College Sports Information Directors of America

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• 2023 Special Awards Announcements and Features
• #CSCUnite23 Convention Home
• Past Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients

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Layne Pitt – University of Wisconsin-Stout, Sports Information Director (retired)

CSC Lifetime Achievement Award

by Bill Hamilton – South Carolina State Historian and (retired) Sports Information Director / CSC Special Awards Committee

In the world of college sports communicators -- the new moniker we now call ourselves -- oftentimes the media relations professional at a college or university is an alum of the school. While most of us are committed to, and dedicated to doing an excellent job no matter where our careers take us, working at one’s alma mater must be special.

And, that is the case of Layne Pitt of the University of Wisconsin-Stout, who will be among the retiring sports information directors to receive Lifetime Achievement Awards during the College Sports Communicators’ CSC UNITE23 Convention Jun. 11-14 at Orlando, Florida.
 

Pitt retired as sports information director at UW-Stout, his alma mater, in October of 2022, after almost three decades of accomplished work (serving 28 years). He left behind a legacy of achievement and takes with him a ton of fond memories.

And, because of his great love for UW-Stout, he will remain engaged with the university.

“A lifetime achievement award means you have been through the trenches, coming through the good and the bad,” said Pitt recently. “Stout has been a part of my life since 1978, nearly 45 years, and I intend to extend that.”

Pitt came to Stout in 1978 as a student and was hired as SID in 1994. He recently reflected on his long tenure as SID at his alma mater, as well as the joy and satisfaction he derived from a long and rewarding journey. Pitt also shared his thoughts on his upcoming honor, one which will, in many ways, put a bow on his distinguished career.

“I was really in the right place at the right time when I was first hired as Stout SID,” Pitt reflected recently. “I came to the university with 11 years of newspaper experience, working for the local weekly (Dunn County News) in town. Before that, I worked for the UW-Stout student newspaper (as a photojournalist), so Stout was always in my blood.

“I had three children at the time and was working part-time as a photographer at Stout after losing my job at the newspaper when it was bought out.”

Many others who have followed Pitt’s path – serving as SID at their alma mater -- were thankful that their institution cared enough to turn the reins of publicizing and promoting its athletics department over to them. There were those who felt the position would be a steppingstone to somewhere else.

But not Pitt. Working at Stout turned into a lifelong vocation.

“At the time, I never gave much thought to longevity. But it turned out to be a fantastic job, one that allowed me to do sports at my alma mater. I could do photography and write, skills I possessed and liked doing.”

Pitt would blossom in the position, gaining almost legendary status as Blue Devil sports information director as he chronicled the sports at the university, telling stories and recording history. He was also quite proficient with a camera. If fact, photography may have been his first love. His skills as a photographer enhanced his storytelling.

His journey at Stout was not without ups and downs, as those of us in the profession can attest to. But he was blessed with great support from the administration, athletics directors, coaches, and, of course, the student-athletes whose stories he told.

Soft-spoken, unassuming, and steady are among his great qualities, wrote Jerry Poling of the UW-Stout Marketing and Communications Department upon Pitt’s retirement. Others wrote about the many awards and honors Pitt received during his long illustrious career. Soon, he will add another – the CSC Lifetime Achievement Award.

“God has blessed me with the ability to have a good relationship with a wide range of people, as well as the ‘hard work’ gene,” Pitt said in a recent interview. “My wife, Laura (of over 41 years), was supportive, as was the UW-Stout athletic staff.”

Pitt also noted the relationship he developed with UW-Stout students, many, who upon returning to campus, sought him out.

“One of the joys (of this job) has been when the students stop by after they have finished their college careers and say thank you for all you have done,” Pitt recently shared. “It was the same with the student-workers. Talking with and reminiscing with the former student-athletes and student-workers has been a great joy and at the top of the list.

“In reflecting, I had things good. I worked for three athletic directors during my tenure, and they were all supportive. Our support staff and the coaches were great as well. I hear about some of the horrible stories other SIDs have gone through with some of their ADS and coaching staffs, and I cannot believe some of the things they shared.”

Anyone working in the athletic communications field knows that there are also some downs. As most sporting events take place in the evening or on weekends, the typical SID oftentimes finds himself late for dinner, or missing dinner with family all together, or having to skip out on lots of family gatherings.

“You spend a lot of time doing this job and there is always more that can be done,” said Pitt. “This job is not always conducive to a career/life balance. But I have been able to bring my kids to work, including the games. Getting to their events was a challenge and took some planning but I was lucky that I did not have to take the long trips with my teams and often was home a good bit at night and able to put my kids to bed.”

We all should seek that balance and we all should strive to be a Layne Pitt, no matter where we land – at our alma mater, as he did, or someplace else. He earned the respect of not just the people he interacted with at UW-Stout, but around the country.

“Layne is well-respected across the country by all who have worked with him over the years, but especially by the Blue Devil coaches, and the student-athletes he has supported and represented with his great work,” noted Stout AD Duey Naatz in an earlier article. Well-spoken.

He also enjoyed the respect of the SIDs in the WIAC (Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Association), many of whom will be in the room when Pitt accepts the award for a lifetime of achievement in Orlando in a few weeks.