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.
Greg Hotchkiss — Central Michigan Associate Athletic Director for Communications
Greg Hotchkiss is in his second year as Central Michigan University’s associate athletic director for communications. He began his duties on Oct. 20, 2022. He is the primary contact for football and men’s basketball.
Prior to going to Central Michigan, Hotchkiss served as associate athletic director for communications for the 31-sport Ivy League athletic department.
Hotchkiss has extensive professional experience at the NCAA Division I level, holding sports communications positions at Pittsburgh (director of athletic media relations, 2002-15), Texas Tech (associate AD for communications, 1997-99 and 2015-16), Florida (1996–97 and 2000–02), and Duke (1999–2000). He also served as a sports media relations intern with the Indianapolis Colts, Indiana Pacers, University of Michigan, and at his alma mater, Franklin College (Ind.), where he also was a soccer student-athlete.
Hotchkiss reflects on his career:
I’m amazed that I’ve worked 25 years in college sports communications as I still consider myself young and up-to-date on all technology. It seems like yesterday that I started my first full-time internship position at the University of Florida sports information office. Through the years, the relationships that one can build in this business are second to none, between the fantastic coaches, student-athletes, administrators, co-workers, and media members. As a sports communicator, you are a part of something special, something that most professions cannot even touch! The moments that you go through last a lifetime. Once you are a part of an athletic team, you are a part of that group forever.
Gallery: (5-8-2024) Greg Hotchkiss, 25-Year Award
How Hotchkiss laid the groundwork for his professional career...
I feel like I’ve been working in athletics for much longer as sports have been part of my daily routine since the age of eight. Growing up in the college town of East Lansing, Mich., you can’t help but get swept away by sports. In high school, I discovered a talent for writing and my first SID experiences were at my high school, as I was tasked to put together our school’s fall, winter, and spring sports publications. It was a process that I enjoyed and I was hooked. Along the way, I even drew a new logo for our high school, which is still in use today!
While in college, I played soccer for four years and received my first professional experiences in the field while attending Franklin College in Indiana. Internships at my college, the University of Michigan SID office, Indianapolis Colts, and Indiana Pacers reaffirmed my desire to pursue this field.
Through sports, I was even introduced to my wife (Stacey Brann-Hotchkiss, former Pitt, Rutgers, LIU, and Richmond SID) as we met at the ESPY Awards through NFL Hall of Famer Darrelle Revis.
Mentors and thank you’s…
I have many people to thank for helping me progress and achieve in this business. Many of these folks are still in the business today. Bob Soule and Jeff Smith at East Lansing High School, Kevin Elixman, Anne Barton, and Kerry Prather at Franklin College; Amy Carlton, Bruce Madej, B.J. Sohn, and Tim Frank at the University of Michigan; Craig Kelley and Todd Stewart, Indianapolis Colts; David Benner and Mary Kay Hruskocy, Indiana Pacers; John Humenik, Steve McClain, and Mary Howard, University of Florida; Richard Kilwien, Warren Miller and Judi Henry, Texas Tech University; Jon Jackson and Mike Cragg at Duke University; E.J. Borghetti at the University of Pittsburgh; Bob Steitz, Anthony Azama and Joe Quinlan, Columbia University; Amy Folan and Chris Walker at Central Michigan University.
Sharing professional development tips…
I have worked at a lot of different universities and a variety of different athletic departments. I have taken positions in offices that have been in disrepair, and inefficient, and have come in and cleaned it up. My goals at every stop were to raise office standards, beef up coverage in video and graphics, improve the website, expand staff, and improve social media messaging and coverage. Ultimately, my goal at each institution was to leave the office in better condition than what I found it in. That is a great goal for all to have.
Through all the almost daily technological changes, the one thing that has remained constant through the years has been the ability to build relationships with people. Relationships with your administrators, co-workers, coaches, student-athletes, and media members are the most important ingredient to success in our business. Skills are obviously very important: being able to write, use social media, graphic design, desktop publishing, photography, videography, statistics, but having great relationships trumps them all. Often, I meet students who want to get into this business but would rather not deal with people. If you can’t deal with people, it’s going to be challenging to go far in this business.