Dawn Staley's approach with local media

[Lt.Drebin]

Good news: The mid-majors still have really good SIDs who are eager to sell those stories, even if they are increasingly unappreciated by their ADs and fighting the losing battle with the shrinking coverage provided by their local outlets.

Bad news: The worst SID I've ever dealt with--by miles and miles and miles, she was so bad she ranks right up there with the worst PR people I've ever dealt with--parlayed not doing her job at a mid-major into a gig on a WBB staff at a P5 school. She flopped there and landed as the head MBB SID. So the best way to move up as an SID still appears to be by doing nothing at all.

Back in my reporting days I referred to them as Sports Information Deflectors. With rare exception, I feel the description is extremely accurate. …

 

[Liut]

Back in my reporting days I referred to them as Sports Information Deflectors. With rare exception, I feel the description is extremely accurate. …

I get it, but was blessed to meet many terrific men and women who were not. Like myself, those folks had an interest in history.
I offer as an example the legendary Langston Rogers at the University of Mississippi. Yes, you were not a part of the fraternity until Langston jumped your ass.
Yet, every single time I asked Langston for assistance ... including dating back to his Delta State days with the great Lucia Harris ... the man seemed to bend over backward to help. Same with Van Chancellor.
Guess it's about developing a relationship.

 

[ChrisLong]

I was extremely fortunate to work with fantastic SIDs -- Tim Tessalone at USC, Marc Dellins at UCLA, Mike Zapolski at Pepperdine, Barry Zepel at Loyola Marymount. Tessalone and I were classmates briefly, I think I was a senior when he was a freshman. Dellins and I were the same age, same class and there was a lot of interaction between the USC and UCLA student newspapers back then. But those guys spoiled me. Every year at the Rose Bowl or an NCAA basketball tournament, whichever Big Ten teams were there, the SIDs were pathetic. Same with other East Coast schools. One time, as I was being stonewalled arranging an interview with a local kid, the SID said he had to leave to drive the coach to a TV station. I said, "Are you here to help the media or be the coach's chauffeur?"

 

[Roscablo]

Overall, I worked with three SIDs. None at power conferences, one was D-II. The D-II school is now D-I. One of the SIDs is still there almost 20 years later. One got forced out and that SID and AD is not really awesome anymore. And one department went through a huge overhaul and who knows what their SID situation even looks like any more.

Anyway, I worked well with all of them and two of them were fantastic. One I tried to get a job with and the other he tried to get me a job (I was mostly stringing at the time), which I found out after the fact, but they didn't have the budget.

So I have good experiences, but the local one now I think leaves a lot to be desired. I have done a good deal of mentoring work for student media and they keep having the hardest time getting access. If student media can't, how does anyone else?

 

[MileHigh]

Many years ago I was a local colleges writer in SoCal, including for a D-II school and a D-III school. The SID at the D-II school did a really good job and I got along really well with him. He actually introduced me to my now-ex-wife, who did some work in his office. He later left for a school in the Midwest. The D-III SID was kinda flighty and never pushed any good stories. Then I moved inside onto the copy desk.

Colorado had a great SID in Dave Plati before his semi-retirement. That office routinely was voted among the best SID offices in the country. No idea how it is now. Dave still does historical work there as well as men's golf coverage.

 

[HanSenSE]

After my time on the student paper was up, I worked the rest of my college days, plus a semester after I graduated when the person who was to fill my baseball gig couldn't do it at the last minute, with Lawrence Fan. Dedicated to San Jose State above and beyond the call of duty, like sleeping in his car outside the Shark Tank when SJS hosted a NCAA regional, and always had an idea for everyone. Learned a hell of a lot under him.

Just stumbled across the program for his celebration of life and looking at some of the speakers: Marc Spears, Doug Vance (then CoSIDA executive director), Tom Bowen (former AD at SJS, Memphis and Arkansas State), Brett Brennan, Amy Villa (still in the SID office at SJS), Mark Purdy, Krazy George Henderson and Dr. Harry Edwards. Tim Tessalone was there as part of the CoSIDA delegation.

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

After my time on the student paper was up, I worked the rest of my college days, plus a semester after I graduated when the person who was to fill my baseball gig couldn't do it at the last minute, with Lawrence Fan. Dedicated to San Jose State above and beyond the call of duty, like sleeping in his car outside the Shark Tank when SJS hosted a NCAA regional, and always had an idea for everyone. Learned a hell of a lot under him.

Just stumbled across the program for his celebration of life and looking at some of the speakers: Marc Spears, Doug Vance (then CoSIDA executive director), Tom Bowen (former AD at SJS, Memphis and Arkansas State), Brett Brennan, Amy Villa (still in the SID office at SJS), Mark Purdy, Krazy George Henderson and Dr. Harry Edwards. Tim Tessalone was there as part of the CoSIDA delegation.

I have a good friend who is an SID and whose school hosted San Jose State in exactly one event. Couldn't say enough nice things about Lawrence.

 

[ChrisLong]

After my time on the student paper was up, I worked the rest of my college days, plus a semester after I graduated when the person who was to fill my baseball gig couldn't do it at the last minute, with Lawrence Fan. Dedicated to San Jose State above and beyond the call of duty, like sleeping in his car outside the Shark Tank when SJS hosted a NCAA regional, and always had an idea for everyone. Learned a hell of a lot under him.

Just stumbled across the program for his celebration of life and looking at some of the speakers: Marc Spears, Doug Vance (then CoSIDA executive director), Tom Bowen (former AD at SJS, Memphis and Arkansas State), Brett Brennan, Amy Villa (still in the SID office at SJS), Mark Purdy, Krazy George Henderson and Dr. Harry Edwards. Tim Tessalone was there as part of the CoSIDA delegation.

First time I encountered Lawrence Fan was at a mid-70s San Jose State-Long Beach State football game at Anaheim Stadium. I only went because my former college roommate was the beginning a stint as SID at Long Beach. I saw this guy pacing the press box, back and forth, wearing out the carpet. Oh, that's Lawrence Fan. I said it's funny that the SID is more nervous about this game than the coach. But a wonderful guy.