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Don Stoner – Augsburg University, Sports Information Director

CSC 25-Year Award

by Dave Reed – Colorado College (retired) // CSC Special Awards Committee member

Don Stoner has served as Augsburg University's sports information director since the fall of 1997, and will receive a 25-Year Award at the upcoming CSC UNITE convention in Orlando.

A long-time member of CSC, Stoner has served for 19 years as a member of the Academic All-America Committee, and has been on the Special Awards Committee the last four years. He chaired the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference sports information directors committee from 2001-03.

Two summers ago, Stoner was named as the 19th recipient of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's Mike Augustin Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to MIAC athletic programs and their student-athletes by members of the media or athletic communicators.

Don Stoner with the 2023 NCAA Division III men's wrestling national championship trophy after his Augsburg Auggies won the title in Roanoke, Va., in March. Augsburg has won 14 Division III national titles in men's wrestling, 10 with Stoner as SID.

How did you get your position at Augsburg University?

DS: The process started a few years before I took the job at Augsburg in 1997. I had gotten to know a couple SIDs in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Tim Kennedy at Gustavus Adolphus and Gene McGivern at Augsburg (and later at St. Thomas). While working as a news reporter in the Twin Cities suburbs, I did some stats freelance work for Gene. It got me interested in working as an SID, and when the job at Augsburg came open in the summer of 1997, I applied and was lucky enough to get the job, with a lot of help and recommendations from both Gene and Tim.

What kept you at Augsburg University for 25 years?

DS: I grew up in a small town in western Wisconsin, about an hour's drive from Minneapolis-St. Paul, so the Twin Cities, Minnesota and Wisconsin have always been home for me. All my family is here. Like a lot of young people when they start in a field, they expect to use their first job as a steppingstone to bigger and better things. But as I grew into this profession, I grew to love working at Augsburg, in the MIAC and in NCAA Division III athletics.

Who are some of the people who influenced your career?

DS: When I started out, I had three key mentors who helped me learn how to succeed in this field -- the aforementioned Tim Kennedy, Gene McGivern, and my first supervisor at Augsburg, Dan Benson. Dan had worked at the University of Minnesota and at Augsburg as an SID before moving to the news media relations side at Augsburg in the PR department, and he was my first supervisor. He basically gave me a master's level instruction in how to do this job and gave me a true appreciation of maintaining high standards in everything we did. Tim and Gene also provided me with plenty of lessons on how to do this job well. And now, I learn a ton of things from our first-ever full-time assistant SID at Augsburg, Ben Diers.

How has being a member of CSC influenced your career?

DS: I went to my first convention in Spokane in 1998 as a shy, introverted SID who didn't know anyone and didn't know how this whole CoSIDA thing worked. I became more and more involved, and not only did I gain a greater knowledge of how to do this job well, but I also gained so many friends from all around the country who I would have never known if I was in another profession.

Special friends that were a solid rock for me when I was furloughed for five-and-a-half months from my job during the CoVID pandemic. Over the years, I've gained a voice in CoSIDA, and now CSC, and I hope I've been able to be a positive influence for others in the profession, like others have been for me.

What are some of your other accomplishments of which you are most proud?

DS: I've been fortunate to be a part of the game-night crews for the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves for 24 years, and for the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx for 23 years. I've been a part of 26 Division I championship/regional tournament events hosted by the University of Minnesota over the years, including three basketball Final Fours, six ice hockey Frozen Fours, and championships in volleyball and men's golf (And I hope to be back at it next winter with the 2024 Division I Men's Frozen Four in St. Paul!)

One of the things I'm most proud of is being able to volunteer for Special Olympics Minnesota and their state and regional tournament events. Working Special Olympics events, and seeing the joy from those exceptional athletes, truly warms my heart.

What do you enjoy most about the profession?

DS: First and foremost, the people -- the student-athletes, coaches, and administrators I work with at Augsburg, the MIAC and in Division III sports, and my professional colleagues from around the country that I'm honoured to call friends. They keep me going, day after day, year after year. They have lifted me up when I've had many personal challenges, and I hope that I can be counted on to do the same for them when they need it.

The quietness of an empty arena a few hours before an event that you've prepared for. The calm before the storm. Every event demands my complete attention, because it's the most important thing in the world at that exact moment for the student-athletes on the field, the coaches on the sidelines and the families and fans in the stands.

Your final thoughts?

DS: I was never an athlete growing up, but I loved sports, and wanted to be a part of it in some way, and I consider myself lucky each day that I'm able to work in athletics. Mark Twain said it best: "Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

Gallery: (5-5-2023) Don Stoner, 25-Year Award

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