College Sports Communicators Hall of Fame
San José State University
San José State's Lawrence Fan will receive pair of honors at June CoSIDA Convention with Hall of Fame induction and Arch Ward Award honor
by Jack Neumann – University of Calgary
April 9, 2012
San José State University Sports Information Director Lawrence Fan is a double recipient of two major awards that will be presented at the College Sports Information Directors of American (CoSIDA) Convention taking place in St. Louis, Mo., June 22-26.
Fan, who joined San José State in July 1980, will be inducted into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame and also will receive the prestigious Arch Ward Award that goes to a CoSIDA member who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of college sports information, and who by his or her activities has brought dignity and prestige to the profession.
Fan will receive both these awards on Monday, June 25. He will be inducted into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame along with six others during the CoSIDA Hall of Fame luncheon. Later that evening, he will receive his Arch Ward honor during the Capital One Special Awards Gala (see schedule, below).
Lawrence has been in the profession since 1977 when he served as SID at Frostburg State College. While completing his master’s degree at Western Illinois University, he served as a volunteer in the sports information office working for CoSIDA Hall of Famer Larry Heimburger. From 1978 to 1980, Fan was SID at La Salle College.
"Lawrence Fan has been one of the finest people I have had the privilege to work with these past eight years as the Athletic Director at San José State University. He is a remarkable historian of all things related to Spartan Athletics and a true gentlemen when in comes to working with coaches, media & student-athletes. It has been a real honor to have Lawrence Fan as a part of my administration,” states San José State University Athletic Director Tom Bowen.
The San Francisco native is the first CoSIDA member of Chinese descent named to the Hall of Fame. Active in many facets of the organization through the years, he has attended every Workshop since 1977.
Since 1994, he has coordinated the Job Seekers Committee at the annual Workshop. With the assistance of committee members from all three NCAA Divisions and the NAIA, he organizes and manages job fair activities. He initiated and managed an email service for more than 10 years that today has evolved into the very popular CoSIDA Career Center email blast – the communications tool keeping the membership informed about job vacancies and movement within the profession. Many current athletic communications professionals owe their positions to his dedication to the Job Seekers Committee.
In addition to his duties at San José State, he has worked at many NCAA Basketball Tournaments in the West. He was the media coordinator for the 1991 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship, the 1997 NCAA Men’s Basketball West Regional and the 1999 Women’s Soccer College Cup.
"At San José State, Lawrence Fan continues to build a great legacy of dedicated service and loyalty to his university and to CoSIDA. His unparalleled work ethic and unwavering integrity has brought dignity and prestige to our profession. Lawrence truly cares and it shows by the daily example he sets for others,” says former CoSIDA President and CoSIDA Hall of Fame member Langston Rogers, Senior Associate Athletic Director Emeritus at the University of Mississippi.
Fan is respected throughout the Bay Area as a consummate professional with a tremendous work ethic and dedication to doing the best job possible for student-athletes and administration at SJSU.
Former SJSU broadcaster and current Oakland Athletics lead announcer Ken Korach states, "In my 30 years in broadcasting, I've never worked with anyone more professional than Lawrence Fan. He has a passion for his work and for collegiate athletics. Ask any member of the media, and they will confirm that Lawrence is a tireless worker who goes out of his way to provide information and assistance. It would be impossible to count how many broadcasts I've done that were enhanced by Lawrence's help. I am thrilled that my good friend is receiving such a richly deserved honor."
In addition, he has been a mentor to numerous SIDs and other media professionals either in sports information or corporate communications. He has been the primary contact for football and men’s basketball as well as many other Spartan sports during his tenure at SJSU.
In 2007, Lawrence was the recipient of the CoSIDA 25 Year Service Award and served on the CoSIDA Board as an at-large member from 2007 to 2009. He also has participated in various panels at CoSIDA Workshops that he has attended.
He joins ABC-TV’s Donn Bernstein (1982 inductee) as graduates of San Francisco’s Lowell High School to be named to the CoSIDA Hall of Fame. Like Bernstein, Fan is a University of California graduate.