College Sports Information Directors of America

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CoSIDA.com/ThankYourSID

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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.


Adam Prendergast – Troy University, Associate Director of Athletics/Communications & Creative Content

by Chad Jackson – Armstrong State, Director of Sports Communications

As the Troy University Associate Director of Athletics / Communications & Creative Content, Adam Prendergast has direct sports media relations responsibilities for football, men's basketball, men's and women’s golf, men’s tennis and is the secondary softball contact as he manages the five-member department. He joined the Troy Athletics staff in January 2012. Prendergast currently serves on the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Board of Directors.
 
Prendergast recently underwent a nearly 100-pound weight loss, which he talks about below, along with his ideas and advice for young professionals and his thoughts on the top skills for SIDs.
 

Talk to us about how you first got into athletic communications.
AP: I actually got started in the profession in high school, although I didn't know it at the time. I quit playing football following ninth grade and began writing for my high school newspaper. That turned into writing for the Over the Mountain Journal, the Birmingham News and the Birmingham Post-Herald, all while still in high school. I also started doing the stats for our baseball team. I also handled a lot of the media obligations for the program, which were a lot as they won four state championships and a USA Today National Championship while I was in school.

My newspaper advisor, Candis Hacker, was a huge Auburn fan and connected me with Kent Partridge, who was the head of Auburn's media relations office at the time. I started working in the Auburn SID office from the moment I stepped on campus in the fall of 1998 and was the primary contact for the gymnastics team (got to travel and everything) as a freshman in college.

My love for the profession just manifested from there thanks to Meredith Jenkins, Kirk Sampson, Dan Froehlich, Ayanna Wakefield and countless others at Auburn who more patience with me than I probably deserved.
 

Mental health and physical health among CoSIDA's membership have been an ever-increasing focus. We've heard that you have been taking great strides in your own life to improve your health - what have you done and what was the motivating factor for this?
AP: Word is getting around, I guess! I've actually lost 97 pounds since Sept. 2020, and I feel amazing! My wife Kelley and I welcomed our third child, Noah, in Dec. 2018, and I was ready to make a change then, but life happened, and I kept putting it off. However, the final straw came after seeing a picture from July 4th weekend during the pandemic when I had just let it go too far. My family has been amazing in helping with this journey and so have my colleagues at work. It's been a challenge at times, especially living the SID life, but I couldn't be happier with the results!
 
What is one key professional development skill or management/productivity tip for SIDs that you'd like to share? (such as prioritizing tasks, managing student/intern staffs, handling overlapping seasons, etc.)
AP: This is a tough one because there are so many different responsibilities we tackle daily and so many hats we wear throughout the year. I would like to think that we've done a good job in how we manage and treat our students and graduate assistants during my time at Troy. We've had amazing success with our GA program and are extremely proud to see them all flourishing with great jobs both in and out of the profession.

My philosophy has always been to treat our students and graduate assistants like I was treated when I was coming up in the profession by the likes of Kirk, Kent, Dan, Meredith and Ayanna. We want to give them as much responsibility as they can handle and then probably just a little bit more! We are in a learning profession, and I think the best way for the up and comers in our business to learn is to do it first-hand. We want to give as much freedom to our graduate assistants and student interns to learn without the fear of making mistakes while being there to help lead them along the way and make sure that a mistake doesn't become multiple mistakes.
 

What advice do you have for young professionals looking to start their careers in sports information?
AP: Get involved! Work as many events as you can and make yourself as diverse as possible within our field. The great Stan Cole at Campbell gave me my first full time job because I could do volleyball stats. You never know what a particular school will be looking for when hiring, so by making yourself as versatile as possible with a wide range of skills. Be a Swiss Army Knife - you open yourself up to more opportunities.

But my number one piece of advice, show up, get involved and be someone that can dependable and accountable.

Outside of work, what would we find you doing?
AP: Yelling at MLB umpires on Twitter … only half kidding here! I have an unhealthy obsession with baseball, especially the Toronto Blue Jays, and have successfully brainwashed my entire family into being Blue Jays fans as well. Outside of that, I love spending as much time away from the office as I can with my family – I've got three great kids (Ethan, Emma Kate and Noah), and my wife and I just celebrated our 15th anniversary. We spent our off weekend this year from football at the Peanut Butter Festival, watching my daughter dance, and most evenings are usually spent at the rec fields watching soccer or baseball. Outside of that, I love Star Wars, Classic Rock and the Dave Matthews Band. These days though I’m usually listening to Hamilton on repeat - it’s just a masterpiece.