CSC member Wayne Block was inducted into the CSC Hall of Fame in 2014. He also received a 25-Year Award in 2000, the 2005 Warren Berg Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010.
Courtesy of cnusports.com
Christopher Newport University Mourns the Passing of Wayne Block, Longtime Sports Information Director
NEWPORT NEWS, VA.- An icon in Christopher Newport University's Department of Athletics has died. Wayne Block, who for 27 years led CNU's Sports Information Department, passed away at his home in Arizona Tuesday morning at the age of 79.
Block was a fixture at Captains games from 1983 until his retirement in 2010. His long and distinguished career led to him being widely recognized as one of the top Sports Information Directors in the nation. He was inducted into the Christopher Newport Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000, the USA South Hall of Fame in 2011, and the College Sports Information Directors (CoSIDA) Hall of Fame in 2014. He also received the Virginia Sports Information Directors' (VaSID) Distinguished Service Award in 1996.
In his nearly three decades at the school, Block was instrumental in the record-keeping and statistical history of every CNU athletic program. He was a key part of the growth of Christopher Newport from a small commuter college with only a dozen athletic programs to a vibrant residential university with 22 intercollegiate athletic programs at the time of his retirement. He even wrote a historical retrospective of CNU Athletics that was published just prior to his retirement.
Block was a native of New York City, and grew up in Manhattan. His passion for sports was evident at an early age, working as a ball boy for the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden and attending baseball games at the Polo Grounds. He graduated from Hofstra University and spent his early career at several schools working in sports information departments. Those stops included C.W. Post, RPI, Virginia Tech and Hampton University. He found his true home in 1983 when he joined Christopher Newport's athletic department.
Block was promoted to Assistant to the Athletic Director for Communications at CNU in 2000 after serving as the school's Sports Information Director since 1983. He led the department's efforts in ushering in new technology and was the driving force of the first website dedicated to CNU athletics.
At the time of his retirement in 2010, Block was remembered fondly by his longtime colleague and friend, C.J. Woollum, CNU's Director of Athletics and Men's Basketball Coach. "Christopher Newport University has been honored by Wayne Block's presence for the past 27 years," Woollum said."He has represented CNU with class and dignity and will be sorely missed. We will fill his position, but we, most definitely, will never replace him."
"Virtually every statistic and team record you see referenced on our website or in any publication is due to the diligence and dedication of Wayne Block," Francis Tommasino, CNU's Senior Director of Athletic Communications, said. "Wayne was the first person I met when I came to campus in 1996, and I had the pleasure of working with him for 15 years until his retirement. He was a Captain at heart, and he and his family were tremendous supporters of Christopher Newport athletics. Wayne's impact will be felt forever in our department."
Block's accomplishments were recognized on a national level over his time at CNU. He was the 2005 recipient of the Warren Berg Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the field of college sports information and honors those who have brought dignity and prestige to the profession. The honor was presented to Block by CoSIDA, now known as College Sports Communicators (CSC). CoSIDA previously honored Block in 2000 for 25 years of total service in the field. He was also honored by VaSID, the Virginia Sports Information Directors Association, a statewide organization he was involved with since its inception.
Over the years, Block worked closely with fellow Sports Information Directors, and was a mentor to many student workers who eventually followed in his footsteps. A former student assistant at CNU, Jim Heath, has since been a key contributor to Sports Information efforts at Christopher Newport, Newport News Apprentice School, Hampton University and Old Dominion University. "I met Wayne for the first time after speaking to C.J. Woollum as a freshman in the fall of 1986, and I didn't have a clue what a Sports Information Director did," Heath said. "Working for a man who was respected so much regionally and nationally in this field showed me that this could be something for me. I owe my athletic communications career to what I learned from Wayne as a student and then as his assistant."
After retiring from CNU and leaving Hampton Roads for Arizona, Block wasn't content to just enjoy the sunshine and cheer on his beloved New York Mets. He continued to contribute to the field of athletic communications in a new capacity at Mesa Community College in Mesa, Arizona. He led efforts there to upgrade their athletic communications department, and later became the school's athletic historian.
Block is survived by his wife Linda, who was also a familiar face for Captains fans as a longtime volunteer at CNU athletic events, and their son, Kevin. The Block family lived in Seaford, Va., for many years before re-locating to Maricopa, Arizona, where they have resided since his retirement.