Small college sites get noticed

Posted on by

I recently participated in an e-mail interview with Chris Preston, who writes for ESPN.com, about our sites and the state of small-college sports information on the Web. His piece was recently published and I wanted to point it out as a good discussion of where the sites have been and where they are heading.

Though the column inexplicably starts with the younger site — D2Football.com, the various D3sports.com sites are discussed in some detail. 🙂

Just one note: I didn’t promise weekly columns in other sports, just suggested that they could be possible. Anyone interested, let me know.

Allan’s life in the NFL

Posted on by

D3football.com All-American tight end Michael Allan broke Division III’s draft drought in April when he was selected in the seventh round by the Kansas City Chiefs. He’s apparently enjoying his time in the Chiefs camp so far, which is miles away from the Division III experience.

At the D-3 level we never expected to receive such treatment and while the NFL is a completely different level, I saw no surprise in the faces of those who came from division 1 schools. Chartered flights, full meals, free gear and top-notch facilities was just something that they always had. It’s a change; a change I am excited to make and I cannot thank fans like you enough for making all of this possible.

Allan writes more in his blog on the Kansas City Chiefs Web site.

A well-deserved honor

Posted on by

Congratulations to University of Rochester Sports Information Director Dennis O’Donnell on his recent induction into the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Hall of Fame.

O’Donnell’s professional resume includes CoSIDA’s Irv Marsh Award in 2003, a 25 Year Service Award in 2006 and frequent trips to the men’s and women’s final four weekends, whether with the Yellowjacket teams or as a volunteer. Now he can add this Hall of Fame distinction, which is enjoyed by only 26 other members at CoSIDA’s College Division (NCAA Divisions II and III, NAIA, Junior Colleges and Canadian Schools).

Dennis has also been a big contributor to our efforts in all the ways we could hope for — nominating All Region candidates, providing excellent pregame notes, posting game releases, and letting us know about interesting stories around the Rochester sports teams.

And like a lot of other Sports Information Directors at this level, Dennis works long hours behinds the scenes so University boosters, alums and parents can stay on top of UR sports. That requires a lot of patience on his part and we suspect a lot of support from his family.

Sports Information Directors are the silent partners of these websites in a lot of ways. They provide invaluable information and assistance for just about everything we do. So we’re very happy to add our congratulations to one of the best in the business.