College Sports Information Directors of America

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Steve Shutt – Wake Forest University, Associate Athletic Director for Athletic Communications (retired 2020)

CSC Lifetime Achievement Award

by Barb Kowal – College Sports Communicators, Director of Professional Development and External Affairs

Steve Shutt spent 40 years in college athletic communications prior to his retirement in late 2020; he spent his final 13 years at Wake Forest University.
 
In preparation for receiving a CSC Lifetime achievement Award next month, Shutt recently addressed some questions in this Q&A about his career, significant and defining career moments, and what his message is today for young college sports communications professionals.
 
Following his Q&A, read the feature piece, below, was done by the Wake Forest athletic communications staff when Shutt retired from the ACC institution in October of 2020. He had joined the Demon Deacon staff in 2007, and retired after 40 years in the profession.
 
 
You've been retired for several years now. As you look back on your long career, what would be a few defining moments for you?
SS: There are a few that I think about. While at Bowling Green in 1985, I was able to promote QB Brian McClure to a top 10 finish in the Heisman Trophy voting. That was unheard of for a Mid-American Conference player at that time. At New Mexico State, CBS ran a feature on our Vietnamese-American placekicker Dat Ly, who had left Saigon with his family on the day it fell in 1975. A young Jim Nantz and a young Steve Scheer came to Las Cruces to do the story. And perhaps the greatest story I ever helped promote was when Wake Forest baseball coach Tom Walter donated a kidney to his freshman outfielder Kevin Jordan. That drew nationwide attention and much positive publicity for the team and the school. 
 
Perhaps the most meaningful relationships I have had were with those students whom I had the privilege to work with, to help them build a foundation. Many of them have gone on to careers that have far exceeded mine and I couldn't be happier for them. They had what it takes to get to the top of the college athletics/pro sports/Olympic movement profession. I've been thrilled to watch their success.
 
What do you carry with yourself daily from your career?
SS: Retirement is in the eye of the beholder! I'm currently handling the communications for the minor league baseball team High Point Rockers (in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league" of Major League Baseball), do other work for the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, and work on college football and basketball broadcasts for the HBCUGO Network. What I've learned and carry with me is that you can never be too prepared. Anticipate what might happen in any given scenario, both good and bad. And prepare to act quickly when a scenario arises. 
 
What would be your message to mid-career and young professionals? What are your thoughts about an athletic communicators career path - how to best to elevate yourself, your brand, and be seen as a leader in college sports?
SS: What I've told many people is you can choose to view your position as a sports media relations professional as either "chief statistician and news release writer," in which case you handle everything that comes your way. You do the job, update the website, maintain the rosters, get out the results, write the recaps, etc. Or, you can view yourself as the "senior VP of communications," in which case, you advise those you work with on the proper response to situations, you help shape the public opinion and brand of your school/institution/team.

I would tell them: Be the person that people come to for advice, the person that your colleagues respect for their work ethic and professionalism. Help drive the bus, don't just be a passenger.

Shutt retirement story: Original published date: Oct. 16, 2020
Steve Shutt, Wake Forest's Associate Athletic Director for Athletic Communications, will retire on October 31, following 13 years at Wake Forest and 40 years in the Media Relations field. 

During his time at Wake Forest, Shutt helped document the accomplishments of two NCAA championship teams, 10 ACC championship teams, five national players of the year, 76 All-Americans and eight football bowl teams. He coordinated national publicity efforts surrounding baseball coach Tom Walter's kidney donation to outfielder Kevin Jordan in 2011 and Aaron Curry's campaign to win the Butkus Award in 2008.

Shutt joined the Demon Deacons in 2007 after having served as an Associate Athletic Director at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C.  Shutt is the second-longest serving athletics communications director at Wake Forest behind only Marvin "Skeeter" Francis' 14-year tenure from 1955-69.

Prior to Wofford, Shutt was the Associate Commissioner for Public Affairs for the Southern Conference, where he was responsible for managing the publicity and media relations efforts of the Conference. He served as the tournament director for the SoCon Baseball Championship and the league's liaison with the coaches and umpiring staff. Shutt was the media director for the 2002 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship First and Second Round site that the SoCon hosted in Greenville, S.C.

Shutt joined the Southern Conference in 1999 after serving as an account executive with Jeff Dezen Public Relations in Greenville, S.C. where he managed the Maxfli Golf and Dunlop Maxfli Canada accounts. Previously, Shutt spent 12 years as the assistant athletic director for media relations at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, N.M. where he worked with 27 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans and promoted five men's basketball teams that competed in the NCAA Championship including a Sweet 16 appearance in 1992.

Shutt graduated from Bowling Green State University with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1980. He became the Sports Information Director at Indian River Community College in Fort Pierce, Fla. upon graduation before returning to BGSU as the assistant SID in 1982. He was promoted to SID in 1983 where he assisted Falcon quarterback Brian McClure to a top ten finish in the Heisman Trophy race while also producing an award-winning season-in-review publication of BGSU's 1984 NCAA men's ice hockey national championship.

A resident of Winston-Salem, Shutt plans to continue writing during his retirement and spend more time with his college-age children, Gabriela and Javier.

Commemorative Quotes:
Steve Shutt:

• "Working in college athletics requires a great deal of passion and I am blessed to have been able to spend my entire career chasing my passion. I can't begin to thank the countless coaches, student-athletes and administrators with whom I was able to develop close relationships and life-long friendships."

John Currie, Wake Forest Director of Athletics:

• "We thank Steve for his dedication and efforts during his time at Wake Forest. He worked every day to create positive relationships with the media and to tell Wake Forest student-athlete stories nationwide. Our staff wishes him the best and we look forward to seeing him often at Wake Forest ballgames in his retirement."

Ron Wellman, Former Wake Forest Director of Athletics:

• "Steve is a true public relations professional and I greatly enjoyed working with him at Wake Forest. His dedication and impact on our Demon Deacon student-athletes, coaches and programs can't be overstated. In addition to his normal responsibilities, I depended on his research and valued his input and opinions. I am truly blessed to call him a friend and I wish him the best in retirement."

Tom Walter, Wake Forest Head Baseball Coach:  

• "Steve has been a wonderful friend and colleague. He spearheaded the original story between Kevin Jordan and myself and did it with class, integrity and respect for my two children. That's a debt I can never repay."

Stan Cotton, Voice of the Demon Deacons for Wake Forest Sports Properties:  

• "I can't say enough about Steve and his willingness and effort to make my job, and the job of other media members covering Wake Forest, easier. He always went out of his way to accommodate us and learn about what we did and how we did it so that he could serve us better. For instance I greatly appreciate the work he put into updating Wake's record books. He would weekly pull tidbits from his research and pass them along to us so we could in turn pass them along to our listeners. He served Wake Forest Athletics so well in his time here. I valued our work relationship and our friendship, and he will be missed."

Tommy Sheppard, Washington Wizards General Manager:

• "I would like to congratulate Steve Shutt on his retirement from an amazing career in collegiate athletics. His impact on the lives of countless student-athletes, coaches, support staff and students has been profound.  I owe my career path directly to his guidance and the opportunity he gave me as a student assistant at New Mexico State in 1990. I am forever grateful and salute his trademark professionalism, amazing ability to cultivate relationships and to elevate the visibility of every university in which he served in his distinguished career."

Mike Buddie, Army West Point Director of Athletics: 

• “Steve has been a staple in D1 College Athletics for over 40 years. Steve's love for the games, the coaches and the student-athletes who competed for their institutions was always clearly visible and reflected in his work. I will forever treasure the time I was able to spend with, and learn from, Steve in the early days of my administrative career.  I am thrilled that Steve will be slowing down to enjoy those things that he truly loves, and to be surrounded by those who are important in his life."

Mike Odom, Assistant Executive Director, American Baseball Coaches Association:  

• "Steve is a consummate professional who brought a tremendous amount of passion and experience to his role at Wake Forest. It was a pleasure working closely with him on all kinds of projects over the years and I wish Steve a great retirement."

Elliott Avent, NC State Head Baseball Coach:  

• "I have known Steve since 1988 when he was part of the hiring process that resulted in my first head coaching job at New Mexico State University.  I enjoyed Steve's professionalism in publicizing our baseball program and his guidance in navigating through college athletics administration. Most of all, I've enjoyed my friendship with Steve for over 30 years and appreciate his passion for intercollegiate athletics and particularly college baseball."