UPDATE: Funeral Service on June 17 to be livestreamed
The Valdiserri funeral service will take place on Friday, June 17 at 9:30 AM Eastern, on the Basiica of the Sacred Heart on the University of Notre Dame campus. The funeral will be live streamed, and the URL to watch is:
https://basilica.nd.edu/sacraments/funerals/funerals-livestream/
One of the giants in college athletics and a founding father of athletic communications and sports information, CoSIDA Hall of Famer Roger Valdiserri passed away on June 2.
He revolutionized the profession of sports information during his career. A proud 1954 Notre Dame graduate, Valdiserri was the University's sports information director for 28 years.
Valdiserri was inducted into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame in 1981 and was also recognized by CoSIDA with the Arch Ward Award (1987), Lifetime Achievement Award (1995) and Lester Jordan Award (1995). He joined the officer rotation as a vice president in 1983-84 before becoming the organization's 32nd president in 1986-87, concluding his CoSIDA leadership rotation in 1989-90.
“Roger Valdiserri leaves an enduring legacy as one of the true giants of the sports information profession,” noted Doug Vance, CoSIDA Executive Director. “He taught many of us the importance of relationships in doing the job and helping colleagues in the profession. I feel blessed that I knew him and I learned so much by the examples he set for many years.”
To quote Notre Dame’s legendary football coach Ari Parseghian, “No one ever understood Notre Dame better or represented it better. Roger’s importance to the university is immeasurable.” Parseghian wrote this in the book, “Strong of Heart.”
To honor his legacy and his tremendous influence in college athletics and particulary athletic communications, Valdiserri was honored the in September 2021 by the University of Notre Dame in conjunction with the Notre Dame-Purdue football game. The festivities included a Friday luncheon on the patio outside the Notre Dame Press Box, the dedication of a permanent seat in the press box in his honor, recognition at the game and on NBC television by Mike Tirico, and the announcement that the Roger Valdiserri Scholarship had raised $250,000 in just a few months.
The Valdiserri Scholarship will go to students who work in the Roger Valdiserri Student Worker Program within Fighting Irish Media. Each year, the Roger Valdserri Award will be an honor given to the top senior student assistant in the program.
Roger O. Valdiserri — 1927-2022
Courtesy of the family of Roger Valdiserri
Roger O. Valdiserri, renowned Sports Information Director at the University of Notre Dame for three decades, died Thursday, June 2 of natural causes at The Sheridan Place, a retirement community in Oakbrook Illinois. He was surrounded by his five children. In a statement released just after his death, the family said, “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing or our beloved father. We’ve been blessed to have had his unwavering love and support throughout his long and storied life. He was such a treasured gift. We feel particularly grateful to have celebrated his 95th birthday this past May among all 19 immediate family members. We feel his loss profoundly and will miss him tremendously. He leaves an enduring legacy, both as a giant in college athletics and in the very large, fun-loving family he and our mother, Elaine, built during 35 years of marriage. We have a lifetime of memories with him and our mom – which will certainly sustain us and bring comfort during this very difficult time.”
Valdiserri was born May 16, 1927, in Belle Vernon, PA to Sila and Lena Valdiserri. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1954. He launched his career with the Notre Dame Athletic Department, working as an administrative assistant to then head football coach, Frank Leahy and Terry Brennan. After graduation, Roger worked as public relations director for Studebaker, Mercedes-Benz of North America and in 1965, the Kansas City Chiefs, working for head coach, Hank Stram.
Valdiserri returned to his alma mater in 1966 and held various roles during his thirty-year tenure — as the school’s Sports Information Director (1966 – 1995) and Assistant Athletic Director (1976-1982). He was named Associate Athletic Director from 1983 until his retirement. Among his many accomplishments, Valdiserri received an honorary Monogram in 1973, a special citation for meritorious service in 1987 from Notre Dame President, Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C. and the James E. Armstrong Award from Notre Dame’s Alumni Senate in 1990.
Roger was inducted into the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) Hall of Fame in 1981 and served as president of CoSIDA from 1986 to 1987. He won the Arch Ward Award in 1987, presented to a CoSIDA member who has made outstanding contributions to the field of college sports information, and who by his or her actions, has brought dignity and prestige to the profession. In 2017, Valdiserri won the Jesse Harper Award, presented by the Notre Dame Monogram Club for outstanding service to Notre Dame Athletics.
Among Roger’s most gratifying moments while at the university were being part of two national championships (1966, 1973) under head coach Ara Parseghian (1964-74) and being named to the
Knight Commission, an organization the late Notre Dame president, Father Ted Hesburgh (1952-87) created to lead reforms intended to strengthen the educational mission of college sports.
The University of Notre Dame honored Valdiserri during the weekend of Purdue vs. Notre Dame home game, Sept. 17-18, 2021, where he witnessed his last of countless games from press row.
The university dedicated a permanent press box seat to Roger and announced the
Roger Valdiserri Student Worker Program within Fighting Irish Media. As part of this program, the Roger Valdiserri Scholarship Award was established, to be given each year to the top Notre Dame student assistant working in Irish Media.
Beyond his accomplished career in college sports marketing, Roger was a true man of arts and letters — a brilliant writer, poet, artist, world traveler and opera lover. He also was known for his quick wit, infectious smile, love of a good laugh and his kind, generous and compassionate spirit.
Roger is preceded in death by his father, Sila, his mother, Lena, his brother, Ernie and his wife, Elaine. He is survived by his five children: Rick (Nancy), Kathy (Gail), Ken (Annika), Tom (Shelly), and Susan; 7 grandchildren: Kristen (John Moorehead), Jenna (Ryan Haley), Steven (Kelsey), and 5 great grandchildren: George, Margot, Sally, Noah and Camden. A memorial service will be planned for a future date.
Gallery: (6-2-2022) Roger Valdiserri, 1927-2022
REREAD: Roger Valdiserri Honored by Notre Dame
Sports information legend Roger Valdiserri was honored by the University of Notre Dame on the weekend of Sept. 17-18, 2021, in conjunction with the Notre Dame vs. Purdue football game. The festivities included a Friday luncheon on the patio outside the Notre Dame Press Box, the dedication of a permanent seat in the press box in his honor, recognition at the game and on NBC television by Mike Tirico, and the announcement that the Roger Valdiserri Scholarship had raised $250,000 in just a few months.