General | 5/15/2020 10:53:10 AM
The Sage College's Sports Information Director Ann King was named winner of the 2020 Pete Nevins Award for Distinguished Achievement, as announced by the ECAC-SIDA Executive Board.
Ann King is in her 34th year as a sports information director and her 11th year at The Sage Colleges as its Director of Athletic Communications, where she was hired as the institution's first full-time SID in the summer of 2009. Prior to that, King spent 17 and a half years as SID at The College of New Jersey and six years as SID at her alma mater, Drew University.
King is a past president of ECAC-SIDA, serving as the organization's President in 2003-04, and prior to entering the presidential rotation served as the organization's secretary from 1995-2002. She is the 2007 winner of ECAC-SIDA's Irving T. Marsh Award. King currently serves as the president of D3SIDA and from 1999-2002 King served as a College Division Representative on the CoSIDA Board of Directors, becoming just the 10th female named to the Board of Directors in the organization's 60-year history.
Elected to the CoSIDA Hall of Fame in 2006, King was named the first recipient of the organization's Warren Berg Award in 2003. She was also selected as the 2018 recipient of the CoSIDA Mary Jo Haverbeck Award, which is presented annually to a CoSIDA member who is a pioneer in the field of sports information who has mentored and helped improve the level of ethnic and gender diversity within CoSIDA.
One of the founders of WoSIDA (formerly FAME), King has been active in the creation of an organization whose mission is to discuss issues facing women in the sports media relations field. She served as the first president of FAME from 2008-10.
With the cancellation of the 2020 ECAC-SIDA Workshop, this year's award winners are scheduled to be celebrated during the Awards Dinner at the 2021 ECAC-SIDA Workshop, set for June 21-25, 2021 in Springfield, Massachusetts. The organization's 2021 award winners will be honored at that time as well.
The Pete Nevins Award is the one ECAC-SIDA Award that is not voted on by the executive board each year, but rather is voted on by the former winners of the honor. It is awarded only in years that the former winners deem a worthy candidate exists. The award is presented to an individual in recognition of his or her advancement of the field of athletic communications and advocacy for intercollegiate athletics. The winner must have served at least 25 years in the sports information field, and be either a current or former member of ECAC-SIDA.
1. ECAC-SIDA: Why did you get into the profession and what had kept you in it?
Ann King: It all began with my work study job when I was a sophomore at Drew University. I started by taking pictures for intramurals and then it sort of grew from there. I was the men's soccer team manager first and then helped with basketball, and also the men's lacrosse manager. I learned from one of the best folks I could have when Ken Cole was in charge of the SID office at Drew. It was a well-oiled machine and he was very precise with how he wanted things done. Just a few months after graduation from Drew, the SID departed for another career and I was in the area. Somehow, I was given the break of a lifetime when I was hired as the full-time head SID at my alma mater with basically no experience.
2. ECAC-SIDA: Who have been some of your mentors in the business and why?
AK: There have been so many friends and colleagues throughout my journey and I know I will be leaving folks out. I would have to say Ken Cole and Linda Lagle at Drew were two people that provided me with some early skills and tools to get me started. Linda had worked at Gettysburg College with the legendary Bob Kenworthy and planned for me to spend some time with Bob. He had a routine where he would make visits to area papers and the sports departments to introduce himself and see what they expected and needed from him. That was such a tremendous gift! So there I was, a 23 year old wide eyed rookie driving around New Jersey in Bob's station wagon as he made the rounds. I watched, I listened and I learned.
Sheila Stevenson, who has been there almost the entire time as a teacher, a role model and a friend. Through thick and thin, she has always been the glue that keeps me together.
Jack Copeland made a tremendous impact for me and gave me the confidence to push my comfort level when he asked me to serve as a member of the first NCAA/CoSIDA Strategic Planning Committee. Having the ability to learn from him and know Louise McCleary and Adam Skaggs has been a real gift. Being able to work with Lenny Reich on so many D3SIDA projects has been such a time of fun as well!
Mary Jo Haverbeck was a quiet and tremendously powerful person in my corner. She instilled confidence and courage in myself and so many women in the profession when there were not many. Her legacy is still felt today, as she provided the spark and the passion for so many with the creation of FAME, now WoSIDA, as well and other women and minority mentoring groups. Being able to learn from and call on people like Tam Flarup, Debbie Jennings, Rosa Gatti, Debbie Copp, Tammy Boclair, John Humenik, Nick Vista, Barb Kowal, Diane Nordstrom, Shelly Poe, Dan O'Connell, Jeff Nelson and so many others I have been so fortunate to call friends.
ECAC-SIDA is filled with so many special people! We are a lucky group and have always supported one another in the good and the bad times. Some of the first SID's I ever met were at the 1988 workshop in Springfield. Their friendship has made all the difference in my journey. People like Bill Jones, Pete Moore, Steve McCloskey, Carole Grills, Dennis O'Donnell, Roger Crosley, Eric McDowell, Jim Hollister, and Jim Sheehan have shared some part in this career with all of your sparks of advice and passion for the profession too!
3. ECAC-SIDA: What do you do that keeps you sane and/or helps with your work/life balance?
AK: There are a few other folks in my life that have been the glue, the passion and the rocks that I lean on – my husband Tracy and my son Robert. They make fun of me when I freak out, when my computer won't work and make me take a deep breath. They support me and laugh with me when I need it. Thankfully we are all Red Sox fans together and they also know when I need a beer! My family has always been there in the good and the bad times and having them there to believe in me has made me so very lucky for sure in this journey.
Being married to a former SID, now a conference commissioner, we are still trying to create a work-life balance even after all this time. I recently emailed Gail Nevins to tell her how much Pete meant to me and to so many in the business. I also shared with her that Tracy and I still try to have a date night whenever possible, just like Pete used to preach to folks at ECAC-SIDA. She wrote back and had no idea that Pete had even been telling people that and had a laugh that I was taking his "advice" to heart.
We all know how work and this profession can eat you up. For years I missed family events and friends gathering because I was a slave to the job. One day I realized that I will never get those memories or time back and the work will still be there. You need to take the time to smell the roses and give those hugs. You can find a person to cover for you and step in when family calls and work will go on without you. Do not miss those special times as we can all be replaced sadly. That quote from Barbara Bush is really so fitting.
"At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent."
4. ECAC-SIDA: What is the best advice you give to your staff and does that advice have a back story?
AK: Another gift Bob Kenworthy gave me was a piece of advice that he dispensed and I have in turn always tried to pass it along crediting its source. Bob always said that he felt a workshop or a convention was not a success unless you had made five new friends that you could call upon after the workshop. He stressed meeting new people, sitting at luncheon tables with strangers and getting out of your comfort zone. He was absolutely right! I have so many great colleagues that I would have never met if not for meeting them outside of games.
Mary Jo taught me to help make a difference and enhance the career journey for others and to help them see the spark of leadership and professional success by pushing them to seek those opportunities. I hope that I have opened doors for many other women in the business to nominate and promote them for awards, board positions, and other places they have excelled in had they not stepped outside of their comfort zone.
5. ECAC-SIDA: What is your most memorable sports moment that you have witnessed from a work standpoint and as a fan? Why?
AK: Oh, that is such a hard one. After 33 plus years there really are so many. I have to admit, I still get choked up at senior days. There have a been a couple that really stand out though. I can remember being at the University of Maryland for the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship when it was Division I/III combined. Trenton State, now TCNJ won the championship and I was down on the field taking pictures when the award presentations were taking place. As the names were being read, the head coach had inserted my name on the list and I was unaware of it. I was stunned and elated and went through the line high-fiving the players and coaches as if I had been part of the team. It really floored me that she thought much of me to have added me to the list. I was also ribbed by everyone back in the press box when I returned as Chuck Walsh and Jack Zane gave me this standing ovation and hi-five greeting when I came back.
The past few years I have been blessed to assist at the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Regionals in Albany. Having been able to work this event has been a real treat and to be able to spend time with some really special folks has been a highlight. Since UConn has been there a few years now, I have really enjoyed watching and learning and become a familiar face when they are at the arena. In 2018, UConn associate head coach Chris Dailey asked if I could do her a favor and deliver a pair of hats to a fan in his 90's that had traveled to Albany from Connecticut and to see UConn play in person for the first time. The gentleman had not arrived early enough prior to the pre-game meeting for her to visit. So, I sought to find the man and was successful. He was so moved and appreciative. I was also able to work with the media and let them know about the story and where he was and it was so moving to help fulfill his dream and to also help CD too. When the tournament was over and the team was getting to leave, both Geno Auriemma and CD gave me hugs and were truly appreciative of my help and work. I left the building that week on a cloud! I even got a thank you note from their director of basketball operations, who also wanted to know if I would be at the Final Four!
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