University of Houston Athletics
Communications Receives Second Super 11 Award
5/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
HOUSTON â€" The Houston Athletics Communications Office was cited by the Football Writers Association of America with its "Super 11" award as one of the best in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision during the 2015 season, its second such honor in the past four years.
Houston joined Clemson (ACC), Kansas State (Big 12), Louisiana (Sun Belt), Indiana (Big Ten), Mississippi State (SEC), Northern Illinois (MAC), Pittsburgh (ACC), USC (Pac-12), Utah State (Mountain West) and Western Kentucky (Conference USA) as recipients of the honor.
The FWAA honor follows a 2015 season that also saw the Houston Football twitter account, @UHCougarFB, ranked as the No. 2 account among college football programs by Sports Illustrated.
Houston Athletics Communications is managed by associate athletics director David Bassity, who recently completed his fourth season at Houston. Before joining the Cougars, Bassity was a member of the Oklahoma Communications office that received the Super 11 accolade in 2011.
Working with Bassity, director Jeff Conrad, associate director Allison McClain, assistant directors Jessika McKernan and Roman Petrowski, Ted Nance Communications assistant Willi Anderson and several student assistants handled a variety of duties for Houston Football home and road games all season.
Since the FWAA's inception in 1941, one of the organization's primary tasks has been to provide better working conditions for writers across the nation. Over the years, the FWAA has awarded press box commendations to deserving schools, as well as conduct ratings of sports information departments.
"We look at this as one of the most important things that we do as an organization, honoring the very best SID staffs in the nation." said Tim Griffin, the FWAA's 2010 President and the Super 11 Committee chairman. "There are many great SID staffs around the country who are willing to work hard to help all media members. These 11 departments we are honoring are consistently exemplary above and beyond the call of duty. We hope this award will help to showcase them."
Criteria employed in determining the winners not only included how press boxes and media operations were operated, but also the quality and timeliness of information provided. Also judged was the amount of information presented and appropriately updated on websites, and personal responsiveness to media inquiries as well as the accessibility of a program's players, coaches and assistant coaches. The ratings also considered those departments that went the extra mile in servicing the media.
The Super 11 Committee received input from other FWAA members and others who covered college football during a period from Feb. 1, 2015 through Jan. 31, 2016.
"The FWAA takes seriously the relationships between reporters and sports information officials, and these 11 SIDs stand out because of their hard work and professionalism," 2016 FWAA President Mark Anderson said. "The fight for increased access is critical to our FWAA members, so it's especially important to recognize the work by these SIDs who represent their schools and help reporters do their jobs. They are the best of the best and set a high standard for others to achieve."
In January 2009, the FWAA formed the first Super 11 Committee. The concept has been supported and endorsed by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), many of whom are members of the FWAA.
The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,300 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 game-day operations, major awards, a national poll and its annual All-America team.
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