College Sports Information Directors of America

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

The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) will honor nearly 50 members and distinguished media and collegiate administrators with its 2018 Special Awards at its 61st annual convention this June. The Special Awards, announced throughout the week of February 28 through March 2, are presented for outstanding contributions to the organization.

The honors will be presented during the 2018 CoSIDA Convention at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.

The CoSIDA Convention takes place June 27-30 and is held in conjunction with NACDA and Affiliates Convention Week. This is the sixth year the CoSIDA Convention will be held in conjunction with the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) & Affiliates Convention.

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.

“I am thrilled that CoSIDA is able to honor this phenomenal group of athletics communications professionals,” noted Rob Carolla, CoSIDA President and Director of Communications for College Football 150th Anniversary. “They are among the leaders in our business and showcase the talent and skills that all administrators who handle communications in the college space possess. I look forward to seeing them recognized at our annual convention in June.”

The 2018 CoSIDA Hall of Fame class highlights the Special Awards. In addition to the Hall of Fame, other Special Awards recognize emerging leaders, community service, lifetime achievement and 25-Year service honors. They will be announced throughout the week.

Highlighting the 2018 honorees are six new Hall of Fame inductees:

• B.L. Elfring, University of Southern Maine Assistant Director of Athletics for Compliance and Media Relations
• Steve Hatchell: National Football Leader
  Hatchell began his career in athletics as a sports information director and conference communications director. Since 2005, Hatchell has served as the president and chief executive office of The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, overseeing the nationwide organization with 121 chapters in 47 states with more than 12,000 members who host more than 1,000 local annual events. He also played a critical role in the opening of the state-of-the-art $68.5 million College Football Hall of Fame in the heart of Atlanta.
• Ed Hill, Jr.: Legend at Howard
  When Hill retired from Howard University in 2017 after serving as the sports information director for more than three decades, one of the words used to describe him was legend. Hill is also a multi-award recipient in CoSIDA, having received the Bob Kenworthy Community Service Award in 2005 and the Mary Jo Haverbeck Trailblazer Award in 2014. At last summer’s CoSIDA Convention, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Bill Jones: Gives Back Through CoSIDA’s Academic All-America Committee
  Since 1984, Jones has served as the sports information director and athletic marketing manager at NCAA Division III Skidmore College. While at Skidmore, he served as the media relations coordinator for the 1992 and 2001 NCAA Division I Men’s Frozen Four as well as the 1996 NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championship.
• Mike Kirk: Watching National Champions at Central Oklahoma
  After nearly 30 years at outstanding service at Central Oklahoma, Kirk retired as the assistant athletic director for media relations in 2016.
  While at UCO, Kirk saw his teams win numerous NCAA Division II National Championships, including eight wrestling titles. He was a member of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships Committee, including three years as chair. Kirk was inducted into the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for Lifetime Achievement in 2012.
  Kirk received an impressive 58 CoSIDA publication awards, including 27 “Best in the Nation” citations, and has served on several CoSIDA committees.
• Diane Nordstrom
  Nordstrom is in her 28th season as an associate athletic communications director at Wisconsin, serving as the primary contact for the volleyball and women’s basketball teams. She is also is the coordinator of the department’s annual report and is on the UW Athletic Hall of Fame selection committee. She served as the host athletic communications director for two NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championships and numerous Big Ten Conference championships.

Calendar

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