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CSCommunicators.com/CelebrateCSC
This feature is part of our series of profiles showcasing members throughout the CSC membership during the celebration of College Sports Communicators Membership Appreciation Week for 2022-23. See more features at CSCommunicators.com/CelebrateCSC.
Dick Quinn – Williams College, Sports Information Director
by Dan Ruede – University of New Haven, Associate AD - Strategic Communications // CSC Executive Board of Directors College Division Representative
He is the Voice of Williams College.
For more than 30 years,
Dick Quinn has been a one-man communications show at Williams College, which fields athletic teams in 32 sports and is located in the Berkshires in northwest Massachusetts. Quinn has spent the majority of his career telling the stories of some of the brightest and most talented student-athletes in NCAA Division III and the New England Small College Athletic Conference. Yet, telling those stories really isn’t a one-man job and Dick has done amazing work in growing the profession through incorporating student workers into the everyday responsibilities at Williams College.
The icing on the cake for Dick has been seeing those student-workers go full circle, beginning careers in sports whether in communications or other areas of collegiate, broadcast and professional sports.
The statistics around the Williams College athletic program are stunning. Eleven Eph teams have won a total of 38 NCAA Championships. Williams has won 22 of the 25 Learfield IMG Directors’ Cups (emblematic of athletic supremacy in NCAA DIII). And Quinn is the main thread through the majority of these successes. And amazingly, Quinn notes that there have been over 1,500 students who have worked in sports information during his tenure.
On October 9, 2009, Quinn became the first Division III sports information director to be inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.
Quinn mans Farley-Lamb Field press box before a 2022 Ephs football game. Photo credit: Stephanie Zollshan, Berkshire Eagle
How did you first become interested in athletic communications?
DQ: Growing up, I attended many Williams athletic competitions. I played a variety of sports and coached youth teams. I found athletics to be a great backdrop for life lessons.
In the late seventies, there were no graduate programs for sports management. I became a weekend volunteer at my alma mater Holy Cross in 1977-78 working for the SID. I sought out that position in order to pursue an ECAC (now EAST-COMM) internship the following year, which I received.
Following the ECAC internship, I began exploring the field. I became the director of uublicity for the United States Sports Academy in Mobile, Alabama (1979-80). Next stop was as the assistant athletic director at Marist College (1980-85) and then I became the associate AD at Iona College until 1989. While at Iona I earned a master’s degree in communications.
When my family home in Williamstown, Mass. became available in 1989, my wife and I decided that Williamstown would be a wonderful place to raise our five children. I learned that Williams was looking for a part-time sports information director. I also worked as the sports director at a local radio station until the Williams SID position became full-time.
What advice do you have for young professionals looking to start a career in athletic communications?
DQ: I’d advise young professionals to get involved with collegiate athletic communication opportunities as soon as you can. Work hard and make a lot of connections.
Outside of work, what would we find you doing?
DQ: Outside of work, I spend time with family, read, and support our local biodynamic farm in town.
Quinn (right) with the late author and hall of fame sportswriter Frank Deford and a Williams College student at a Williams College event. Quinn created The Frank Deford Award to honor his top student contributors each year, as he considered Deford to be the best sportswriter in the country.
What is your favorite part of being an athletics communicator?
DQ: I really appreciate building strong relationships with Eph coaches and all of the folks working in support of Williams Athletics. I have much respect for the numerous athletes who compete for Williams and for those who have worked diligently in sports information. There have been over 1,500 students who have worked in sports information during my time.
What is your favorite memory from your 34-year career in athletic communications?
DQ: My favorite memory is creating our annual Frank Deford Award, the only award of its type in college athletics which honors student sports communications assistants (and named for the award-winning sportswriter and author.) We then supplemented that honor at the suggestion of two former student workers, and now have the Aaron Pinsky ’06 Student Broadcasting Award. Both of those awards are unique in all of collegiate athletics.
Quinn co-authored the book, Why I Never Left Williams College, a memoir from acclaimed Williams football coach Dick Farley. It was published in November 2021.
How have you adapted to the many changes in our profession over the years?
DQ: There have always been great stories in Williams athletics. I started work as an SID before the internet became a staple in sports information. Since that time the demand for information has exploded, creating the need to be shared on a variety of ever evolving platforms. I had access to tech professionals, as well as Williams student workers, who always seemed one step ahead of what needed to be done. I’ve probably learned as much from our student workers as they learned from working in sports information!
During your career, you have made it a priority to honor the work of students and interns. Why have you made this a priority?
DQ: When starting at Williams, I had an initial concern about having to rely on student workers. I quickly became aware of their extraordinary competence and wanted to create an award to honor their contributions, which were off the charts impressive. Over the years, students have been involved in: in-game statistics, action photography, writing game stories and player profiles, creating video features, updating the website, contributing to social media accounts, capturing in-game video highlights and serving as color commentators on webcasts.
My idea was to create The Frank Deford Award to honor the top student contributors each year, as I considered him to be the best sportswriter in the country. The Frank Deford Award has attracted a most impressive list of featured speakers over the years. Frank spoke at the first Deford Award ceremony and two additional events and later received an Honorary Degree from Williams College.
In addition to awards, I’ve had the opportunity to connect many students to internships and professional positions in the sports world. I’ve made this a personal priority at Williams because years ago, a mentor helped me get started in the field. Coming full circle and giving back is what it’s all about.