2024 Special Awards Salute: Hung Tsai - 25-Year Award
College Sports Information Directors of America
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25-Year Award
Presented to College Sports Communicators members who have completed 25 years in the athletics communications profession. Vetted and voted on by the Special Awards Committee.
Hung Tsai — California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Director of Championships
Hung P. Tsai has built his 25-year career in athletic communications not only in the same state, but almost exclusively in the same conference.
Currently the director of championships for the NCAA Division II California Collegiate Athletic Association, Tsai oversees all aspects of the conference’s postseason tournaments and events. He was promoted to the position after joining the CCAA as coordinator of championships and media relations assistant in August 2021.
Tsai’s athletic communications journey includes two stints at CCAA member Stanislaus State, serving as sports information director from 2001 to 2004 and as the assistant athletic director of communications and marketing from 2007 to 2021. A graduate of Cal Poly Humboldt, Tsai began his career at Humboldt under former CSC board member Dan Pambianco and also served on the communications staff at Division I San Jose State under the great Lawrence Fan.
In the three years in between his Stanislaus stints, Tsai completed his master’s degree in sport management, did work for Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy and ran a consulting business for athletic communicators.
Gallery: (4-17-2024) Hung Tsai, 25-Year Award
Tsai on what has kept him in the profession…
It sounds cliche, but the love of college sports and working with student-athletes are probably the main reasons for my longevity in the business. Promoting collegiate student-athletes, especially at the Division II level, has been really rewarding despite the time and effort it takes.
I’ve also managed to stay in the athletics communications business through transitions and opportunities that became available. Over the pandemic, with the birth of our second daughter, I decided to step away from the campus position due to both professional and personal reasons. The opportunity to work for the conference office, remotely from home, became available. It allowed me to stay in the business by working from home and be with my children. It was a great situation and perfect timing for me and my family.
Why he has stayed (and returned) to the profession…
The business continued to be satisfying for some of the same reasons for longevity. Working with good people, helping student-athletes and the excitement of collegiate sports. I was able to find new ways to make the work enjoyable. Plus, of course, the support and encouragement from my wife, Stefani.
While at times I miss being on campus and working every weekend, I have enjoyed the balance of working from home and attending conference tournaments. I can now enjoy life with my family and young children during most weekends. I am satisfied with the fact that now I contribute to athletics communications differently — mostly on Zoom and emails and seven times out of the year, on location at conference championships!
Tsai’s professional & career advice:
Keep things fun. If the work is not fun, it becomes work. With our group of athletics communicators, we find times to connect during tournaments, meetings or conventions. We celebrate each other’s work. We talk about the fun memories of the year. We also vent to each other about the negatives, to show support to each other. Without this strong network of colleagues in CSC, it would be hard to maintain longevity.
Keep learning. Challenge yourself to learn something new about the profession, whenever possible. The CSC webinars available throughout the year is a good place to start. Learn from your colleagues. In our ever-changing world of technology, try to keep up with the latest trends and tools.
Keep things fresh. When you can, take the time off. Whether it’s every Monday after a long weekend, a weekend without home events, or a few weeks in the summer, take some time off. Spend time away with family and friends or go on vacation and leave your laptop at work. Just spend some “you time”.
