University of Houston Athletics
UH Adds to SID Staff
Sept. 21, 2001
The University of Houston Athletic Department today announced that Jeff Conrad has been named Assistant Sports Information Director.
Conrad replaces long-time UH Assistant SID John Sullivan, who resigned last week. In his new role at UH Conrad will serve as the department's liaison for women's volleyball, women's swimming and diving, men's golf and baseball.
Conrad comes to UH after spending two years as the Sports Information Director at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. At UL-Lafayette Conrad supervised all functions of the sports information office, including publication of media guides and game programs and financial preparations. He also was directly responsible for media relations for the Ragin' Cajuns football and men's basketball teams.
Before his elevation to the SID role, Conrad spent a year as the Assistant SID under the legendary Dan McDonald. While in his assistant's role, Conrad served as the primary contact for the women's basketball and baseball teams, while assisting McDonald with the publicity of football.
UH Associate Athletics Director for Communications Chris Burkhalter, who oversees the Cougar Sports Information Office, is confident Conrad will adjust quickly to the University of Houston.
"Finding Jeff this time of the year is a steal for us," commented Burkhalter. "Jeff is a top-notch SID, and I know he'll do a great job here. I know what Jeff is capable of doing because we both began in this profession under Dan McDonald. We are so busy this time of the year, and it is a blessing that Jeff can jump right in without being told what to do.
"Jeff does have some tough shoes to fill because John (Sullivan) did a great job for us. But I have all the confidence in the world that Jeff will get the job done."
A 1995 cum laude graduate of Centenary College in Shreveport, La., Conrad spent four months at his alma mater as the Interim Sports Information Director while he was wrapping up his studies. Conrad then arrived at UL-Lafayette (it was known then as the University of Southwestern Louisiana) in the fall of 1995 and served as a graduate assistant for McDonald. From there Conrad spent almost two years as a metro reporter for the Alexandria (La.) Town Talk before returning to UL-Lafayette in 1998.
Conrad has served as the Media Coordinator for both the 2001 Sun Belt Conference Baseball Tournament and the 2000 NCAA Baseball Regional at Lafayette. Several of his publications have won top national honors, and while a student at Centenary, he won the Ace Higgins Award-an honor given by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association to the state's top student assistant sports information director.
Conrad and his wife Kristy are the parents of a 15-month-old son, Tyler. Kristy was an Academic All-America softball player at Centenary.
-UHCougars.com-