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. 

Rick Meyers — Northern Kentucky University, Great Lakes Valley Conference (retired)

Rick Meyers had a four-decade career in collegiate athletics that began in the infancy of the Northern Kentucky University athletics program and led to an administrative position in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). 

Meyers went straight from being a student worker to the sports information director at NKU soon after graduation. He served as NKU’s sports information director from 1977-86 when he became the school’s director of media relations. He served in that role from 1986-2001 before becoming the assistant vice president for marketing and communications from 2001-14.

He was also named the SID for the GLVC in 1987 and held that position for 18 years.

It was at the GLVC where Meyers honed his marketing and arena management skills, helping administrate the GLVC’s record-breaking post-season tournament which broke several attendance records at Roberts Stadium in Evansville, Ind. He won several CSC awards in this capacity, including his conference media guide being named “Best in the Nation” for five consecutive years in the 1990s.

He also received a 25-Year award from CSC in 2018.

In 2014, Meyers retired from his post at NKU and is currently a senior consultant at Chancticleer Consulting. Meyers was named to the Great Lakes Valley Conference Hall of Fame (inducted May, 2009), the Northern Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame (inducted January, 2012) and the Northern Kentucky University Athletics Hall of Fame (inducted February, 2015).

J.D. Campbell, retired SID at Indiana University and Northern Kentucky, former CSC Executive Board member, CSC 25-Year Award: "Rick dedicated his career and much of his life to Northern Kentucky University. After serving as a student SID for the Norse from 1972-77, Meyers became the first full-time SID in program history upon graduation. He spent 10 years promoting NKU athletics, winning 14 CSC (then College Sports Information Directors of America) awards, before moving to the Northern Kentucky University media relations office in 1986. Meyers also assumed the role as the Great Lakes Valley Conference SID in 1988 and served for 17 years in that capacity. Even when he moved over to the University side of communications, he worked every home game of my tenure as a statistician, and was one of the first to make the transition from manual stats to the Stat Crew System when it was introduced in the late 80's. To this day, he remains involved with NKU as official scorer for men's and women's home basketball games. 

I regard Rick as my big brother. He invested himself to ensure that I not only was successful in my new job, but he made me a better husband, father and friend  by his example and was generous with his knowledge and resources to make sure the areas outside of work also thrived. 

God made my life better because of Rick Meyers."

Steve Kratochvil, retired UW-Parkside Sports Information Director: "Rick was an outstanding mentor to me when I was a rookie SID at Wisconsin-Parkside. Drawing on his experience was invaluable throughout my tenure, and his friendship is something that still endures. He was able to build a close bond with all the SIDs in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and through that he was able to create an unbeatable team of sports communicators. Rick was a respected, hard-working, true professional, yet knew when it was time to spearhead social activities! He had the perfect balance of work and fun and excelled at both."

Roy Pickerill, Kentucky Wesleyan College Sports Information Director Emeritus, CSC Hall of Fame (1999), CSC Warren Berg Award (1998), CSC Lifetime Achievement Award (2017), CSC 25-Year Award (2012): "Receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award is very appropriate for Rick Meyers, who has devoted his career to sports information/communications for nearly five decades. Just because he is somewhat retired, Rick has not stopped working college basketball games or in the NFL Bengals press box. He is a man of integrity, commitment and dedication with a thirst for knowledge and a burning desire to see others succeed. He is definitely one of the best in America!
 
Rick and I started our dream careers together in the mid-70s and we are blessed."

Meyers reflecting on his award-winning career…
"When I was an undergraduate back in the early 1970’s, I was fortunate enough to head the stat crew for the new Northern Kentucky State College basketball team. By the time I was a senior, the team had no full-time SID and I wanted that job. After my graduation, the school approved the position and I was lucky enough to be named the school’s first full-time SID.

I had 10 great years doing the Northern Kentucky job before moving on to the Great Lakes Valley Conference for 17 years where I was fortunate enough to not only work with all the SID’s, but was exposed to how each of the dozen conference schools operated. That experience prepared me later to be named an assistant VP of marketing and communication at NKU.

The sports information journey prepares all of us to do almost any job in athletics and in college administration, from marketing and promotion to teamwork, time management and superior communication skills. 

I am still involved in the profession, doing the official book for NKU, Xavier, Thomas More and as a member of the game-day media relations staff for the Cincinnati Bengals."