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CoSIDA.com/ThankYourSID
This feature is part of our series of profiles showcasing members throughout the CoSIDA membership during the celebration of CoSIDA Membership Recognition Week for 2021. See more features at CoSIDA.com/ThankYourSID.
Casey Parrott – University of Montana Western, Sports Information/Athletics Facility Manager
by Barb Kowal – CoSIDA Director of Professional Development and External Affairs
Casey Parrott is in his sixth year as the Montana Western SID and athletics facility manager, and his work has been immediately noticed. Parrott has earned the NAIA’s Frontier Conference SID of the Year award three times and has won numerous national and district awards from NAIA-SIDA for his publications, graphics and game notes.
And, Parrott will soon add another career achievement to this list as in mid-November he begins a NCAA Division I opportunity as Director of Athletic Communications at the University of Idaho.
Read more about Parrott, his start in this career, his advice on balancing a multitude of responsibilities, committee work and volunteer time, and his passion for marathon and ultra-running events.
The Casey Parrott family hiking in Duluth this past summer: Casey and his wife, Hannah and daughters Kylie (6) and Lorelai (5).
Your start in athletic communications was documented in a feature by The Montana Standard’s Blake Fussell this past July. After graduating from Minnesota Duluth in 2010 as a biology major, you thought you would have a career in the forest industry.
Parrott in feature: “My wife, Hannah, wanted to go to school at Western so we moved out here and I went for any random jobs I could find. I built fences, did construction and cleaned windows. I still have a window business today. Hannah held a work-study job, and we went to dinner with her supervisor and her husband, who was an assistant coach and SID at the time. He invited me to work games. It was always a dream to be at the scorer's table for sporting events. So I ran the shot clock for that season, then he asked about doing volleyball and doing stats for football. I said 'yes, yes and yes'." The full-time job came open after I worked there for a year. I applied and did not get it. Later, I got a phone call out of the blue asking a if I would be interested in the (re-opened) job I had once applied for and not gotten. I was hired and the first year it was an overwhelming experience.”
Congratulations on earning Frontier Conference Sports Information Director of the Year honors three consecutive years (2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21). What do those recognitions, from your peers, mean to you?
CP: I'm humbled and honored, It also validates all the hard work I've put in over the years.
It was so cool to see the award with all the hard work that went into this last crazy season.With schedules being changed all the time, taking COVID seriously and just being able to adapt and change on the fly. Everything seemed to be constantly changing. We survived the season and when I found out I won the award, it was icing on the cake. You don't do it for the recognition, you do it for the student-athletes and your programs.
Casey Parrott taking his turn cutting the net on March 19, 2019 at the NAIA DI Women's basketball national championship, as Montana Western defeated Oklahoma City, 75-59, for the title.
And now, there’s another opportunity and career honor coming your way. What’s next on the career path?
?I’m taking a new and exciting step soon. On November 15, I start as the Director of Athletic Communications at the University of Idaho.
We know SIDs are multi-talented, task-oriented and skilled in many areas, and you fit that bill. In addition to traditional athletic communications duties, you are responsible for managing your Bulldog Athletic and Recreation Center (the BARC), serve on four university/athletic committees, and serve as co-race director of the Beaverhead Marathon. It also appears you do all this without an assistant. Tell us how you are able to manage it all - share some priority-making tips and time management advice for other SIDs that might struggle under a heavy load of responsibilities.
CP: It is a lot of long nights and dedication as a one-person office, but I have some of the best student workers, no lie! I've learned to delegate, and I've also learned not to stretch myself too thin, and just do what I can. That’s my advice - learn how to delegate, and do not stretch yourself over your limits.
What are the favorite aspects of your Montana Western job? Is it doing strategic branding projects? You seem very engaged with that. ?
CP: Being a part of the whole Montana Western rebranding process was a lot of fun and trying to make sure the new logos and color schemes and wording all works effectively is a little harder than I thought it would be. Yet, my favorite part of the process is the relationships that I get to build with our student-athletes.
An avid ultra-distance and marathon running, Casey Parrott is pictured running the Beaverhead 55k at the high point of the course (10,050 feet).
You've had successful national promotional campaigns for several of your student-athletes (WBCA and NAIA Division I Player of the Year Bri King, two-time All-American Jason Ferris and others). Can you talk about some of your PR and promotional strategies and storytelling ideas, sharing some of this advice with other SIDs? ?
CP: Those two athletes, Bri and Jason, were very special on and off the court and field and were easy to promote. Actually, I don't know if I had a specific strategy, but I was trying to get their names out as much as I could and tell their stories to more than just our local media. I made sure to highlight their performances the best I could across all our communications ways.
Did you compete in college athletics? We see you've finished three ultra-marathons, five marathons and 15 half-marathons. Do you have some favorite moments or successes from your running? What's next for you?
CP: I didn't compete in college athletics. I didn't even start running until I was in college. Some of my favorite moments would be finishing my first marathon, breaking the two hours time in a half marathon for the first time, and the entire experience of trail running and ultra-running.
On the schedule, I have a 15-mile trail race in Phoenix for December. Then, there’s a 32K race in Georgia at the end of March and the Beaverhead Endurance Run 55K in July. This race is done on the Continental Divide, on the boarder between Idaho and Montana.
As a youngster, what was your career ambition? And today, if not in intercollegiate athletics, what would be your "dream job"?
CP: When I was younger I wanted to be an orthodontist. But I kinda stumbled my way into my dream job in college athletics...If I had to choose another job...I wouldn't mind running a big ranch, out in the mountains.
Besides running and training for long distances, what would we find you doing in your spare time?
CP: What is spare time? :) If i'm not running, I'm with my family: either hiking, playing at the park or with our horse Wrangler.