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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.
Geoff Henson – Olivet College, Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Information
by Laurie Bollig – College Sports Communicators, Director of Membership Engagement
Geoff Henson is in his 21st year on the athletic staff at Olivet College, a NCAA Division III institution in Olivet Michigan, located in south central Michigan, 30 miles southwest of Lansing, the state capital, and 125 miles west of Detroit.
Last July, he was promoted to Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information and Communications.
Prior to joining the Olivet staff in 2002, Henson was an intern in the sports information office at Baldwin Wallace University (BW) from May 2001 to October 2002. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in business administration from BW in 2001. During his time as an undergraduate, Henson worked as a student assistant in the sports information office for four years.
Geoff inside the Olivet football press box.
You are in your 21st year in athletics communications at Olivet. Talk about the changes you have seen in your job specifically and the department in general over the years.
GH: Two of the biggest changes in my first 20 years at Olivet have been the use of social media and the advancement in the ways to follow our teams. When I started at Olivet, there was no such thing as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. I have had to learn best practices on when, what and how to post on each platform. We were also not streaming athletic events and we were not even doing live stats, for people to follow the game. I remember sitting in the office and waiting for a fax to come with the NCAA box score so I could write a recap for our simple website.
Our website has evolved from several versions of HTML pages that I designed and were saved on a college server to the PrestoSports website that we currently have. I have learned coding to add some nice touches to our website. The one area on our website that I am most proud of is the online record books that I designed.
You were a four-year student assistant in athletics communications at Baldwin Wallace. What was special about that time spent in the office as an undergraduate that made you want to pursue a career in the field?
GH: The most special thing about working at Baldwin Wallace was getting an education at a great school but also getting to work for one of the great sports information directors. Kevin Ruple, a CSC Hall of Famer, was a great mentor. I grew up going to BW for athletic events since my dad was a sportswriter and his newspaper covered BW athletics. When I was younger, Kevin told me if I came to BW that I would have a work study job. I enrolled and started to work for Kevin, but I did not think I would become an SID after graduating. But in my later years, I realized an SID would be a great career, and I knew Kevin and his network of SIDs would find me a job. Lo and behold, Mark Beckenbach at Ohio Wesleyan told me about the SID job opening at Olivet College, and the rest is history.
Geoff with Audrey Dahlgen from WLNS-TV6 in Lansing. Geoff was a guest on her show to promote the 2021 NCAA DIII Women’s Golf Championships.
Is there any advice you would offer an undergraduate student about how to maximize their time as a student and an assistant in the office?
GH: Especially at the Division III level, I would try to gain as many skills as you can. An NCAA DIII SID most likely wears many hats for the athletic department. You must know many things and know how to do them well.
As a long-time member of the organization’s Academic All-America Core Committee, what is it about this program that inspires you and others to be involved?
GH: The thing that inspires me most about the CSC Academic All-America program is getting to honor the best STUDENT-athletes across all levels of college sports, especially at the DIII level. I have also tried to get others involved in the committee so they can see exactly the tedious process it takes from nominations to voting to release.
Fun story related to the Academic All-America program. During my undergraduate days, one of my many work study projects was typing up all the Academic All-District nominations, putting together the ballot, mailing the ballots, collecting the ballots via fax and then putting together the All-District teams.
One of Henson’s proudest moments each year is seeing his student workers walk across the stage on Commencement. Here he is pictured with Maddie (Carr) Kitzmiller.
Reflecting on your career to date, what is one piece of advice you would give your younger self about finding your passion and how to go about making it a career?
GH: My one piece of advice is to make sure you have a solid work-life balance. When I first started at Olivet, I was a go-getter and worked a lot of hours each week. Now, I try to find that balance as much as I can.
Give one professional development tip for your colleagues in the profession.
GH: Read the statistic manuals for the sports you cover. If you are the one entering the stats, you should know what a stat is. And the same goes for if you have someone doing stats for you, learn the stats so you know what it is and so if you have to fix mistakes, you are able to. When I was in college, we did manual stats and that was the best thing for me because I learned how some of the stats are calculated. Now when someone asks me a simple question like ‘what is slugging percentage?’, I can answer them.
For at least the last 10 years, Geoff has been the official statistician for the MHSAA Football Finals Thanksgiving weekend at Ford Field.
What are your interests and hobbies outside of college athletics?
GH: I like going for a walk outside when I get home from work. That time gives me a chance to clear my head and not think about anything that happened that day. Also, it’s probably odd to say it, but I just love to sit back and watch a college sporting event on TV. It’s nice to watch the game and not have to do any work for it.
Is there anything else you would like to comment on that hasn’t been covered in your answers?
GH: I credit my work ethic to my parents. Especially my late mother. She passed away in September 2013 after a year-long battle with brain cancer. She instilled many of the values in my life and I carry them with me every day. I know she is watching down on me and is proud of the work I do.
Geoff with his late mother, Rose, at his oldest brother’s wedding in Frankenmuth.
Henson at end of the SkyBridge in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
At Cumberland Falls in Kentucky.