College Sports Information Directors of America

Sports Information Director of the Year: Donnie Smith, Southeastern University (Fla.)

The NAIA Sports Information Director of the Year is awarded annually to one SID based on accomplishments during the previous year in the areas of athletics communication, sports information, strategic communication and service to the NAIA.

The 2021 recipient of the NAIA Sports Information Director of the Year is Donnie Smith of Southeastern University (Fla.). With this honor, Smith becomes the first person in the history of the award to earn it twice. Smith has served in his role at Southeastern for the past eight years and has a highly decorated history serving both Fire Athletics and The Sun Conference.

Over the past year, Southeastern’s athletics website was ranked No. 6 in the NAIA by his peers across the country in the annual NAIA-SIDA Publications Contest.

Smith, no stranger to covering his student-athletes at a high level, has overseen several successful media campaigns that have landed multiple Southeastern student-athletes in Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd section. Additionally, Smith is a two-time recipient of The Sun Conference’s SID of the Year award, handed-out annually by the SID’s in the conference.

Smith currently serves as the NAIA-SIDA First Vice-President and is in rotation to become the association’s president in 2024. He has served on the board as an at-large member since 2017, prior to rising to First Vice-President.

In addition to his work at Southeastern, Smith was the pronouncer for the 2021 Central Florida Spelling Bee, which was a qualifier for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Further, the IU South Bend (Ind.) graduate serves as the official scorer in the MiLB Florida Complex League.

“Donnie’s willingness to assist the conference is second to none. He is one that I, without hesitation, will call on for feedback, advice, and suggestions,” said Paul Dodson, The Sun Conference Director of Communications. “His past experiences in dealing with league matters make him a vital person within the conference and one who understands the “big picture” when promoting our student-athletes.”


Clarence "Ike" Pearson SID Award: Matthew Hicks, Southern States Athletic Conference  

Given annually to a member of the NAIA Sports Information Directors Association (NAIA-SIDA), the Clarence “Ike” Pearson Award honors outstanding contributions to the profession. The award is named in honor of the former statistical crew chief of the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship in Kansas City, Mo.

The 2021 recipient of the Clarence “Ike” Pearson Award is Matthew Hicks, whom has been with the Southern States Athletic Conference since 2016, and is currently serving as the Associate Commissioner. Additionally, Hicks served as the Assistant Commissioner for his first four years with the conference. Prior to his time in his current role, the Mississippi State graduate spent 10 years as the sports information director at Mobile (Ala.).

Over the course of his career, Hicks has filled a number of roles at NAIA national championships, including the media coordinator at the NAIA Tennis Championships from 2007 to 2016, and the same role at the NAIA Men’s Soccer and Softball National Championships. As one of the most trusted veterans of the field in the NAIA, Hicks regularly answers the call to assist in any number of roles at national championship final sites, opening rounds and within the conferences he has worked in prior to his time in the conference office.

Hicks was named the Southern States Athletic Conference’s Sports Information Director of the year in both 2014-15 and 2015-16, thanks in large part to his contributions to the field while at Mobile.

“Matthew is not a 40-hour per week person. His entire professional life and his time is committed to college athletics and anything he can do to promote student-athletes, coaches and teams,” said Mike Hall, Southern States Athletic Conference Commissioner. “I have been in college athletics since 1984, starting my 38th year. I was an athletic director for almost 20 years and now a commissioner in my ninth year. Matthew Hicks is without a doubt my best hire. He is selfless, always says yes and does everything with perfection.”


Hall of Fame: Scott Cummings, McKendree University (Ill.) - Meritorious Service  

The late Scott Cummings of McKendree University was a highly respected member of the college athletics communications industry for many years, and was synonymous with the NAIA in the countless ways he served the association. Cummings spent his last 22 years as the Sports Information Director at McKendree, and also had an eight-year stint as the SID at his alma mater in Union College (Ky.) before his untimely passing in December 2020 after an 18-month battle with throat cancer.

His contributions to the NAIA over his 30-year career include serving as a media coordinator, a statistician and a mentor to new SIDs and many NAIA staff. Cummings served as the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship media coordinator for 15 years (1997 – 2001) and also worked in the same capacity for the NAIA championships at Women’s Golf (2000), Men’s Wrestling (2000) and Outdoor Track & Field (2008-09). Additionally, he was the official statistician at the NAIA Football National Championship for 13 years (1999 – 2011).

Cummings also served as the Mid-South Conference Football Information Director (1993-99), NAIA Region V Information Director (1999-2000), Mid-South Conference Baseball/Softball Information Director (1998-99), American Midwest Conference Sports Information Director (2005-11) and basketball public address announcer at Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) (2012-19).

He wrote thousands of press releases, traveled thousands of miles, mentored limitless individuals and called the play-by-play for hundreds of games, including a streak of 295 consecutive football games dating back to 1992 and his days at Union. Cummings also served as the Gateway Grizzlies' official scorer since 2012, and was the second-longest tenured member of the Grizzlies' press box staff.

Cummings received the NAIA’s Clarence "Ike" Pearson Award in 2005, the highest honor that can be given to an SID at the NAIA level, and was recognized in 2020 with the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) 25-Year Award for his long-time commitment and service to the athletic communications profession. He was a winner of 57 NAIA-SIDA Publication Contest Awards, including 10 first-place awards, and was a two-time Mid-South Conference Sports Information Director of the Year (1996-97, 1997-98).

He was a member of CoSIDA and NAIA-SIDA for 30 years and served as president of the NAIA Sports Information Directors from 2003-05.

Following his passing, the American Midwest Conference (AMC) changed the naming of the Conference’s annual Sports Information Director (SID) of the Year award in honor of the late Cummings. He was also inducted into the McKendree Hall of Fame in 2021.

An avid New York Yankees, New York Giants, and New Jersey Devils fan, Cummings enjoyed spending time with his family and supporting his children while playing sports. Some of his favorite memories include getting to work with his daughter Hailey at the scorer's table at McKendree and son Ryan at McKendree and Gateway Grizzles games.

The impact Cummings had on the NAIA, the sports information industry and every individual he encountered will be felt and remembered for generations to come.