Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Presentations Kick Off at GVSU
Presentations of the 2009-10 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cups will take place on the winning institution campuses over the course of the next two months. Grand Valley State University, the 2009-10 Division II Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup champion, will kick off the first of four presentations tomorrow during halftime of its game versus West Texas A&M University. The game kicks off at 8 p.m. and will be televised by CBS College Sports Network.
Azusa Pacific University, the NAIA Directors’ Cup champion in 2009-10, will hold its presentation during halftime of its September 18 football game against Whittier at 6 p.m. PT.
The Cardinal of Stanford will honor its athletics programs with its Division I Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup during halftime of its October 23 homecoming game versus Washington State.
The Division III Directors’ Cup will be presented on the campus of Williams College during halftime of its homecoming game against Wesleyan (Conn.) College on November 6.
“As NACDA continues to recognize collegiate sports champions from Divisions I, II and III and the NAIA, we want to acknowledge the fact that Capital One has announced a program to recognize both a men’s and women’s champion at the Division I level, but would like to point out that the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup is a broad-based program that represents all student-athletes at four-year colleges and universities across the United States and Canada (approximately 1,400 institutions),” said National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) President Dave Roach, director of athletics at Colgate University.
“Our Association supports and will continue to administer the Directors’ Cup program, which has been in existence for 17 years, and is currently sponsored by Learfield Sports. The Directors’ Cup was created by athletics administrators for athletics administrators and is a highly recognized mark of distinction among collegiate institutions, which honors success in many sports, both men’s and women’s.”
About NACDA: NACDA, now in its 46th year, is the professional and educational association for more than 6,500 college athletics administrators at more than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. More than 2,200 athletics administrators annually attend the NACDA Convention. Additionally, NACDA administers 11 professional associations for the separate business units that report directly to the athletics directors. More information at NACDA.com.
WAC Sports Network debuts September 18th
Marking a move to broaden television exposure for its nine member schools, the Western Athletic Conference and its multimedia rights partner Learfield Sports announced today the debut of the WAC Sports Network (WSN) on Sept. 18, 2010, when Utah State hosts Fresno State at Romney Stadium.
The regional network will allow for WAC football and basketball games to be produced and distributed to media outlets in the respective school markets. Learfield Sports’ locally based WAC Sports Properties team has oversight of the operation through Learfield Sports’ extensive conference partnership.
The WSN will encompass affiliates in 15 different markets in the WAC members’ reach. In addition to the Sept. 18 Utah State/Fresno State match up at 6 p.m. MST, games already scheduled for broadcast are Idaho at Western Michigan on Oct. 2 (noon MST) and Boise State at New Mexico State on Oct. 2 (6 p.m. MST). The WAC Sports Network will release the remaining schedule of games at a later date, pending ESPN national broadcast selections.
“The WAC Sports Network provides another outstanding opportunity not only to showcase our football programs but also to promote the Conference in a positive manner,” said WAC Commissioner Karl Benson. “We are very appreciative of Learfield’s effort to put this together for the 2010-11 season and know that it will benefit all concerned.”
According to Learfield Sports’ Vice President Eric Buchanan, WSN will be an excellent addition to the WAC member schools and is designed to complement existing local and regional television agreements.
“WSN will help broaden visibility for the league’s member schools and create a simplistic way to distribute games to fans through the various media outlets,” added Buchanan. “We’ve enjoyed teaming with Karl and his entire staff in seeing this idea become a reality. We feel certain the schools and their fan base will like the added television element WSN will bring.”
“We truly value our relationship with the WAC, its member schools and especially Commissioner Karl Benson. He has been a terrific leader for the conference, and we think the WSN is one more example of that leadership,” said Andy Rawlings, Learfield’s executive vice president and chief operating officer.
Learfield Sports’ league relationship with the WAC is a natural fit as the company represents seven member schools – Boise State, Fresno State, Idaho, Louisiana Tech, Nevada, San Jose State and Utah State. Overall, Learfield Sports manages multimedia rights for more than 50 collegiate institutions and associations, including the Big Ten, Black Coaches & Administrators (BCA) and Missouri Valley Conference, and is title partner for the acclaimed Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup. WAC Sports Properties specifically focuses on the league’s corporate partnership program and selling title sponsorships for championship events, as well as other conference events.
Nichols named AE at Sooner Sports Properties
Dustin Nichols grew up in Oklahoma and is a long-time Sooner fan, so he’s happy to be a new Account Executive for our Sooner Sports Properties team in Norman. He and his wife, Sheena, call Oklahoma home. Before joining SSP, Dustin was serving two years as the Director of Sales for Wichita State University Athletics.
Dustin earned his BBA from Southwestern Oklahoma State University and is still finishing up his master’s of sport management from Wichita State.
Cardinal Sports, LLC adds Bay Area native
Nick Freeman recently joined our Cardinal Sports, LLC property at Stanford University as an account executive. He joins the Cardinal Sports’ team after receiving his MBA from the Walter A. Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley in May.
Nick, who is a native of the Bay Area and grew up attending Stanford games at Maples Pavilion, also received his undergraduate degree from UC San Diego. Nick not only has served as marketing intern with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders, but he brings five years of consulting experience from Thomson Financial, where he worked closely with numerous Silicon Valley companies.
Patrick Hennessey new AE at Hurricane Sports Properties
Patrick Hennessesy joins the University of Miami team in Coral Gables as a new AE this week. He’s been working in the sunshine state, most recently as Sales Consultant with Cintas Corporation in Tampa the last two years, and before that, serving four years with Coca-Cola Enterprises in Tampa as the Education/Youth Sports Market Manager for West Central Florida.
A University of South Florida alum, Patrick also served seven years with IBM in Tampa in roles as Systems Engineer and Technical Sales Design. Outside of the office, he enjoys traveling, water sports and playing golf.
Movin’ to Manhattan
Congratulations to Todd Poley, our top-notch Dallas intern who begins his new post as Account Executive for K-State Sports Properties today. Before coming to Big D in January, Todd also had the chance to work with our Crimson Tide Sports Marketing team while he was a Graduate Assistant and Marketing and Promotions Assistant for the University of Alabama Athletic Department. He earned both his bachelor’s degree and master’s in sport management at Bama. Todd and his wife, Christin, who are both from Memphis, are packing up and moving to Manhattan, Kansas. Just another day for the newlyweds, who married just six months ago. Keep up the good work, Todd.
Jason Hoyt to the Black Bears
Hockey enthusiast and Maine alum Jason Hoyt returns to Orono and his alma mater as an Account Executive for Black Bear Sports Properties. Jason comes to BBSP from Verizon Wireless in Bangor and brings a wide range of professional experience to the property… including Zamboni driving(!).
He is an avid hockey player, having competed in high school, club leagues and many men’s leagues. He coaches his daughter’s team and also serves on the board of directors for Bangor Youth Hockey. Jason also has coached high school varsity tennis for more than 12 years and enjoys fishing, camping and spending time with his family.
Back in the Saddle – Brian Morris Returns to Learfield Sports
On Monday, July 12, our Cowboy Sports Properties team will welcome Brian Morris, who will reside and office in Oklahoma City. No stranger to the state of Oklahoma or Learfield Sports, Brian previously served as an Account Executive for Sooner Sports Properties in the spring and summer of 2005 after serving two years as OU’s Assistant Director of Athletics Development.As a CSP Senior Account Executive, Brian will promote OU’s cross-state rival, Oklahoma State.
Before re-joining Learfield Sports’ family, Brian most recently served as Associate Athletics Director for Development at Wichita State University. He was with the University since Nov. 2006 and before that, with Arkansas State University as Assistant Athletic Director for Development.
Brian, a K-State grad who earned his master’s at Wichita State, will be moving to OKC with his wife, Lindsay, and their children, Bennett and Caleb.
South Carolina victorious in 11-Inning CWS title game
Congratulations to the South Carolina Gamecocks, our partner school and 2010 College World Series champions. They clinched the win last night in 11 innings, by beating UCLA 2-1 in the second of a three-game series for the championship. This marks the Gamecocks’ first baseball title in school history, and it earns them a place in history as the last CWS game ever played at legendary Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha. See AP story for more (link). Great win last night! More on this story »
Mike Burnett new AE at Army Sports Properties
Rutgers grad Mike Burnett is a new Account Executive for our Army Sports Properties team. He most recently served nine months as the Sponsorship Sales Manager for the Somerset Patriots baseball team in Bridgewater, N.J. Before that, he served one year as an Account Executive with Comcast-Spectacor in Philadelphia and three years as the Corporate Sales & Broadcast Manager for the NBA’s New Jersey Nets.
Mike is recently married to Amy, and they live in Fort Lee, N.J.
