2012 CoSIDA Special Awards honorees announced

3/2/2012 12:00:00 AM

2012 CoSIDA Special Awards honorees announced

Note: Individual news releases/feature articles on each honoree will follow in the coming weeks in the CoSIDA E-Digest and on the CoSIDA website (see schedule link, below). Congratulations to all the 2012 CoSIDA Award winners!

2012 CoSIDA Special Awards Salute: Feature story schedule

Numerous members of the national College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) organization will receive national awards for outstanding achievements and induct its 2012 Hall of Fame class when the organization holds its 55th annual national convention June 23-26 at the Renaissance Grand Hotel in St. Louis. The organization is comprised of intercollegiate athletic communications and media relations professionals from colleges, universities and athletic conferences at all divisions of competition in the United States and Canada.

Among the many honors, the organization will recognize its top athletic communications personnel as the newest members of its Hall of Fame. Other awards recognizing emerging leaders, community service and lifetime achievement honors will be presented.

Seven current and former sports communications professionals will be inducted into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame at a luncheon and ceremony on Monday, June 25. This CoSIDA Hall of Fame honor is presented to members of CoSIDA who have made outstanding contributions to the field of college athletic communications.

Members of the 2012 Hall of Fame Class include:

• Debbie Copp, Director of Athletic Publications at the University of Oklahoma
• Thomas DiCamillo, current 2011-12 CoSIDA president who serves as Central Arizona College Director of Public Relations and Assistant Commissioner for the Pacific West Conference
• Sue Edson, Syracuse University Assistant Director of Athletics for Communications
• Lawrence Fan, San Jose State University Athletics Media Relations Director
• Fred Huff, the former sports information director at Southern Illinois-Carbondale
• Charles “Chuck” Prophet (deceased), the former director of sports information of at Mississippi Valley State
• Kennan Timm, Director of Sports Information at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

Huff was selected by the Veterans Selection Committee. The other six were selected by a vote of nearly 70 CoSIDA Hall of Famers.

The newest class of the Capital One Academic All-America Hall of Fame also will be honored in St. Louis, and those inductees will be announced later in March.

At that same luncheon on June 25, CoSIDA will recognize six members with the Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is presented to CoSIDA members who have served at least 25 years in the profession (as of June 2012) who are retiring or leaving the profession.

Those members include: Peter Schlehr of Towson University; Phil Haddy of the University of Iowa; Wallace Dooley, Jr., formerly of Tennessee State; Bill Turnage of Florida Southern; Bud Ford of the University of Tennessee; Mike Mahon of Drake University; and Bob Condron of the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC).

Condron, the USOC Media Services Director for the last 28 years, will also be awarded the Keith Jackson Eternal Flame Award named for the longtime broadcaster which recognizes an individual or an organization who has made a lasting contribution to intercollegiate athletics demonstrating a long and consistent commitment to excellence and support of CoSIDA and its mission.

Also recognized at this luncheon is Malcolm Moran, the 2012 Jake Wade Award winner. The former award-winning USA Today, New York Times, Newsday and Chicago Tribune reporter of 30 years is now the John S. and James L. Knight Chair in Sports Journalism and Society at Penn State University. The award he is receiving is named for the acclaimed North Carolina sports journalist and former UNC SID Jake Wade. This award is presented annually to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution in the media to the field of intercollegiate athletics.

The Arch Ward Award is presented annually to a CoSIDA member who has made outstanding contributions to the field of college sports information, and who, by his or her activities, has brought dignity and prestige to the profession. Hall of Fame honoree Lawrence Fan will be recognized with this award at the Capital One Awards Gala taking place Monday evening, June 25.

The June 25 Capital One Awards Gala also includes recognition of Jack Neumann from the University of Calgary as the Warren Berg award winner, recognizing him as the top professional in the college division. The award is presented annually to a college-division member who has made outstanding contributions to the field of college sports information and who, by his or her activities, has brought dignity and prestige to the profession.

Also earning recognition that evening will be Dave Wohlhueter, former Cornell SID who also serves as CoSIDA treasurer, as the Lester Jordan Award honoree. The Lester Jordan Award is presented to an individual for exemplary service to the Academic All-America Award program and for promotion of the ideals of being a student-athlete.

[As mentioned previously, the new 2012 Capital One Academic All-America Hall of Fame class (to be announced later in March) also will be honored during the Awards Gala.]

In other awards, Shelly Poe of Ohio State University and CoSIDA second vice president, will be recognized with the Trailblazer Award. This honor is presented annually to an individual who is a pioneer in the profession and who has mentored and helped improve the level of ethnic and gender diversity within CoSIDA.

Jeff Nelson of Penn State University will be recognized with the Bill Esposito Backbone Award. This award is presented to a member displaying sound judgment and unusual courage in taking a stand in intercollegiate athletics contrary to public opinion and sentiment, or, who displays sound judgment and unusual courage in guiding their institution through difficult public relations situations.

Rich Herman of Clarion University will be honored for his community service with the Bob Kenworthy Community Service Award, presented annually to a CoSIDA member for civic involvement and accomplishments outside the athletic communications profession.

CoSIDA also recognizes its youthful talent with the Rising Star Awards. This award is presented to both a University Division and a College Division member with 10 years of service or less whose work at their institution and service, dedication, energy and enthusiasm to the profession make that individual a “rising star” in sports information. Maurice Williams of Hampton University was the university division choice and Kimberly Wenger of the Centennial Conference was chosen as the college division recipient.

In addition to the special award winners and Hall of Fame induction, the organization also recognizes those who have completed 25 years in the profession. The following individuals will receive a 25-year Award plaque at the convention:

Shirley Jones Hill, Southern Mississippi; Bob Noss, Wright State; Mark Bankert, Malone University; Michael MacEachern, Young Harris College; Joe Dier, Mississippi State; Roy Pickerill, Kentucky Wesleyan; Bernadette “Bernie” Cafarelli, Notre Dame; Robert Wilson, Florida State; Bill Wagner, DePauw University; Dave Geringer, UMass-Dartmouth; B.L. Elfring, Southern Maine; John Lewandowski, Michigan State; Chuck Sadowski, University of Bridgeport; Herb Vincent, LSU; Dave Fischer, USA Hockey; and Robert McKinney, Williamette University.

2012 CoSIDA Special Awards presentations (at CoSIDA Convention, Renaissance Grand Hotel, St. Louis, Mo.)

Sunday, June 24: Kickoff Luncheon
Awards presented: 25-Year Awards; Trailblazer, Kenworthy Community Service, Rising Star (University and College Divisions), Keith Jackson awards

Monday, June 25: CoSIDA Hall of Fame luncheon
Awards presented: Esposito, Lifetime Achievement, Jake Wade Award, CoSIDA Hall of Fame

Monday, June 25: Capital One Special Awards Gala (dinner/ceremony)
Awards presented: Arch Ward, Warren Berg, Lifetime Achievement Award, Lester Jordan, Enberg Award; Capital One Academic All-America® Hall of Fame induction

College Sports Information Directors of America

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