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 2026) who are retiring or leaving the profession. Years of service vetted by the Special Awards Committee. Members may self-nominate for this award.

Ann King — Russell Sage College (posthumous)

A decorated leader in college athletic communications and a passionate advocate for the profession and its people, Ann King is being honored posthumously by College Sports Communicators with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

King’s fifth all-time CSC honor ties her for the most awards earned by a woman in the organization’s history alongside Bernie Cafarelli, Debbie Copp, Mary Jo Haverbeck, Debby Jennings, Diane Nordstrom and Poe. She was 59 at the time of her passing in September 2023, following a courageous and public battle with cancer.

In her 14th year at Russell Sage College in Troy, New York, King served as Director of Athletic Communications and dedicated nearly 40 years to Division III college sports communications. Throughout her career, she championed her colleagues and student-athletes while elevating the profession at every level.

King was inducted into the CSC Hall of Fame in 2006 and received the Mary Jo Haverbeck Trailblazer Award in 2018 for her lasting impact supporting and mentoring others. The award recognizes pioneers in sports information who have advanced ethnic and gender diversity within the organization.

She earned the Warren Berg Award in 2003 — the highest honor in CSC’s college division — becoming the first woman to receive the distinction. She was also a 25-Year Award recipient in 2011.

A past president of EAST-COMM (formerly ECAC-SIDA), King led the organization in 2003-04 and later received two of its highest honors: the Irving T. Marsh Award (2007) for outstanding service in sports communications and the Pete Nevins Award for Distinguished Achievement (2020).

In September 2023, she was recognized as part of the Empire 8 Conference 25th Anniversary Legends Series.

King served on the CSC Board of Directors from 1999-2002, becoming just the 10th woman named to the board in the organization’s 63-year history. She later became the first female president of the Division III athletic communicators (D3SIDA) during the 2019-20 academic year. In 2012, she was appointed to the NCAA Division III governance–CSC strategic communications committee, where she was elected chair, and she also served on the NCAA Media Coordination Advisory Board from 2012-2015.

In the early 2000s, King helped found FAME (Female Athletic Media Relations Executives), which evolved into WoSIDA and is now CSC Women — a vibrant group dedicated to supporting women in sports media relations and advancing education and advocacy within the profession.

King joined Sage in 2009 as its first full-time sports information director after 17 years at The College of New Jersey. Prior to TCNJ, she served six years as sports information director at her alma mater, Drew University in Madison, New Jersey.
 

Doug Vance, retired CSC Executive Director / CSC Past President (1993-94) and CSC Hall of Famer: “Ann poured her heart and soul into her job and into her profession. Her courage was inspiring and her love of family, friends and colleagues around the country would be hard to match. Ann made a difference in the lives of many.”

Sam Atkinson, Gallaudet University Associate Athletic Director for Communications, CSC Past President (2020-21) and CSC Hall of Famer: "Ann King was a true trailblazer and pioneer in the college sports communications field. She was the matriarch for women in this profession as one of the founders of Female Athletic Media Relations Executives (FAME), then WoSIDA, now known as CSC Women. Ann was Division III through and through from her stops at her alma mater Drew University, The College of New Jersey and Sage College, which spanned over three decades. Ann was a leader and true champion of others as she helped to celebrate and recognize many in this profession during her time in CSC. We are all so lucky to have known Ann."

Lisa Champagne, New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Assistant Director for Media Relations, CSC Hall of Famer and past Special Awards recipient: “Ann was not only a good friend, but she was also the best person I have known. When I think of Ann, I think of three words – kindness, passion, and service. Ann ALWAYS thought of others: whether doing her job at an extraordinary level to serve and promote her student-athletes and colleagues in the athletic departments, discretely nominating a deserving colleague for an award, or being the first person to offer to help. Her legacy is one of being an advocate and mentor for women in the profession, a passionate Division III supporter, and a fighter for more resources for all. Ann was also the ‘queen of swag.’ My favorite memories of her include walking through the exhibit halls at CSC Conventions with her and watching her grab all the swag! Outside of the job, Ann was proud to show her horse, Cosmo, at equestrian competitions. They were an award-winning duo.”