Top photo: One of his favorite things was when Noss sons Rob and Ben were ball boys at basketball games. Here Noss is on the court with his son Rob.
Bob Noss, who received a CoSIDA 25-Year Award in June of 2012, recently retired from the athletic communications profession earlier in June. He received a 2019 CoSIDA Lifetime Achievement Award.
Story courtesy: Wright State Department of Athletics
Entering his 28th year at Wright State and more than 30 years overall in the field of intercollegiate athletics,
Bob Noss has decided to go different route by taking position with United Rehabilitation Services of Greater Dayton as well as retirement from the state of Ohio.
“I started at Saint Louis U in the 80’s when I was the youngest head SID in the nation at 24,” Noss said. “I haven’t been off a college campus since I was 17 years old and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it but it’s time to try something different. This is something I have thought about for the last couple of years, and this is a great opportunity with a wonderful organization.”
Bob Noss hosted many conference tournaments through the years. Here he is with the mascot from Green Bay and student worker Patti Hoppe, one of many student workers that he mentored through the years.Caption
Coming to WSU in the spring of 1992, he jumped right into the fun, hosting the first of many league championships as the now-defunct North Star Conference held its softball tournament at Wright State. Since that first month, the St. Louis native had a hand in more than 50 conference tournaments. He also witnessed more than 1,000 men's basketball games at home, and on the road--that's more than half the number played since the inception of basketball at Wright State in 1970.
Noss led a comprehensive communications office that includes about a half dozen student workers who cover 14 varsity sports. This office was charged with everything from game management to press releases and radio/TV to website maintenance. As a part of the senior staff, he was involved with the overall administration of the department, including promotions, search committees, development and marketing. Recent projects include design and selection of a state-of-the-art video board for the main arena and selection of the new Raider website.
Among his other responsibilities, Noss oversaw special banquets and luncheons, sports walks of fame and the department's Hall of Fame. He also served on several campus, league and national committees, a member of the University Management I-AAA Committee for the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and a national voting member of the Academic All-America Committee. In his former role as chair of the CoSIDA Ethics Committee, he spearheaded major initiatives, including the creation of one of the few major awards given by the organization and rewriting its Code of Ethics. Recently honored with CoSIDA's Award for Service in 2014 and the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, he has received multiple publication awards, including second best nationally for the Raider Facilities Guide. Noss also had also been an administrator for several sports and departmental areas through the years, chaired and sat on many search committees, worked closely to write and administered the department's strategic plan initiatives through the years.
The Raider video streams reached ESPN3 and ESPN+ as Wright State produces approximately 100 events live each year, including contests and coaches shows. This allowed fans and parents to enjoy WSU athletics worldwide on the sports leader.
Before coming to Wright State, Noss was the sports information director at Saint Louis University for four years. While there, the Billikens posted their best four-year record for men's basketball and advanced to the finals of the NIT twice. He can also boast experience as assistant SID jobs at the University of Central Missouri and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
His travels through the years have seen him visit Hawaii, Puerto Rico three times and a couple trips to Europe, including the 2011 Raider trip to Italy and a chance to meet President George W. and Mrs. Bush at the White House in 2006. Active with his sons, Noss was a Cub Scout leader, involved at Church and enjoyed coaching CYO soccer and basketball. In the fall of 2017, he participated in the Air Force Marathon 5K on the Wright State campus.
A graduate of Maryville University in St. Louis in 1984, Noss received his master's degree from Wright State in 2003 and was an adjunct instructor for the HPR Department at WSU. He and his wife, Janet, have two sons: Rob (20) and Ben (17).
Pictured this past March, Bob Noss prepares at courtside on practice day at the 2019 Women’s Basketball NCAA Tournament at Texas A&M.
The youngest Noss son, Ben, taking a break courtside.