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CoSIDA Hall of Fame
Mark Brand – Arizona State University, Senior Associate AD, Media Relations
CoSIDA Hall of Fame Class of 2022
by Jeff Munn – Sun Devil Radio/Former Sun Devil Media Relations student assistant
In his office at Arizona State University’s Carson Center,
Mark Brand has a small sample of the numerous awards he has earned over his nearly 40 years with Sun Devil Athletics.
Yes, he has been recognized for CoSIDA publication awards and involvement as a member of the Board of Directors and Vice-President of The Valley of the Sun Chapter of The National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Football Hall of Fame since 1989. Recently, he was selected to be a member of the District 7 Screening Committee of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. And, on April 23, Brand was awarded the Distinguished Arizonan Award by the NFF Valley of the Sun Chapter where this video on Brand and his achievements was played.
However, it doesn’t take long to realize that what Mark takes most pride in are the relationships built over all his years at Arizona State and in his association with people across the athletic industry. For Mark, one of the most trusted public relations professionals in the country, it has always been about people. People first. Always.
Longevity is not the only explanation for the list of student-athletes, coaches, administrators, media, and media relations professionals whose lives have been made brighter by coming in contact with Mark Brand. When you become a friend, an employee, or a colleague of Mark’s, you become a member of Mark’s extended family. That’s how he views it, and how he treats you from that moment forward.
Mark’s ASU role is highly visible. His days are filled with the challenges that come with helping the media navigate the complicated world of college athletics, and the personalities that make it special. Spend time with Mark, and you learn it’s the private moments with those he cares about that shows what matters most to him.
There are an infinite number of stories of Mark extending a word of encouragement or comfort, offering help to someone struggling with a crisis, or simply reminding someone who needs to hear it how much they are cared about.
Yet, Mark’s favorite moments are the times spent sharing stories and the warm laughter that goes with it, the chance to share his favorite dining spots both local and national (the list is long), or helping students learn how rewarding a career in athletic media relations can be.
In reality, Mark teaches those lessons by example. Steady leadership. Open door policy. Understanding that college athletics is as much about people as anything else. Doing things the right way. Every day.
Over time, Mark has expressed his philosophy about life and his work in ways that may seem basic, but are profound.
To a colleague who was considering a career move: Everything’s worth a shot.
To a media relations staffer concerning the goal of their work: We do it for Sparky.
To another media relations staffer struggling with health issues: I love you.
Ask Mark about the “alumni” of his office, and he beams with pride. Students and staff who have worked in Sun Devil Media Relations often move on to positions that range from athletic administration to the corporate world of public relations. One even went into the world of politics as an Arizona State Senator. Anytime former staffers and colleagues of Mark Brand gather, they share a bond. The kind that comes with not just being co-workers. And it starts at the top.
One of the great lessons Mark has passed on to those many students is the example of a life lived with balance. Mark and his wife Lori have worked to make sure their two daughters, Ashley and Lindsey, were brought up in a home where strong character was blended with the reminder that family always comes first.
While football has been his primary focus for over three decades, Mark can recite facts, figures, interesting notes, and anecdotes on any of ASU’s 26 varsity sports. This can only be done when one has a passion for what they do. It’s not just a responsibility. He does it because he cares.
Yet Mark also knows, and teaches, that sports is so much more than numbers, or wins and losses. It’s also about relationships. When student-athletes return to Tempe, regardless of the sport, a visit to media relations is almost always on the itinerary. Mark’s connection with ASU student-athletes has no end point, and it’s easy to see they view it the same way.
Mark Brand with his wife Lori
A life well lived also comes with it moments of laughter. Mark’s gift as a wordsmith ensures he’ll always have the perfect punch line. Never with malice, always with heart. He delights in surprises – you never know when Mark will introduce you to someone famous, just to see the look of amazement on your face.
And oh yes, he does know many famous people. He also knows and cherishes his relationships with the less well-known. The majority of photos in his office are of people you’d never recognize, but each one of them has a special connection to Mark, and their connection to him are stories he loves to share.
This is the greatest tribute any of us who are blessed to be in Mark’s extended family can pay to him: it is impossible to imagine Mark Brand NOT being a part of Sun Devil Athletics. Through nine Athletic Directors and eight head football coaches, Brand has not only symbolized what it means to be a Sun Devil, he has served as a source of stability, allowing those 17 individuals to feel secure in the knowledge that they couldn’t be in better hands.
He has also, with humility, become the anchor for his fellow Sun Devil administrators.
They look to him for guidance. He knows what to do.
Mark Brand. Husband. Father. Administrator. Friend. Sun Devil. His induction into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame is deserved, and it will be cherished. It is also CoSIDA letting its membership in on something those of us in his “family” have known for a long time.
Gallery: (5-13-2022) Mark Brand CoSIDA Hall of Fame