College Sports Information Directors of America

Lifetime Achievement Award
Presented to individuals who have served at least 25 years in the athletics communications profession (as of July 2025) who are retiring or leaving the profession. Years of service vetted by the Special Awards Committee. 

Rich Bertolucci – UCLA (posthumous honor)

On UCLA Athletics' sports information staff for 34 years, Bertolucci served as the media contact for numerous nationally-ranked Bruins teams throughout his tenure, most notably the men’s volleyball program and the men’s and women’s golf teams.

In July of 2015, while serving as UCLA associate sports information director, Bertolucci passed away following a long battle with cancer. He was 56.

He was hired as assistant sports information director in July, 1981, immediately following his graduation from Santa Clara University, where he earned a B.A. in English.

At UCLA, Bertolucci was also the managing editor of the UCLA football and men's basketball game programs, as well as Bruin Blue, UCLA Athletics' official newspaper.

Marc Dellins, former longtime UCLA sports information director and 2023 CSC Hall of Fame inductee: "In baseball parlance, ‘Bert’ was a 'five-tool player.' I could plug him into whatever task I needed accomplished knowing the final product would exceed my high expectations. He loved working with his sports, loved tutoring young staff members on feature writing and embraced the task of leading our department's foray into desktop publishing. Most importantly, he loved being part of a team at UCLA and then going home to MA (Mary Ann, his wife) and (daughter) Juliet."

Al Scates, legendary former UCLA men’s volleyball coach and International Volleyball and American Volleyball Coaches Association Halls of Famer (winner of 19 NCAA team titles and 1,239 matches in his 50-year career, coaching 78 All-Americans, 27 Olympians and 7 NCAA Players of the Year): "I met Rich his rookie year at UCLA.  He had just graduated from Santa Clara and came into my office to introduce himself and tell me he had been assigned to cover men's volleyball.  At the time, I had no idea what a great hire this was because it was evident he had a lot to learn about the game.  It turned out he was a quick study and he became a great SID and a lifetime friend traveling with us to our big matches and was there when we won 12 NCAA Championships.  His work on our volleyball media guides was phenomenal.

“I looked forward to a near daily visit from Rich in one of our offices or the practice floor when he was not covering golf.  Once in a while, we played golf at Rancho Park at dawn before we went to the office.  He really crushed the ball off the tee. He had forearms like Popeye but never saw where he hit the ball. I told him, ‘Just keep walking up the middle of the fairway and you will find it.’ His wife, Mary Ann, would drive him to the course and I would take him to UCLA since his eyesight prevented him from driving. 

“‘Bert’ had a long battle with cancer but he came into UCLA for as long as he was strong enough to because he loved his job and the people in the athletic department loved him. He was weak physically and it was evident cancer was winning but his spirit and mind stayed strong. The first time Sue and I visited the Bertoluccis was to enjoy Mary Ann's cooking and the last time was to say goodbye. He was too weak to get out of bed and Mary Ann and their daughter Juliet were at his side.

“The funeral Mass held at St. John the Apostle in August, 2015, was standing room only and the sending song was the UCLA fight song."



Liza David, UCLA Senior Associate Athletics Director, Communications: "‘Bert’ was the best. When I began working in the UCLA sports information office as a student, he never treated me like ‘just a student’. He respected what I had to contribute and accepted some of the ideas I had for publications. He had no ego whatsoever. I took over for him as men’s soccer SID my senior year, and he really helped mentor me in that role and taught me so much about how to do this job. Rich persevered through so much, and you could rarely tell what he was going through because his attitude remained upbeat throughout it all. I miss him, and his chuckle, a lot."

Chuck White, longtime UCLA football and men’s basketball public address announcer and UCLA All-American golfer (1978): "I had the privilege of knowing the great Rich Bertolucci and the work he did to make UCLA golf one of the finest programs in the United States. Golf is a tough sport, often players are their own worst enemy. Rich knew this, and always asked the right question, never touching on the negatives and always leaving our players in a better frame of mind post-interview.  All of UCLA’s great players knew ‘Bert’ personally, and always looked forward to chatting with him. Rich cared--he was more than ‘in charge’ of delivering news about our sport--he was a trusted friend who always listened and had great empathy with the players fortunate enough to represent the Blue and Gold. 

And his passion to deliver a great product was driven by his own love of the game. Rich was a fine player in his own right and took great pleasure in pushing the Bruins’ finest in a friendly game, often winning. Rich is most deserving of this Lifetime Achievement honor, and I know he’s looking down with that beautiful smile from heaven at all the young UCLA players he positively influenced."

Charles Bloom, South Carolina executive associate athletics director/chief of staff/chief communications officer, CSC Hall of Fame (2011):
"I was extremely blessed to have known ‘Bert’ as a young college student. Coming to UCLA to visit my former boss, Bill Bennett, I got to know Bert, Marc Dellins, Steve Rourke, and the Bruin crew. Bert was a nice as they come. He always took time to visit with me and was someone that I could look up to. He didn’t have to, but he did. A helpful friend, pro, and a smiling face – that is what I remember about him."