Related Content
• 2024 Special Awards Announcements and Features
• #CSCUnite24 Convention Home
• Past 25-Year Award Recipients
25-Year Award
Presented to College Sports Communicators members who have completed 25 years in the athletics communications profession.
Vetted and voted on by the Special Awards Committee.
Jason Hove — South Dakota State Assistant Athletic Director/Communications
Now in his third decade in the sports communications profession at his alma mater,
Jason Hove serves as Assistant AD/Athletic Communications and has primary media relations responsibilities for football, wrestling and baseball.
After graduating from South Dakota State in 1996, Hove joined the athletics staff as the assistant sports information director in July 1998. He was promoted to assistant athletic director for sports information in July 2006 and has led the Jackrabbits sports communications efforts for 19 varsity sports since then.
As an undergraduate, he was a sports information student assistant and also served as sports editor of The Collegian student newspaper for three semesters. He served as editor-in-chief during his senior year.
In addition to his work at South Dakota State, Hove has worked at numerous conference and NCAA postseason events, including the past 12 Summit League Basketball Championship events and the 2016 NCAA Women's Basketball Sioux Falls Regional.
Gallery: (5-7-2024) Jason Hove, 25-Year Award
Justin Sell, South Dakota State Director of Athletics – "Jason's passion and loyalty to Jackrabbit athletics is unmatched. South Dakota State is so fortunate to have someone like Jason on our team for 25-plus years."
Hove on reaching the 25-year milestone as an athletics communicator…
The first thing that comes to mind about reaching the 25-year milestone in our profession is how time flies when you’re having fun! Perhaps what makes my milestone unique is that I’ve been able to spend my entire career in one place — with that place also being my alma mater.
During my time at South Dakota State I’ve been so fortunate to have had a front-row seat for so many significant events in the history of not only our athletic department, but the university as a whole. Those include making a transition from Division II to Division I, winning national championships at both levels and seeing a whole set of new facilities come to fruition.
I owe a lot to my mentor, Ron Lenz, who I worked under for nearly a decade — first as a student assistant and stats crew member and later as a full-time assistant. At the time that I broke into the profession, Ron was part of a group of veteran SIDs in the North Central Conference who were always generous with their time and wisdom - as well as entertaining with their stories.
Hove’s professional development tips…
- Take time to build relationships and expand your network. Seek opportunities to get to know the coaches, student-athletes and others you work with on a more personal level. For me, one of the best days of the year is when we hold our Hall of Fame induction ceremony and can reconnect with some of our all-time greats, and oftentimes with their teammates and coaches. However, don’t limit your interactions to those in your bubble. Get to know other communications professionals within our line of work, on your campuses and in your communities.
- Change your settings. Almost every athletic communications office I’ve ever been in (including my own) has been a windowless office with a relatively sterile environment. When I’m faced with a challenging project or find myself in a rut, I often find it helpful to change my work location; my go-to place is our football press box, where I have access to many of the same amenities in my office, but with abundant natural light and the ability to spread out.