College Sports Information Directors of America

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The 2018 CoSIDA Special Awards will be announced throughout the week of Feb. 26-March 2, with nearly 50 recipients selected for recognition.

2018 Special Awards Announcement Schedule

Nantz is the 2018 recipient of CoSIDA’s highest media honor, the Jake Wade Award, while McCleary will receive the 2018 Keith Jackson Eternal Flame Award for her contributions to intercollegiate athletics and supporting CoSIDA’s mission. Both awards will be presented at the 2018 CoSIDA Convention on June 28.

Jim Nantz, long-time CBS Sports award-winning commentator, and Louise McCleary, NCAA Managing Director of Division III, are 2018 recipients of two of the highest honors presented by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

In recognition of their collegiate and professional achievements and work with CoSIDA and its members, Nantz will receive the 2018 Jake Wade Award, presented annually to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution in the media to the field of intercollegiate athletics while McCleary will receive the 2018 Keith Jackson Eternal Flame Award as one of CoSIDA’s most ardent and effective advocates. The Keith Jackson honor is given to an individual who has made a lasting contribution of excellence to intercollegiate athletics and has been a loyal supporter of CoSIDA and its mission.

CoSIDA is comprised of more than 3,000 intercollegiate athletic communications and media relations professionals from colleges, universities and athletic conferences at all divisions of competition in the United States and Canada.

Both these awards will be presented on June 28 during CoSIDA's annual convention in National Harbor, Maryland. The CoSIDA event takes place at the Gaylord National Resort and Conference Center in conjunction with NACDA and Affiliates Convention Week.

“The Keith Jackson and Jake Wade Awards are two of the highest external honors CoSIDA presents each year,” noted Rob Carolla, CoSIDA President and Director of Communications for the College Football 150th Anniversary.

“CoSIDA members in Division III have no better advocate than Louise McCleary and she is a great friend of everyone in our organization. Jim Nantz is one of the most iconic voices in sports history and his efforts in telling the stories of the student-athletes, coaches and programs our members work with cannot be understated.”

The lead CBS/Turner Sports 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament broadcasting crew: play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz (left) and color analysts Grant Hill (center) and Bill Raftery (right).

Nantz, a three-time Emmy Award winner and five-time National Sportscaster of the Year, has covered virtually every sport for the CBS Television Network since joining it in 1985. As CBS Sports’ lead play-by-play announcer, Nantz's myriad of assignments include NCAA basketball and football, the NFL and the PGA Tour.

Last year marked Nantz’s 32nd covering the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship and Final Four. He has called play-by-play on more network broadcasts of the Final Four and Championship game than any other announcer in the tournament's history.

In 2007 Nantz became the first commentator in history to complete the rare broadcasting three-feat – calling the Super Bowl, the NCAA Men’s Final Four and the Masters Golf Tournament all in a span of 63 days. In 2010, 2013 and 2016 he repeated the rare broadcasting accomplishment.

“There isn’t a group in the industry I respect more than the sports information directors,” Nantz stated. “They are tireless, selfless individuals who have not only helped me professionally for over 30 years but in many cases have become dear and trusted friends. I’m thrilled to receive the Jake Wade Award and will consider it one of the greatest honors of my career.”

“By any measure, Jim Nantz is one of the premier broadcast talents of our time,” stated Doug Vance, CoSIDA Executive Director. “The Jake Wade Award is presented annually to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution in the field of intercollegiate athletics and it would be difficult to find someone more deserving than Jim Nantz.”

CoSIDA Advocate Louise McCleary: Keith Jackson Eternal Flame Award Recipient

In her current role at the NCAA, Keith Jackson Award recipient McCleary works with all 450 Division III schools and 43 conference offices. She joined the NCAA national office as the director of Division III in early February 2012. In September of 2017, she was promoted to Managing Director of Division III where she assists Vice President Dan Dutcher in the governance process of Division III. She has specific responsibilities to the NCAA Division III Management Council, Convention Planning Committee and Strategic Planning and Finance Committee while supporting D3 diversity and inclusion initiatives and programming.

The Keith Jackson Award is one of CoSIDA’s most distinguished awards. Previous recipients have included Bill Hancock (College Football Playoff, 2016), Erik Christianson (NCAA, 2015), Pat Summit (University of Tennessee, 2013), Myles Brand (NCAA President, 2009) and inaugural winner Keith Jackson (ABC Sports,1998).

A 26-year veteran in athletics administration, including 15 years at Division III institutions, McCleary served as Director of Athletics at Elms College for a decade prior to current NCAA position. Prior to Elms, she was associate athletics director and then interim AD at Vassar College. With a deep connection to the sports information field, she worked at Trine University from 1991 to 1997, serving as an assistant basketball coach, sports information director and assistant AD. She also was an assistant basketball coach at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, for two years and at her alma mater Wellesley College for one.

McCleary has a bachelor of arts degree in political science and American studies from Wellesley College and a master's in sport management from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. As an undergraduate at Wellesley, she was a three-sport student-athlete in volleyball, basketball and lacrosse.

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