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Lifetime Achievement Award
Presented to individuals who have served at least 25 years
in the athletics communications profession (as of July 2023) who are retiring or leaving the profession.
Years of service vetted by the Special Awards Committee.
Bill Jones – Skidmore College Senior Athletic Communications Manager (retired)
Lifetime Achievement Award
Bill Jones, a CSC Hall of Famer and former Lester Jordan Award recipient, retired from a full-time athletic communications role in March 2024. Jones served an unprecedented 40-year tenure at Skidmore College and is a 41-year CSC member.
In the words of Bill Jones:
What are your fondest memories from four decades as a sports information/communications director?
The people I have crossed paths with, including students, colleagues, coaches, and even parents have been the basis of many great memories. Watching a women's tennis player lead her team to an NCAA III championship and then turn around to win the singles title 6-0, 6-0. Having the Sunday New York Times do a front page story on a Inuit hockey player from near the arctic circle who was one of the first from his village to attend a college, let alone play sports in college. Last year we had our first baseball player drafted after watching him set every program home run record.
In retirement, I will most miss the daily interaction with college students.
His involvement with CSC's Academic All-America program…
I was originally on the CoSIDA "computer" committee. We used to run demos of new programs at the old CoSIDA workshops and conventions. Most of the time I had no clue. One year there was an opening on the Academic All-America Committee and I jumped on it. I've had great satisfaction over my career working with the program.
Gallery: (3-25-2024) Bill Jones, Lifetime Achievement Award
WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT BILL JONES:
Skidmore College Director of Athletics, Gail Cummings-Danson: "Bill has been a valuable asset and contributor to the promotion and growth of Skidmore Athletics. He has a wealth of information and institutional knowledge that we have been reliant on and will miss upon his retirement. Bill's tireless effort to position Skidmore Athletics to be as strong and successful as it can be has not gone unnoticed and has been appreciated and valued during his 40-year commitment to our institution. He will be missed!"
Liberty League Commissioner, Tracy King: "Bill Jones has had an amazing 40-year career at Skidmore. When he arrived in Saratoga, the athletics program was in its infancy as an NAIA school. Bill literally built the athletic communications operation from the ground up and has constantly evolved over time, supporting an athletic department that now includes 19 teams and more than 200 student-athletes. As a 2018 inductee into the CSC Hall of Fame, Bill's work speaks for itself, but beyond that, he's been a great friend, mentor and colleague and has touched the lives of many during an incredible career."
Skidmore College Director of Marketing & Engagement, Julia Marco: "Few people today would give of themselves to a place as much as Bill has. He is a truly special colleague and it's been both a privilege and an inspiration to work alongside someone with such love for this community. Leading the next generation in his footsteps is an absolute honor.
When Bill arrived at Skidmore in 1984, varsity sports were in their infancy. A handful of teams, many led by the same coaches, competing against a mix of college, intramural, community college, and other local programs. Forty years later, the transformation is nearly impossible to describe. In the simplest terms, the magnetism that draws us all to the Thoroughbreds brand and culture, the reason so many give and give to this program and our student-athletes, is fueled by the sweat equity of a few trailblazers ... and Bill Jones tops that list."
Skidmore College Head Baseball Coach, Ron Plourde: "Bill has been the backbone of Skidmore Athletics since its inception. He has done so much to support and promote our athletes, coaches and the entire Skidmore community. We are extremely grateful for all he has done and the impact he's had is immeasurable!"
Skidmore Associate Director, Athletic Communications & Marketing, Kyle Lancto: "Four decades after Bill's arrival at Saratoga Springs, Skidmore has one of the strongest athletic footprints in all of NCAA Division III. It also has a rock-solid local and national brand reputation thanks, in part, to the dedication of one man doing everything he could to increase the program's publicity and national standing.
Bill is a true titan of the industry. His longevity in the business, especially at one place, is an inspiration. But for me, beyond all of the accomplishments, awards, and honors that Bill has (rightfully) received throughout the years, the quality of a person that he is is what I will take away most and remember him by the greatest. Bill gave me my first full-time opportunity in the business. He believed in me. He allowed me to grow, to find my way, and he let me learn from my mistakes."
Multi-award winning Bill Jones, a CSC Hall of Famer, retired from Skidmore College earlier this month (on March 11) after serving at the Division III school in Saratoga Springs, NY since 1984.
Since his arrival at Skidmore, Jones' work helped support nearly 4,000 student-athletes as he served five college Presidents and 86 different head coaches. Jones was heavily involved in the CSC (formerly CoSIDA) national organization, spending 30 years on the Academic All-America Committee, with 23 of those years as a national coordinator. In the EAST-COMM regional sports communications organization (formerly ECAC-SIDA), he was a past president and member of the board of directors. Jones also hosted three EAST-COMM workshops in Saratoga Springs.
Among his numerous honors, Jones was inducted into the CSC Hall of Fame in 2018. In 2021, he was recognized with the CSC Lester Jordan Award for his contributions and outstanding service to the Academic All-America Committee. Earlier in his career, Jones was the recipient of two major EAST-COMM honors - the 2004 Irving T. Marsh College Division Award for outstanding contributions and communications excellence, and the 2011 Pete Nevins Award for Distinguished Achievement. for advancing the field of athletic communications and advocacy for intercollegiate athletics.
