A giant in the sports PR industry, the United States Olympic Committe's chief communications leader for years, and a 2002 CoSIDA Hall of Fame inductee,
Mike Moran passed away July 7 at the age of 78. He began his career as a sports information director Nebraska-Omaha, his alma mater, and at the University of Colorado. He received a
CoSIDA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.
Moran spent almost a quarter-century as a spokesman and chief communications officer for the USOPC (then the USOC). He helped tell the story of Olympic athletes and played a huge factor in the growth and success of the U.S. Olympic movement.
Upon arriving at the USOPC in 1978, Moran invited college sports information directors to assist at the Olympic Games, the Olympic Festival and other international events. At the time, individual sports did not typically have full-time communications staff members. Moran, and later his colleague Bob Condron, provided opportunities for college SIDs to have these once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
Below are some excerpts from articles published about Moran. H/T to
teamusa.org.
Former CU SID, USOC Spokesman Mike Moran Passes Away
by David Plati, Associate AD/Sports Information
BOULDER — Mike Moran, who served as sports information director at the University of Colorado for 11 years and went on to a prestigious career as the chief communications officer and the principal spokesman for the United States Olympic Committee, passed away from a short illness Tuesday afternoon in Colorado Springs. He was 78.
His professional career in athletics would span some 55 years, highlighted by being the chief spokesman for the USOC for a quarter century (1978-2003) and the Olympic games starting in Lake Placid in 1980 through Salt Lake City in 2002. He previously had served as the SID at Nebraska-Omaha and Colorado, and for the last 17 years, was involved in major consultant work, including as the senior media consultant for the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation as well as serving as a keynote speaker and emcee for numerous sports events.
In 2002, the USOC honored him with its highest award, the General Douglas MacArthur Award, as he joined a select group of recipients that included Nobel Peace Prize Winner and former U.S. Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger, former USOC President and Secretary of the Treasury William E. Simon, New York Yankees principal owner George Steinbrenner, former USOC President William Martin, and 1936 Olympic sprinter Marty Glickman.
Read complete CUBuffs.com story
The Sports Examiner: Lane One: USOC’s transformative spokesman, Mike Moran, passes at 78
by Rich Perelman
It’s always sad to lose a friend.
It’s worse when a giant in his field leaves too early.
That was Mike Moran, the tall, elegant and ultra-professional spokesman for the United States Olympic Committee from 1979 to 2003, who passed away from complications related to pneumonia at 1:25 p.m. on Wednesday (7th) at Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
He was, in many ways, a living link between the USOC as it had been prior to the passage of the Amateur Sports Act of 1978 (now the Ted Stevens Olympic & Amateur Sports Act), and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee of today, headquartered in Colorado Springs.
Read complete Sports Examiner story
Colorado Springs Gazette: Longtime USOC, Sports Corp. media professional Mike Moran dies at 78
by Kate Shefte
Mike Moran, a longtime sports media and public relations professional on the international stage, died Tuesday afternoon at Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs of pneumonia complications. He was 78.
Moran spent 25 visible years with what is now called the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. He retired in 2003 as chief communications officer and the USOC’s principal spokesman.
He went on to serve as senior media consultant for The Colorado Springs Sports Corp. The organization stages The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, The Rocky Mountain State Games and The Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame inductions and promotes many other events.
Read complete Gazette story