April 15, 2011
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern's athletic communications staff has been named a "Super 11" sports information department by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), the organization announced Thursday, April 14. The honor recognizes the best 11 departments in the nation.
In alphabetical order those 11 honored departments are from the following schools: Clemson, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Navy, Northwestern, Rutgers, Southern California (USC), Troy, Tulsa, and Utah. The award is in its second year of existence.
Criteria in determining the winners not only included how press boxes/operations were run, but the quality and timeliness of information provided, the amount of information presented and appropriately updated on websites, personal responsiveness to media inquires as well as the accessibility of players, head and assistant coaches. The ratings also took into consideration the departments that went the extra mile in servicing the media.
"There are many outstanding sports information departments across college football," said Tim Griffin, Super 11 Committee chairman and the FWAA's immediate Past President. "But we felt it was very important to honor the best of the best. We plan to continue this program in upcoming years to honor the departments who understand the demands of our jobs and continually do what they can to help us."
The honor continues a string of awards for staff members in Northwestern's Department of Athletics and Recreation. They include:
Senior Associate Athletics Director/Senior Woman Administrator Janna Blais, 2010 WBCA Administrator of the Year
Former Senior Associate Athletics Director/Senior Woman Administrator Noreen Morris, 2009 NACWAA Administrator of the Year
Assistant Equipment Manager Meli Resendiz, 2008 Glen Sharp Award as AEMA Athletic Equipment Manager of the Year
Former Assistant Director for Academic Services & Director of Student Development Betsi Burns, 2008 National Association of Academic Advisors in Athletics Lan Hewlett Award for outstanding performance
Northwestern's athletic communications staff is led by Mike Wolf, who is in his 10th year in Evanston. Wolf previously was honored by the College Sports Information Director's of America (CoSIDA) with the 2010 Lester Jordan Award for his exemplary service to the CoSIDA Academic All-America award program, a program that is a source of great pride in the Northwestern community.
"The FWAA is proud to honor the fine work produced on a consistent basis by the Super 11," said FWAA President Tommy Hicks. "Led by past president Tim Griffin, our organization seeks to recognize the sports information offices, big and small, that go about daily tasks with professionalism as well as a personal touch. Each of the offices included in the Super 11 has established itself among the best in the country."
The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,200 men and women across North America who cover college football for a living. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include gameday operations, major awards, a national poll and its annual All-America team.
For more information on the award, link to the Football Writers Association of America official website at Sportswriters.net.
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