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Jamie Hall – Youngstown State University, Assistant Director of Athletics Communications
CSC 25-Year Award
by Will Roleson – College Sports Communicators, Associate Executive Director
Jamie Hall of Youngstown State University has been assistant director of athletics communications at Youngstown State University since 1997. He is in his 26th year on the Penguins' staff and will be honored with a 25-Year Award from College Sports Communicators during CSCUNITE23 in mid-June in Orlando, Fla.
Hall currently serves as the primary media contact for YSU's men's basketball, softball and women's soccer programs and is a secondary contact for football. He also is a member of the YSU Athletics Hall of Fame Committee.
Prior to joining the YSU staff, Hall spent two years as a graduate assistant at Illinois State University, where he earned a master's degree in sports administration in 1996. A native of Northeast Ohio, he received a bachelor's degree in 1994 from Baldwin Wallace College (now University) in 1994 with a double major in sports management and business administration. Jamie was a two-year member of the Yellow Jackets' baseball team as an undergraduate.
Hall, YSU Director of Athletics Communications Trevor Parks and fellow assistant director John Vogel have each been on staff at YSU for 20 years or more, with Hall the longest-tenured of the three.
Trevor Parks (Director of Athletics Communications, left) and Jamie Hall at a YSU men’s basketball game.
"As much as the campus has changed and the collegiate landscape has evolved, the one thing that has remained the same is Jamie's dedication to Youngstown State and his hometown. He is a Youngstown native and has taken great pride in the success and growth of our Athletics Communications department and our Athletics Department throughout the years" said Parks.
"His hard work has been appreciated so much by myself it's tough to sum it up in words. I've always appreciated that no matter what he's always gotten the job done and done it consistently at a high level. He's very passionate about what he does and cares greatly for the student-athletes."
Said Robb Schmidt, YSU"s Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing & Promotions, "I have known Jamie for better than 20 years… and, I am extremely grateful to have worked with him for the last 16 years," said Robb Schmidt, YSU's Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing & Promotions. As the YSU men’s basketball play-by-play announcer, I have come to rely upon Jamie when preparing for my game broadcasts. He has helped make my job easier… and for that, I can’t thank him enough. Jamie truly cares about the University, the Athletics Department and most importantly, the student-athletes… which is why he has excelled in his field for such a long period of time."
What has kept you at Youngstown State University all this time?
JH: I’d have to say the people that I work with at Youngstown State. Also my family is from Youngstown and a YSU family. Both my parents, my brother and sister-in-law all graduated from Youngstown State so being able to work at a great institution and staying close to most of my family has been a blessing.
What are the best things about being part of a staff at YSU that has had such continuity?
JH: Trevor Parks, John Vogel and I have worked together for more than 20 years so we know one another very well. We are coworkers and more importantly friends. We know one another’s strengths and weaknesses and are able to work cohesively. Plus, we support one another quite a lot when it comes to sport coverage and game days.
What do you enjoy most about athletics communications?
JH: The thing I enjoy the most has been the opportunity to work with our great student-athletes in a variety of sports. During my time at Youngstown State, I have covered just about all of our sports so I’ve had the chance to meet a lot of student athletes that have turned into friends over the years. But my favorite aspect of athletics communications has been covering the events.
What are some of your favorite memories of your 25+ years at YSU?
JH: There are so many great memories over the last 25 years. During my first year our football team won the 1997 FCS National Championship and our women’s basketball team won an NCAA Tournament game and advanced to the round of 32. Being a part of the 2006 Horizon League Championship that was won on a walk-off home will always be a special memory for me. Our run to the 2017 FCS National Championship game and our men’s basketball team winning the first conference championship in program history (2022-23) are also special memories.
What advice would you give a younger athletic communicators about handling the stressors in this time of unsettled jobs, staffing, budget constraints, etc.?
JH: My advice to a younger SID about handling stressors would be to make your physical and mental health a priority. Find some time to be active whether it’s weight lifting, running, walking, or just getting outdoors. That is something I wish I would have been better at and more consistent with throughout my career, including today. I know this job doesn’t have much free time, but it is so important.
How have you stayed up-to-date with and integrated new technologies into your communications approach through the years?
JH: A lot of staying current with the evolving technologies in communications has been through trial and error. Early on we had to teach ourselves to use desktop publishing software to create media guides and that led to designing media guide covers with photoshop. Fortunately we’ve had some technologically savvy students and interns that helped us through the integration of websites and eventually the social media phenomenon we have today.
Yet, a lot of the skills we learned in the past are still useful. Instead of and/or in addition to creating media guides and game program covers, we are now using those same design skills to create graphics for use on our social media platforms and websites. Instead of just using an important statistic or accomplishment in a release or in game notes, we have been able to parlay that information into a graphic and promote our student-athlete via traditional and new media.
What does your future hold?
JH: I’m not exactly sure what my future holds, but I’m thankful that I work with great people here at Youngstown State.
Gallery: (4-18-2023) Jamie Hall, 25-Year Award