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Greg Prouty (Richard Bland College) – 25-Year Award
by Ashley Robbins, UMass Lowell Director of Athletic Communications
Prouty at the 2016 high school graduation of daughter, Megan, with
his wife, Paula.
Every sports information director has a different story about where his or her passion for the industry began. For
Greg Prouty, it started at a very young age.
“I would keep stats and write stories about Cincinnati Reds baseball or Ohio State football and basketball games I listened to on the radio or watched on TV,” said Prouty. “That continued into high school where I became sports editor for the newspaper and yearbook.”
In college, he was introduced to the world of athletic communications, and thanks to some important mentors who guided him to the right opportunities, he has never looked back. Prouty will receive one of CoSIDA’s 25-Year Awards during the upcoming CoSIDA June convention in recogniztion of his quarter century of service to the profession.
“An advisor suggested that I volunteer in the sports information office at Eastern Kentucky, which I did, and that opportunity to learn from such great mentors as Karl Park and Jack Frost had me hooked,” he explained. “Sports and journalism have always been a big part of my life, and this profession just made sense. Hoke Currie gave me my first position in the business at Longwood in July 1991, which I am so appreciative of, and his meticulous guidance during my first four years helped set my path forward.”
Prouty spent the majority of his career at Longwood University, rising through the ranks of the athletics department for more than 22 years as the department itself grew from NCAA Division II to Division I. He played a significant role in that reclassification, which was an extended process that initially began with discussions back in 1998.
“Being a part of a program evolving from an independent Division II program with less than 125 student-athletes and 15 full-time staff members to a Division I program with more than 225 student-athletes and 50-plus, full-time staffers is pretty amazing,” Prouty noted.
His time at Longwood included 17-plus years overseeing athletic communications, most recently as the associate athletic director for media relations (2009-14). He was a member of the school’s senior management team for 10 years (2004-14) with supervisory oversight of four sports, along with athletics video services during the most recent five years.
From Longwood, Prouty made the move to Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), where he served as assistant athletics director for media services from November 2015 to July 2016. He served as the primary media contact for men’s basketball and baseball during 2015-16, promoting the school’s first National Invitation Tournament (NIT) appearance, The Summit League Men’s Basketball Player of the Year and Coach of the Year, a Senior CLASS Award Finalist in baseball, as well as eight All-League honorees.
He is now in his second year as director of athletics communications at Richard Bland College. Through all of his stops, knowing that he is playing a small role in the successes of his student-athletes has continued to push him forward.
“The opportunity to watch young men and women mature and work together toward success, not only on the field or court, but in the classroom and in their lives has meant the most to me,” commented Prouty. “That never-ending cycle just doesn’t get old, whether ending in team championships or individual titles, or graduating and continuing successful lives. It’s the outcomes and successes that get you through the long days, knowing that you are making sure that their efforts do not go unnoticed.”
The Southeastern Ohio native has seen the field of athletic communications undergo drastic change during his 25 years in the business, but regardless of the ever-changing technology, one thing will never change for Prouty.
“I’ll always consider myself an ‘old school’ PR guy. I still believe in trying to establish and build relationships with the media, go to lunch and get to know them, sometimes form friendships. As for being behind the scenes, I’ve never been one to toot my own horn. To me, this job is about the student-athletes, coaches, administration and school that you work for.”
Being an SID has afforded Prouty countless life experiences that may never have been possible had he chosen a different career path.
“I was afforded the opportunity to travel to 33 states with the men’s basketball team from 2004-13, visiting such storied college basketball venues for games at Rupp Arena, Allen Fieldhouse, Assembly Hall and The Pit, newer venues such as John Paul Jones Arena, the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Bud Walton Arena, the Galen Center and the CenturyLink Center Omaha, as well as Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City and the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas,” he said.
Despite all of the experiences he has had over the course of his career, Prouty says it is the people he has met along the way that he will miss most when it comes time to close this chapter.
“I’ll miss the relationships built with mentors, colleagues, peers, friends in the media and former student-athletes, and just the daily interactions of working on a college campus,” reflected Prouty. “I’ve been fortunate to work with some great people over the years, including former athletic directors Don Lemish, Jack Williams, Jack Toms and Kelley Hartley Hutton, along with head coaches such as Joe Davis, Mike Gillian, Mike Leeder, Todd Dyer, Kevin Fillman, Buddy Bolding, Ron Carr, Shirley Duncan, Jon Coffman and Chuck Moore.
“I’m also proud to have played a small role in the professional development of several former assistants in my office, including Ashley Robbins, Melissa Kristofak, Kimberly Wenger, Lindsey Williams and Paul Lyon.”
Thankfully, friends made in the world of sports information are for life, so it’s never really goodbye. And the two most important people in his life will continue to be there every day, just like they always have been.
“I would never have been able to do this for so long without the patience, support and understanding of my wife, Paula, and daughter, Megan. I thank them for allowing me the opportunity to do this job and be away for so many nights and weekends.”