf and hard-of-hearing students, has not deterred Atkinson in any way as he follows the mission of the school to be a beacon in the world for visual learning, visual language, social justice and full rights for deaf and hard-of-hearing people. Many of his students, graduate assistants and Interns have gone on to have great careers themselves, furthering an impact on so many.
 
Current CoSIDA Board of Directors member and former NCAA D3SIDA President Lenny Reich reflected on these challenges that Sam faces each day.
 
“All of us at times are challenged to relate to college-age students, but at least we speak the same language,” said Reich. “Sam took on the challenge and looked at it as an opportunity to not only make him more effective at his job but show a level of respect to the student-athletes that he wanted to directly communicate with them."
 
This award is the second CoSIDA Special Award that Sam has received in the last six years. In 2015, he also was recipient of the Bob Kenworthy Community Service Award for his tremendous volunteer work and civic involvement in his community and with CoSIDA. At the time, he was chair of the CoSIDA Goodwill and Wellness Committee and initiated numerous annual programs for CoSIDA members (convention 5K fun run/walk, annual charity involvement at the CoSIDA convention city, to name a few).
 
Back on campus, Atkinson has led the charge of placing Gallaudet Athletics on the map thanks to expanded national and international media coverage of Bison sports since his arrival to D.C.. His media savviness has helped to land Bison athletics on the front cover of national newspapers, magazines to being featured on network television and local media outlets including top sport websites.
 
In his time at Gallaudet, he helped the promotion of numerous stories that were featured in USA Today, The Washington Post and ESPN.com. He also visited the White House to meet then- President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden where they recognized current Gallaudet baseball coach, Curtis Pride and Pride’s appointment to the President’s Council for Fitness, Sports and Nutrition.
 
While we may think that this is what we are supposed to do in the promotion of our athletes and coaches, it is the challenges – and opportunities – that face Atkinson, and the way he does this on his campus that make him so special.
 
“Sam was one of the key players in working with GU Athletics to implement a new GU Athletics Transgender Inclusion Policy. Thanks to him, we were one of the first programs in the nation to include the policy on our website to promote the principles of equity and inclusion for transgender student-athletes,” notes Gallaudet University President Roberta J. Cordano.
 
The challenges go beyond what Sam has in front of him as he works on a campus and in a department where he is one of the few people with the ability to hear. Each conversation and each interaction when he shares the student-athlete story comes with a challenge - and one he has never backed down from.
 
“Sam looks at challenges and doesn’t see road blocks – he sees opportunities,” said former CoSIDA President Pete Moore, Syracuse University Director of Athletic Communications. “He approaches tasks with great focus and determination to complete whatever he takes on. Above all, I believe Sam cares about others, and that shows in his leadership style.”
 
As Sam continues to thrive in his role at GU, he also knows he carries the responsibility of increasing the level of communication, education and understanding for fellow colleagues and those inside and outside the university.
 
“When you work in a deaf and hard of hearing environment you need to be as visual as possible,” Atkinson noted. “We are a bilingual University using ASL and English as our main modes of communication. ASL is a beautiful language that is completely visual and very expressive, especially with facial expressions and body language. It has been vital to educate outside media and the outside world about Gallaudet University and the Deaf culture and erase misnomers.”
 
Erasing stigma, tearing down barriers, advocating for diversity and walking the talk is what defines Sam Atkinson. He is a worthy recipient of the Haverbeck Trailblazer Award.