Special Awards Salute: Pete Kowalski (USGA), CoSIDA Hall of Fame
College Sports Information Directors of America
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Pete Kowalski (United States Golf Association), CoSIDA Hall of Fame
by Pete Moore, Syracuse University Director of Athletic Communications
Pete Kowalski has worked over 20 U.S. Open Championships.
You can take the man out of sports information but you can’t take the sports information out of the man. Exhibit A? Pete Kowalski.
Kowalski is in his 19th year with the United States Golf Association (USGA) communications department. Although he is no longer situated on a college campus, Kowalski’s media-relations roots began taking hold while he was enrolled at Penn State University, and he’s gone on to promote the athletic communications profession with the manner in which he conducts business.
Kowalski returns to his College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) origins when he will be inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame in June.
He earned his undergraduate degree in journalism in 1978 and a master’s degree in sports administration in 1982 from Penn State. Kowalski was a four-year letter-winner on the Nittany Lion lacrosse team. In 1983, he was hired as an assistant sports information director at his alma mater.
Kowalski dove head first into the athletic communications field and quickly developed a reputation for his congenial manner and his enthusiasm on the job. He became a member of CoSIDA and the ECAC-Sports Information Directors Association (ECAC-SIDA), and was active with both groups. Kowalski was a regular at the annual workshops and conventions conducted by CoSIDA and ECAC-SIDA.
Students from Penn State’s Curley Center for Sports Journalism meet with Kowalski at the 2016 U.S. Open Championships.
Kowalski has staffed more than 110 USGA championships, including in excess of 20 U.S. Opens, during his tenure. He is also the media officer for the World Amateur Team Championships, a biennial competition run by the International Golf Federation.
“We all learned in journalism school that communications and PR is about building relationships, promoting honesty, and delivering exceptional service to the media so they can report fairly, accurately and in a timely fashion,” said Janeen Driscoll, director of public relations for the USGA. “Pete not only continues to live by that creed, earning the respect and trust of athletes and media alike — he is also an exceptional teacher.
“He’s simply one of a kind, and well deserving of this great honor.”
Through all the long hours of work and the many miles of travel, Kowalski has been devoted to his family. He and his wife, Sandy Miller, call Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, home base. They raised two sons, Patrick and Sean, who are both now college age.
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