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Tyler Cundith (Johnson County Community College), 25-Year Award

by Dave Reed, Colorado College Athletic Communications Associate Director

Celebrating his son Brandon’s graduation at TCU are Cundith, wife Annette, daughter Kelsey and Brandon.

While many people mistakenly equate success in athletics communications to being the contact for a nationally-ranked program in a Power Five conference, Tyler Cundith is living proof that a more accurate gauge of a successful career is the impact one makes on the lives of the student-athletes they serve.

In his role as sports information director at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kan., Cundith has dedicated himself to making sure that everyone who competes for the Cavaliers receives the same level of attention and the results of his efforts have been nothing short of spectacular.

During his 25-year tenure at JCCC, Cundith and his student workers have supported 11 national championship teams, 55 individual national champions, 76 teams that finished in the top five at nationals and 129 conference champions. At the same time, he has promoted 324 NJCAA Academic Award winners and more than 1,000 individual National Junior College Athletic Association All-Americans.

“I so enjoy the interaction with our student-athletes,” Cundith said. “I like hearing about how they got to JCCC, watching them develop, and eventually move on. It is extremely rewarding when they return years later and they’re appreciative of their time here, and what our staff did to help them achieve their goals.”

In addition to the student-athletes, the coaches who work with Cundith on a day-to-day basis recognize his dedication to their programs and see him as an important member of their team.

“Tyler’s commitment to our teams is second to none,” said Ben Conrad, head coach of JCCC’s women’s basketball team. “I’ve always felt like he was part of our team here in women’s basketball. I’ll put his media guides up against anyone in the country. Those guides have been so important to our marketing and recruiting over the year. Tyler has helped me build this program with his publications work.”

JCCC Athletics Director Carl Heinrich also holds Cundith and his work in the highest regards.

“It truly has been a privilege to work with Tyler, and Johnson County Community College is blessed to have been able to keep such a quality person at our institution,” Heinrich said. “We are very fortunate. He has promoted so many of our student athletes.”

A life-long fan of teams from the Sunflower State, the native of Sterling, Kansas, was introduced to athletics communications during his senior year at the University of Kansas.

“Doug Vance, current CoSIDA executive director, gave me an opportunity to work in his sports information office that year,” Cundith said. “He, along with assistants Jeff Bolig and Jeff Cravens, were tremendous mentors, and that experience at KU helped decide the direction my career path would take.”

What made the experience even more memorable was being courtside as Danny Manning led the Jayhawks to the 1988 men’s basketball national championship.

“I had one of the best seats in Allen Fieldhouse while watching one of the greatest Kansas players in history,” Cundith said. “It wasn't work ... it was a dream come true!”

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in communications from KU, Cundith earned a master’s in education/sports administration from Wichita State University in 1990. As part of the WSU graduate program, he completed an internship with the NJCAA national office in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Not long after graduating, Cundith learned about the sports information position that was being created at JCCC and a family friend who served on the athletics advisory committee introduced him to the athletic director as well as the college’s public information officer.

The rest, as they say, is history.

In addition to publicizing the multitude of accomplishments of the JCCC athletics department and its student-athletes, Cundith himself has received numerous awards and honors. He was inducted into the JCCC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008 and last year he received the NJCAA Service Award.

Currently serving a term on the CoSIDA Board of Directors, Cundith says this experience ranks as a career highlight.

“Two years ago I received the most prestigious professional recognition of my career when I was selected to serve a three-year term on the CoSIDA Board of Directors,” Cundith said. “To be the first two-year SID selected to serve in that capacity is such an amazing honor.”

In addition to his term on the CoSIDA Board, Cundith has been a member of the organization’s Publications and Digital Design Committee for more than 15 years. Vice chair from 2009-12, he was promoted to chair in the fall 2012. Cundith was also part of group of community college sports information directors that founded 2YSIDA, an affiliate organization of CoSIDA for two-year sports information professionals.

“I have a great appreciation for CoSIDA,” Cundith said. “I have enjoyed the opportunity to learn from colleagues and develop friendships over the past 25 years. I am also grateful for the opportunity CoSIDA provides toward recognizing the work I do for my college.”

Like many of his CoSIDA colleagues, Cundith credits his family for playing an important role in his success as an SID.

“My wife, Annette, has been extremely supportive of my career choice and the path it has taken me,” he said. “She has traveled with me to many of my conventions over the years, so she has a great understanding of the demands that are placed on us to do our jobs. As for my kids, Brandon and Kelsey, they became my game-day helpers as they got older.”

Outside the office, Cundith is an avid and successful golfer, and has carded numerous holes in one while playing.

Reflecting on his career in athletics communications, Cundith understands how fortunate he is to call Johnson County Community College his professional home.

“I have been around some great administrators, coaches and athletes during my 25 years at the college,” Cundith said. “JCCC has an impeccable reputation in this community and on a national scale as well. I can honestly say I still enjoy coming to work every day.”

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