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Joe Seil – Nazareth College, Assistant Athletic Director and Sports Information Director (retired)

CSC Lifetime Achievement Award

by Dennis O’Donnell – University of Rochester (retired) // Special Awards Committee member and 2023 fellow Lifetime Achievement Award winner

When the athletic communications director for the 21st century talks about his or her duties being complete for one athletic event, it is most likely a reference to a story, a score on the web page, box score, updated stats on the team page, photos either from the sport archive, or from the event itself, plus a note or teaser about the next time the team or the athlete will compete.

It’s standard procedure these days with the growing communications demands — particularly in the social and digital world. Job titles are different today, evolving from sports information directors into athletic communications directors, and software design advances and the ever-changing social and digital platforms keep the jobs evolving as well: crop photographs with just a few mouse clicks, design social media templates, manipulate text and point sizes, write a headline that fits and post on multi-platforms.

Not quite the way that Joe Seil, a 2023 CSC Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, could ever envision his career when he began in the profession.

Joe Seil with sons Tim and Andy at a New York Mets-Kansas City Royals World Series game at the Mets’ Citi Field on October 30, 2015.

The athletic program grew quickly. In 1986, Nazareth had 13 sports. Now, that figure has doubled. An SID’s usual tough times are the crossover seasons — one season is winding down with post-season, another one has just started. We know the regular season in winter is tough: both genders competing in basketball, swimming, track & field, and ice hockey, men’s volleyball, equestrian.

When Peter Bothner took over at Nazareth as the Director of Athletics in 2000, he made two changes which helped immensely. Bothner had Joe transferred to the athletic department, and he lobbied for a full-time communications assistant, particularly as computerized statistical programs were coming into vogue and created learning curves and time on task.

Bothner promoted Seil to assistant athletic director in 2005 and gave him a leadership position with Nazareth’s Hall of Fame committee. When Nazareth added ice hockey 11 years ago, the Golden Flyers added an assistant SID. Until then, freelancers worked at games. One freelancer did web commentary while Joe did StatCrew. The full-time assistant took over StatCrew, allowing Joe to move into the webstreaming position.

Outside of his Nazareth duties, Seil has been an active member of both College Sports Communicators and EAST-COMM (formerly ECAC-SIDA). He has been suitably honored for his efforts on a local and national basis. He is a past recipient of the Charlie Wagner Award from the Rochester Press-Radio Club. It is presented annually to the person who does the most to promote athletics in the Rochester area. He won numerous publication awards from CSC, including “best in the nation” honors, along with Fred Stabley, Sr. Writing contest national and district awards.

In 2011, Seil was honored by both CSC and EAST-COMM. He was selected EAST-COMM’s Irving T. Marsh Award honoree for outstanding contributions to the sports communications profession and was recipient of a 25-Year Award from CSC.

This fall, just one day after announcing Nazareth’s men’s soccer tournament on September 3, 2022, Seil was inducted into the Frontier Field Walk of Fame for outstanding service to Nazareth College.

When asked why retire now, Seil lets you know he is satisfied with his decision.

“I’ve accomplished a lot,” Seil noted. “I’ve always enjoyed watching the kids compete. I can still do that, now.”

And, when the event ends, he can walk out without any additional duties.

Gallery: (3-14-2023) Joe Seil, Lifetime Achievement

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