2023 Special Awards Salute: Bill Powers (Hawai'i Pacific), CSC Hall of Fame
College Sports Information Directors of America
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Bill Powers – Hawai'i Pacific University, Assistant Athletics Director of Strategic Communication (retired)
CSC Hall of Fame Class of 2023
by Blake Timm – Greater Northwest Athletic Conference, Assistant Commissioner // CSC Special Awards Committee vice-chair
Like so many who have entered the athletic communications profession, Bill Powers did not aim to be the next Lawrence Fan, Langston Rogers or Fred Nuesch.
Bill Powers was going to be the next Bob Costas.
“I had been hired to do Division I basketball on a regular basis on a cable network,” said Powers of his first job as a play-by-play broadcaster for the Indian Sports Network, covering Arkansas State games. “It was basically three cameras on a switcher that we threw in the back of a panel van. I was in the back on a bean bag as we drove all over the old Southland Conference. That is what I thought I would end up doing.”
While Powers never strayed far from the microphone, his name is said more in the same breath as the greats of the athletic communications business than those in the broadcast ranks.
So it is only fitting that Powers, who retired last fall after a four-decade career as a respected athletic communications pro, is one of the 2023 inductees into the College Sports Communicators Hall of Fame. He also is receiving a 2023 CSC Lifetime Achievement Award. Powers will be honored during the upcoming CSCUNITE 23 taking place in at the Orlando World Center Marriott, in June 12 All-Star Night of Honors ceremonies.
What landed Powers that coveted broadcasting job at his alma mater was a solid work ethic and a willingness to try to be the best. It also provided him an introduction to the sports information thanks to Jerry Schaeffer and Gina Bowman, who ran the office at Arkansas State.
Bill Powers and his wife Rhonda at the 2004 Cotton Bowl Chairman's Ball. Powers worked 22 consecutive Cotton Bowl football games, serving as the head of the statistics team his last 12.
It did not take long for Powers to intertwine sports information and broadcasting, calling games while working in the sports information office at East Texas State (now Texas A&M-Commerce). Powers spent eight years in his first stint in Commerce, which also began his longtime association with NCAA Division II. (In 1995, East Texas State University merged with the Texas A&M System to become Texas A&M University-Commerce.)
Then and now, Powers believed that athletic communications and broadcasting were brothers born of a common mother.
“I always considered a good team broadcaster as someone who was a sports information director of the air,” he said. “That’s what I considered myself, someone who told the stories and described my team in the best light, no matter what kind of team it was.”
After serving at Commerce, Powers spent two years at Division I Steven F. Austin before returning to Texas A&M-Commerce in 1998. That was followed a nine-year stint at Midwestern State (Wichita Falls, Texas) and a two-year return to the Division I ranks at New Mexico State. In 2016, Powers traded his Stetson and cowboy boots for a lei and flip-flops for six years as the assistant athletic director for strategic communications at Hawaii Pacific.
Powers was honored with HPU's Ke Kaukahi Award in the spring of 2018, which a recognition of excellence by the HPU Staff Council. He retired from Hawai’i Pacific in August 2022.
At all of these stops, Powers drew upon lessons and examples sent by the many people who mentored. But maybe most from his good friend Charlie Fiss, the longtime communications director for the Cotton Bowl.
“I would not be here if it were not for Charlie Fiss,” Powers said. “Charlie took me under his wing and helped me out. My in-game media relations style came from the Cotton Bowl. While it was tailored for football, what I did for every other sport was modeled after that.”
Powers felt like he had made it in the business when he was invited by Fiss to become part of the Cotton Bowl’s game-day team in 1987. He would serve the association as a statistician and as part of media relations staff for the next 22 years, including 12 years as head statistician.
“Even though it has been 12 years since I did a Cotton Bowl, I still consider myself one of the Cotton Bowl guys,” Powers said. “One of the ‘freeloaders,’ as they liked to call us, who helped put it all together.”
Powers’ service extends well past the athletic communications office or the microphone. He has been involved with D2SIDA since its inception, serving as president from 2020 to 2022. He served on the CSC Academic All-America Committee for nearly 30 years and has volunteered at numerous NCAA events, including two Division I Men’s Basketball Final Fours. Powers most recently served as a member of the NCAA Division II Men’s & Women’s Tennis Committee.
Powers also spent 25 years as a Texas high school official in basketball, baseball and track and field, and served on the local school board while working at Midwestern State.
That heart for service, combined with a high level of professionalism, has not gone unnoticed by his peers.
“Bill has offered many, many hours of service to CSC and the NCAA. He has been a close friend and a trusted communications specialist since we first met during a Mississippi State-Arkansas State game in the early 1980s,” said 2025 CSC Hall of Fame inductee Bo Carter. “I am grateful for his friendship and pleased to learn of his well-deserved place in the CSC Hall of Fame.”
“Bill is an ideal candidate for such a significant and special honor,” noted his longtime mentor Fiss. “Bill is passionate about CSC and he lends a strong voice to the membership, provides a positive sense of director and delivers invaluable leadership.”
As for that desire to be the next Bob Costas, let’s just say Powers has never strayed far from the microphone. He has even won awards for his work, including being named the Lone Star Conference’s Broadcaster of the Year in 1988 and 2010.
But it was not the airwaves, the awards or the thrill of calling the same that kept Bill Powers in the athletic communications game. It was the impact on the student-athletes he served and the friends he has made.
“Sometimes you forget what kind of impact you can have on student-athletes until something good or bad happens to you,” said Powers, thankfully reflecting on something good, “and then they come out of the woodwork. That has made me feel really good.
“They say that if you bless someone that you will blessed treble or more in return. My blessing has been all of the friends I have across the country that know that if they need something, they can call me and I will help out.”
Bill Powers, Hall of Fame
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The photo that Hawai’I Pacific used when announcing Bill Powers’ retirement 10 months ago on August 12, 2022.
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Bill Powers at the keyboard keeping stats for an East Texas State-Angelo State basketball game in 1991. East Texas State is now Texas A&M-Commerce. Powers was one of the first in the Lone Star Conference to record statistics courtside on a computer. Kevin McPherson (left) was spotting.
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A pair of notorious Hawai'i Pacific SIDs - Bill Powers with Neil Everett. Everett, now with ESPN, is still the longest-tenured SID in HPU history. Powers is third.
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Bill Powers receiving live scores at the 2009 Lone Star Conference Golf Championships. He was the official scorer for nine NCAA Division II Golf Tournaments and numerous conference tournaments.
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Lifelong friends. Bill Powers is with Lawrence Fan (San Jose State), Charlie Fiss (AT&T Cotton Bowl) and Joni James Lehmann (Big XII) at the 2019 CoSIDA Convention. James Lehmann and Powers worked together at Stephen F. Austin from 1995 to 1997. (Powers-Fan-Fiss-Lehmann)
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Bill Powers and his wife Rhonda at the 2004 Cotton Bowl Chairman's Ball. Powers worked 22 consecutive Cotton Bowl football games, serving as the head of the statistics team his last 12.
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Bill Powers behind the play-by-play microphone at Midwestern State. He was the radio voice for East Texas State, Texas A&M-Commerce, Midwestern State and Hawai'i Pacific during his career and had the opportunity to broadcast three consecutive NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Elite Eights.
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A One Shining Moment -- Bill Powers getting a piece of the net when Midwestern State won the 2012 Division II South Central Regional.
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Bill Powers with New Mexico State men’s basketball during a 2015 NCAA Tournament practice in Omaha. Powers speaking with CBS's Marv Albert (right) and Len Elmore (left).
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Bill Powers courtside at the New Mexico State-Chicago State basketball game next to legendary coach Lou Henson. Powers was the SID at New Mexico State when Henson was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
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Three Division II athletic communicators who all served – or are serving – as D2SIDA presidents. L to R: Michael MacEachern (Young Harris, current D2 Cabinet and D2SIDA president); Josh Manck (formerly of Texas A&M-Commerce) and Bill Powers.
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From the 1993 CoSIDA Digest (a former monthly publication): Bill Powers (center) with CoSIDA President Ed Carpenter (left) and others at the CoSIDA midwinter meeting in Dallas.
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Calendar
Important Dates
- 06/23/26 / 11:59 P.M. M/W At-Large Academic All-America National Ballot Voting Deadline (NCAA, NAIA, College Division)
- 06/30/26 / 11:59 P.M. M/W Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-America National Ballot Voting Deadline (NCAA, NAIA, College Division)
- 07/07/26 / 12:00 P.M. W At-Large Academic All-America Announced (NCAA, NAIA, College Division)
- 07/08/26 / 12:00 P.M. M At-Large Academic All-America Announced (NCAA, NAIA, College Division)
- 07/14/26 / 12:00 P.M. M Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-America Announced (NCAA, NAIA)
- 06/07/26 / All Day 2026 CSC Unite Convention in Las Vegas
- 06/08/26 / All Day 2026 CSC Unite Convention in Las Vegas
- 06/09/26 / All Day 2026 CSC Unite Convention in Las Vegas
- 06/09/26 / 11:59 P.M. Baseball Academic All-America National Ballot Voting Deadline (NCAA, NAIA, College Division)
- 06/10/26 / All Day 2026 CSC Unite Convention in Las Vegas
- 06/16/26 / 12:00 P.M. Softball Academic All-America Announced (NCAA, NAIA)
- 06/16/26 / 12:00 P.M. M/W At-Large Academic All-District Released; National Voting Begins (NCAA, NAIA, College Division)
- 06/16/26 / 11:59 P.M. M/W Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-America Nomination Deadline (NCAA, NAIA)
- 06/23/26 / 12:00 P.M. M/W Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-District Released; National Voting Begins (NCAA, NAIA)
- 06/23/26 / 12:00 P.M. Baseball Academic All-America Announced (NCAA, NAIA)
- 06/23/26 / 11:59 P.M. M/W At-Large Academic All-America National Ballot Voting Deadline (NCAA, NAIA, College Division)
- 06/30/26 / 11:59 P.M. M/W Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-America National Ballot Voting Deadline (NCAA, NAIA)
- 07/07/26 / 12:00 P.M. W At-Large Academic All-America Announced (NCAA, NAIA, College Division)
- 07/08/26 / 12:00 P.M. M At-Large Academic All-America Announced (NCAA, NAIA, College Division)
- 07/14/26 / 12:00 P.M. M Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-America Announced (NCAA, NAIA)
- 06/07/26 / All Day 2026 CSC Unite Convention in Las Vegas
- 06/08/26 / All Day 2026 CSC Unite Convention in Las Vegas
- 06/09/26 / All Day 2026 CSC Unite Convention in Las Vegas
- 06/09/26 / 11:59 P.M. Baseball Academic All-America National Ballot Voting Deadline (NCAA, NAIA)
- 06/10/26 / All Day 2026 CSC Unite Convention in Las Vegas
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