College Sports Communicators was founded in 1957 and is a 4,700+ member national association for strategic, creative and digital communicators across intercollegiate athletics in the United States and Canada. The current name of the organization was adopted following a
membership-wide vote on Aug. 31, 2022.
From its founding in 1957 until the 2022 name change, the organization was known as College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
The name change signaled a major step in a larger strategic plan to highlight the association’s evolution and expansion. The move better aligns with the association's membership makeup and further positions the organization to support and advocate for its members who serve in the communications, digital and creative college sports industry, regardless of position or title.
The organization, which celebrated its 65th year during the 2021-22 academic year, is the second oldest management association in all of intercollegiate athletics. College Sports Communicators became an affiliated partner with NACDA (National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics) in December of 2008.
CSC's membership first reached the 3,000 mark during the 2013-14 school year and has topped that threshold each year since with the exception of the 2020-21 Covid-19 pandemic year. The membership base reached 4,000 for the first time in 2022-23.
Prior to the formation of the organization as CoSIDA in the mid 1950s, sports information directors as a group were a part of the American College Public Relations Association. Most SIDs at those ACPRA meetings eventually felt that a separate organization was needed and that led to CoSIDA’s formation. There were 102 members at the original meeting/convention in 1957.
Primary Mission
College Sports Communicators has two primary missions as it seeks to have its profession, organization and membership take its rightful leadership role within the decision-making levels of the intercollegiate athletics community:
- Assist communications and public relations professionals at all collegiate levels with professional development and continuing education, helping its members deal in a strategic and effective manner with the various issues, challenges and opportunities that exist within the fast-paced and ever-changing collegiate communications environment.
- Play a significant leadership and resource role within the overall collegiate athletics enterprise, thus helping other management groups and their respective memberships deal with the set of communications-based issues that is the most complex and challenging in history.
Executive Board of Directors/Leadership
College Sports Communicators Executive Board of Directors is comprised of elected officer positions (President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, 3rd Vice President, immediate Past President, At-Large Representatives and a Secretary). These athletics communications leaders, along with a five-member staff (Executive Director, Associate Executive Director, Director of Professional Development & External Affairs, Director of Membership Engagement and Director of Creative Services) compose the organization’s leadership group.
In the summer of 2020, the association strengthened its divisional leadership with the creation of a
divisional cabinet structure. Each division (NCAA Divisions I, II, III, NAIA, Canadian Institutions, Two-Year Colleges and Past Presidents) is composed of a 10 member cabinet. One member of each cabinet comprises the Advisory Council. The nearly unanimous membership vote allowed CSC to move to a governance structure that is more streamlined, efficient and responsive to members’ needs and initiatives throughout the divisions, and will increase the opportunities for leadership in the organization.
Erik Christianson served as the organization's third Executive Director on June 13, 2022 to August 23, 2024. He replaced Doug Vance, a member of CoSIDA’s Hall of Fame and a former president of the organization who served in the role from September 18, 2013 until his retirement on July 31, 2022. Serving as the first Executive Director and first full-time employee for then-CoSIDA was John Humenik (January 2008-June 2013).
The Executive Director position serves as the organization’s senior administrator working closely with its Executive Board of Directors and the organization’s full-time staff in handling the organization’s day-to-day administration and operations as well as the development of short- and long-term strategic planning and initiatives.
Other Executive Director duties include: serving as the organization's primary liaison with all of the nation's collegiate sports governing bodies, sports management organizations and coaches associations; and coordinating College Sports Communicators corporate partnership and outreach program that plays a critical role of supporting organizational year-round initiatives and the annual convention.
Academic All-America® and Academic All-America® Hall of Fame Programs
College Sports Communicators founded in the mid 1950s the highly regarded
Academic All-America® program, unquestionably regarded as the premier awards program in intercollegiate athletics for honoring combined academic and athletic excellence. It is CSC's signature program and has been presented a federal registration brand mark for “Academic All-America® and Academic All-American®” meaning that it is the sole organization that can refer to an awards program which includes that brand mark/name.
Google Cloud served as the title sponsor of the program from May of 2018 to August 2019. Capital One served as the program's title sponsor from January 2012 to July of 2015. Other title sponsors have included GTE, Verizon and ESPN the Magazine.
CSC fully manages and administers the Academic All-America® program across all divisions of play (NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA, Canadian and Two-Year institutions) and the Academic All-America® Hall of Fame.
College Sports Communicators members nominate and vote with regard to the selection of Academic All-America® performers in 16 sports (M/W Soccer, Football, Volleyball, M/W Basketball, M/W Swimming & Diving, M/W Tennis, Baseball, Softball, M/W At-Large [multiple sport category], and M/W Track & Field/Cross Country for all NCAA and NAIA divisions. A College Division recognizes teams in an At-Large contest for all other divisions.
Created in 1988, the Academic All-America® Hall of Fame recognizes past Academic All-America® selections who have achieved lifetime success in their professional careers and are committed to philanthropic causes in the communities where they reside. Four to five deserving candidates are inducted at an annual awards ceremony. Each class is inducted at the annual convention.
Learn more about the Academic All-America® program here.