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. 

Dick Quinn — Williams College Sports Information Director

Retiring after 36 years in athletics communications, Dick Quinn arrived at Williams on August 21, 1989, as a part-time SID covering the Ephs' 30 varsity sports and working as the sports director at radio station WNAW in North Adams, Mass.

Quinn entered college athletics via the Asa S. Bushnell Internship program at the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) 1978-79. In the fall of 1979 he was named the director of information at the U.S. Sports Academy in Mobile, AL.

Quinn then moved to Marist College in the summer of 1980 where he served as the assistant athletic director and director of facilities, while Marist was making the move from Division II to Division I.

In the summer of 1985 Quinn was named associate athletic director at Iona College, where he served until the summer of 1989. At Iona Quinn earned a Master's degree in communication arts (with Honors) in 1989 before leaving to join the Williams family.

Quinn created The Frank Deford Award in the 1989-90 academic year, which is the only award of its kind in collegiate sports honoring student sports information assistants. In 2009 Quinn introduced the Aaron Pinsky '06 Student Broadcasting Award. The Deford and Pinsky awards are unique in all of college athletics.

On October 9, 2009 Quinn became the first Division III Sports Information Director to be inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame. Inducted as a Media Member, Quinn joined former Eph player Jim Frew '99, head coach Dave Paulsen '87 and the Ephs' 2003 NCAA Champions at the ceremony.

Quinn is a 1973 graduate of Holy Cross College, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in history and is a Williamstown native. He and his wife Kathy live in Williamstown, where they raised their five children.

Lisa Melendy, Williams College Director of Athletics: "It has been both an honor and a pleasure to work with Dick Quinn since his arrival at Williams College as the institution's first professional sports information director. From the beginning, Dick has exemplified professionalism and passion in his unwavering dedication to telling the stories of Williams Athletics and its remarkable student-athletes.

What sets Dick apart is that he isn’t just a storyteller — he’s our biggest fan. His genuine pride and joy in sharing the accomplishments of Williams students have always shone through in his work. His enthusiasm is infectious, and his deep commitment to celebrating others is evident in every word he writes and every event he supports.

Beyond his extraordinary service to the College, Dick has also made a lasting impact on the field of sports journalism. Through his mentorship of countless student workers, many of whom have gone on to careers in journalism and related fields, he has nurtured a legacy that extends far beyond campus. The experiences and guidance he provided have shaped lives and launched careers. Dick Quinn’s contributions will be felt at Williams — and well beyond — for decades to come."

Lisa Champagne, NESCAC Assistant Director for Media Relations, CSC Hall of Fame (2024), CSC 25-Year Award: "Dick Quinn has lived and breathed the Williams College Ephs for over three decades. During his legendary career in the Purple Valley, he has mentored countless students who have worked for him in the sports information office to help cover the school's 32 sports. Dick is a true historian of Williams Athletics. He has seen the Ephs win 30-plus NCAA titles and 22 Directors' Cups. He can describe a play from a football game that happened in 1990 as if it happened yesterday. But his greatest joy while working at Williams is developing relationships with the students, whether they are student-athletes or student workers. Dick always wants to shine the light on the students as demonstrated by him creating the Frank Deford Award, which honors the top student contributors each year, and the countless connections he has made for students to internships and professional positions in the sports world. Although Dick is retiring from his role, I have no doubt he will be in the stands for many games, especially the Amherst-Williams matchups."

Paul Sweeney, Tufts University Athletics Communication Specialist: "In my early days at Tufts, I can't tell you how many times I opened my issue of Sports Illustrated and would see something about a student-athlete from Williams College in there. My bosses would say, 'Why isn't Tufts in Sports Illustrated?' I would tell them, 'Because I'm not as well connected as Dick Quinn!'

While Dick would cause me some consternation in this regard, he would become a treasured colleague to me. He would share some of his long list of contacts to help me out, and he was always one of the first to reach out when Tufts had a big victory - even if it was against Williams. I am beyond thrilled to hear that Dick is receiving the CSC's Lifetime Achievement Award, which he thoroughly deserves. NESCAC will miss him!"

Kris Dufour, Amherst College Director of Athletic Communications: "For the past 36 years, Dick Quinn has bled Williams purple. His deep affection and commitment to its student-athletes, coaches and alumni is unparalleled in this industry. His ability to cultivate relationships within the college athletics community and the media is unmatched. Williams, the NESCAC and the Div. III community as a whole are going to miss him and his big heart. Congratulations Dick on this well-deserved honor!"

Jim Caton, Bowdoin College Associate Athletic Director for Communications: "No one loves Williams Athletics more than Dick Quinn— “DQ,” as we affectionately called him in the NESCAC Athletic Communications offices. Despite his deep loyalty to the Ephs, he was always one of the first to congratulate my teams after big or historic Bowdoin wins. It was a thoughtful gesture, and one I truly appreciated. A true sportsman and gentleman — he will be missed."

Quinn on what he values the most among his career accomplishments…
"I consider among my most notable accomplishments that well over 1,500 students have worked in Eph sports information roles during my tenure. There are 56 students working for me this year as writers, photographers, in-game highlights pullers, social media posters and doing office work.

Williams has a combined total of 47 Eph athletes and coaches who have appeared in Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd during my tenure. That is far and away the most of any college or university.

Most impressive to me is that Williams College is the only college or university in all three NCAA divisions to be named #1 in U.S. News and World Reports and win the Learfield Directors’ Cup in the same year. It is true that at Williams it is academics first.

Most often through a Williams connection (and sometimes even an Amherst connection) I have been able to send former Eph sports information men and women to NBC Sports, ESPN, ABC Sports, CBS Sports and The New England Sports Network (which covers the primary pro and college teams in Boston), Sports New York, FOX Sports, the NY Mets, the Detroit Tigers, the New England Patriots, and Omaha Productions.

Mike Disner, the Chief Operating Officer of the Detroit Lions, worked in Eph sports information, as did Golf.com writer Dylan Dethier.

The Eph sports information alums at NBC Sports are heavily engaged with Olympics and the Special Olympics coverage."

Reflections on when ESPN’s College Game Day came to Williams… 
“In 2006 I heard that ESPN was thinking of having GameDay go to Amherst College, our arch rival. I called ESPN. I don’t remember whom I was connected with, but I cautioned him that going to Amherst College would put GameDay within an easy walk for some 35,000+ UMass Amherst students who just might like to be on TV.

The next year Williams became the first DIII school to host GameDay.

Chris Fowler stayed for the game and went on “The Walk.” “The Walk” takes place after a homecoming football win over Wesleyan or Amherst and it features the Eph team walking through the center of town in the middle of the street, in full uniform. When Chris Fowler was here the team stopped at St. Pierre’s Barber Shop for a cold drink, cheers, sing the fight song and freshmen received outlandish haircuts or shaved heads from the upperclassmen.

Chris Fowler asked me to get him inside the barber shop which previously was for players only to witness the scene and he was immensely impressed.

Sports Illustrated named “The Walk” the best post-game celebration in college sports.”

Writing the book on legendary Williams football and track and field coach Dick Farley… 
"How many SIDs can say they live in the house they grew up in and walk to work like I do?

One of my favorite things I have done at Williams is write a book about legendary Eph football and track coach Dick Farley – Why I Never left Williams College, A Coach’s Legacy Beyond the Wins and the Hardware.

In his first season Farley as the head coach before I arrived lost his first three games and then he went 119 games without losing back-to back games. That’s only one reason why I was able to successfully nominate him for the National College Football Hall of Fame.

In December of 1989 when Dick and I were travelling to the New England Football Writers Dinner, he turned to me while driving and gave me the greatest compliment I ever received at Williams. Farley said, “You’re the best thing and the worst thing that has happened to Williams. Athletics loves you and the rest of the campus is jealous.”

On ESPN carrying Williams games…  
"In 1995 I called down to ESPN to see if they would be interested in doing the Williams versus Amherst football game from Weston Field in Williamstown. I was transferred to a person who, much to my surprise, was an Amherst alum. He told me the only way that game could be televised was if there was a national sponsor. I said, ‘I’ll call Chuck Fruit at Coca-Cola and get back to you.’  I was asked if I knew Chuck Fruit and I answered that I did not, but I knew he was a former swimmer for the Ephs.

When I called Chuck, he was happy to talk about his time at Williams and then asked me why I was calling. He said, 'When we finish talking, I will call ESPN and the game will be on.'

ESPN flew Chuck up for the game, but alas, the Williamstown weather in the fall of 1995 featured a lot of rain that turned the grass field on Weston Field into a quagmire and the game ended 0-0. I believe it was the last tie game in NCAA DIII competition."