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.

J.D. Campbell — Indiana University Sr. Assistant Athletic Director for Basketball Communications (retired)
 

“I am truly blessed to have had so many special memories of my life in athletics. My family was so supportive of my journey and their sacrifices allowed me to enjoy experiences I would have never thought possible. I was fortunate to feel like I never worked a day doing this. Thank you to all the coaches, players, staff and media who I encountered and hopefully helped in some way. I have been lucky to spend so much time with outstanding human beings over 53 years in sports. Every teammate I have had has impacted me in such a positive way. I hope I have done the same for them. I appreciate CSC and the recognition it offers as the people in our organization unselfishly go the extra mile to help others look good.” — J.D. Campbell, 2026 CSC Lifetime Achievement Award recipient

J.D. Campbell served five institutions from 1986–2023, managing strategic communications for Indiana University, Bowling Green State University, Emporia State University, Northern Kentucky University and Johnson County Community College. He spent 16 years overseeing all communications activities for IU men’s basketball. With the Hoosiers, he worked with coaches Kelvin Sampson, Dan Dakich, Tom Crean (2016 Big Ten Coach of the Year), Archie Miller and Mike Woodson. IU won Big Ten championships in 2013 and 2016. He had the honor of fostering media exposure for six All-Americans, including 2013 National Player of the Year Victor Oladipo.

Campbell came to Bloomington after spending seven years at Bowling Green State University (2000–07), where he was assistant athletics director for communications. BGSU football, under the direction of Urban Meyer and Gregg Brandon, was nationally ranked for five seasons and won the 2003 Motor City Bowl and 2004 GMAC Bowl. He also worked with Dan Dakich’s basketball program.

Campbell went to BGSU from Emporia State, where he was sports information director from 1993–99. He oversaw publicity for 1998 Harlon Hill Award-winning running back Brian Shay. He was sports information director at Northern Kentucky from 1989–93. Campbell began his career as sports information director at Johnson County from 1986–89, worked with all sports, and hosted numerous conference and regional championships.

A native of Las Vegas, Nev., Campbell, 62, received a degree in communications from Newman University in 1986 and a master’s degree in sports administration from Xavier in 1994.

He was an All-American baseball player in 1985 at KNC. He was also the 1982 Nevada American Legion Baseball Player of the Year and hit .617 as a senior at Western High School in 1981.

He and his wife, Kerri, will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary and are proud parents of sons Jon and Chris and grandparents to Aurora and Aiylah.
 

Rick Meyers, former Northern Kentucky University and Great Lakes Valley Conference Sports Information Director: "I was on the search committee when J.D. was hired at Northern Kentucky University (NKU) and he was an absolute perfect fit. J.D. came in and immediately established himself as an outstanding SID and a leader of all the SID’s in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. As the conference SID, I often asked J.D. for his council on a variety of policy issues during the year and he was always at the forefront in supporting post-season championships, especially the GLVC basketball tournament. He helped Division II NKU anchor itself as a major player in the tough Cincinnati sports landscape, competing against several established Division I teams in the market. He went on from NKU to an award-winning career in the field, ending his time as a senior assistant AD managing the basketball program's media relations for one of the most visible teams in college basketball at Indiana University for many years."

Donald Weast, Emporia State University Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations: "J.D. has been a mentor to me throughout my professional career.  He was an innovator when it came to using digital tools to promote our programs and student-athletes. He taught me the importance of building relationships across the board, whether it was with our players and coaches, the media or other communication professionals. He also taught me the importance of a good meal."

Pete Moore, Syracuse University Director of Athletic Communications, CSC Hall of Fame (1998), CSC President (2001-02): "J.D. has had a remarkable tenure. From his start as a student assistant at Kansas Newman College, to talking Johnson County Community College into creating a position for him, to a number of successful other stops that culminated in his hiring at Indiana, J.D. has excelled. He's prioritized the right things — service to his employer, the athletics department, student-athletes and coaches, the media and to the profession. He's mentored a number of the CSC stars of today. He has definitely produced a career of Lifetime Achievement."

Nathan Wiechers, University of Arizona Assistant A.D. for Strategic Communications: "Little did I know that the opportunity JD gave me as an undergraduate at Bowling Green State University would lead me to where I am today. He welcomed me in from day one and is still there to listen more than 20 years later. His work ethic was second to none and his ability to navigate a wide range of situations is something that has helped me throughout my career as well. But most importantly, he cared about those around him, from co-workers to student-athletes to interns. He was always looking for ways to help them and make things easier for them, while carrying a heavy load himself. Congratulations to JD on this incredibly well-deserved honor and I'm proud to call him a friend and mentor of mine."