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Darren Miller – University of Iowa
Currently: University of Iowa John Pappjohn Entrepreneurial Center Communications Specialist
Formerly Director of Multimedia Programming, University of Iowa Athletics

by Tom Galbraith – Randolph College, Director of Athletics // CoSIDA Special Awards Committee

It may be the most unique start in the sports information field in the history of CoSIDA. Darren Miller’s path to a quarter-century career in college athletics media relations began with a work study job in food service at his alma mater, Wartburg College.

If not for a mix-up with Daylight Savings Time and when to show up for that cafeteria job, who knows where his career may have landed. Thankfully, that mix-up led to a conversation with Iowa Conference sports information legend, CoSIDA Hall of Famer, and then Wartburg SID, Duane Schroeder. That conversation led to a new work study position, and the path was set.
 

When you talk to Miller about his career, it is clear he is proud of that path. It’s because the stops along way, much like his cafeteria job that led to the SID office, always seemingly led somewhere that others in the profession thought weren’t possible.

“People always say you can’t go from a weekly newspaper to a daily, or from a Division III sports information job to a Division I office,” Miller said. “So, you work hard, do a good job, and make an impression to let people know you would be a quality candidate for any position. Do the best job wherever you are. That was my motto.”

That motto led him from Wartburg to the Tipton Conservative (weekly county seat newspaper) to Cornell College to the University of Iowa – all those jumps that people indicated were difficult to achieve.

His first job out of college wasn’t in sports information – or was it? He was a newspaper reporter and first sports editor in his hometown of Tipton, Iowa, covering high school sports, but doing it in a unique way. He modeled his coverage after what he learned under Schroeder, keeping statistics and writing stories more in a feature style, which was different than others with similar newspaper gigs were doing. Sound familiar?

“I basically became the SID for Tipton’s entire high school conference – way before MaxPreps or any of those other services,” Miller said. “Coaches would call me each week with their stats and storylines, and I would compile all of them for the league and write stories on student-athletes from those small towns.”

Fast forward 10 years to 1997 and Cornell College is looking for a sports information director 30 miles up the road in Mount Vernon. The men’s basketball coach for the Rams was originally from Tipton and the wrestling coach knew of Miller’s work at The Conservative because his sons competed in that same high school conference. Because of that reliance and recognition of the quality work being done at a small weekly newspaper, once again, Miller’s path took an unexpected turn and led to a Division III head SID job.

The grind of a Division III SID and a weekly newspaper editor were remarkably similar. Quickly, Miller learned of the comradery and professional support system that exists among Division III SIDs. More Hall of Famers were there to help guide his transition to the college level, like Larry Happel at Central College and Dave Wrath at Augustana College. But it wasn’t just the SIDs with the most accolades who made an impression.

“Even today, the person I call more than anyone outside of my family is Paul Misner (SID at the University of Dubuque),” Miller said. “I met Paul at my first Iowa Conference SID meeting, and we’ve been friends ever since.”

Misner, along with dozens of other SIDs at the Division III level, made an impact on Miller’s 10 years at Cornell. There were too many to name, but Miller says he has the utmost respect for the job being done by any Division III SID, mostly as one-person shops and covering more sports and events than anyone cares to imagine.

In 2007, the path again took another turn. And again, just a few miles down the road to the University of Iowa. But it was a conversation a few years earlier with another CoSIDA Hall of Famer (2022 inductee) Steve Roe, that launched a transition to the Big Ten and Power 5 sports information duties and assignments.

Cornell College was hiring a new football coach for the 2006 season, and looking for guidance, Miller called Roe for advice on how to put on a successful news conference. Like many others in the profession, the two had met at CoSIDA conventions and developed a professional relationship that made the request for assistance a natural one. They had also seen each other work at the Drake Relays, one of the few places in the profession where SIDs from all divisions are working the same event.

The one-time hometown weekly sports editor spent the next 14 years covering everything from bowl games to national championships for the Hawkeyes. He was also able to follow the track and field careers of two daughters — Ashley, a Big 12 and Big Ten champion and All-American for Nebraska, and Melissa, a multi-event performer for Iowa.

Miller gets a little choked up when you mention the role his family has played in his career. He and his wife, Ann, have four adult children and four young grandchildren.

From having Melissa visit the Cornell College baseball press box so dad could take a few photos before she headed off to prom, or road-tripping with his son to Wisconsin in a beat-up farm truck to buy a live ram that would become the Cornell mascot, Ulysses III, the Millers have always found a way to incorporate the sports information life into their everyday world.

“You cannot do this job without an understanding family, and especially a spouse,” Miller said. “Ann has been the best for 34 years.”

After spending 14 years in Iowa’s athletic communications office, most recently as the director of multimedia programming, Miller has now transitioned professionally to communications specialist at the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center, still at the University of Iowa - and spends too much time telling exaggerated stories of his CoSIDA softball tournament glory days.

He also volunteers his nights and weekends covering those same high school teams he did as the weekly sports editor over two decades ago.

Truly, the path has become a circle.