Robinson named SID of the Year in conference
John Brown University Sports Information Director Nicholas Robinson has been named the 2019 SID of the Year for the Sooner Athletic Conference, the conference office announced Thursday, Aug. 1.
Awarded for the sixth time, the annual honor established in 2014 recognizes outstanding sports information professionals, as chosen by the SIDs of member institutions.
Hired as John Brown’s first full-time director of sports information in the summer of 2012, Robinson oversees all athletic communication and promotion for the department. His scope of duties include overseeing the live broadcasts of home athletic events, statistical reporting to the NAIA national office, promotion on social media channels, assisting in gameday management, production of programs and materials and constant updates and improvements to JBUathletics.com.
Serving as the primary media contact for all 11 Golden Eagle athletic programs, Robinson just completed his seventh year in Siloam Springs.
“The SAC is pleased to recognize Nick with this year’s award,” said SAC Commissioner Stan Wagnon. “He continues to provide JBU’s athletics department with increased visibility and excellent service, but we’re also grateful for his contributions at the conference level. His efforts help to place students and teams from both JBU and the SAC in a positive light.”
A year after serving as the primary media contact for the Sooner Athletic men’s and women’s basketball tournaments in Siloam Springs, Robinson also served as the primary media contact for John Brown’s first-ever hosting of an NAIA National Championships Opening Round, in addition to JBU hosting the NAIA Unaffiliated Group men’s and women’s tennis tournaments in Tulsa, Okla.
Recently, Robinson earned a trio of first-place finishes in various NAIASIDA publication and media contests, including a hype video announcing the makeover of the mascot, Regal the Golden Eagle. Also, his efforts in producing quality gameday programs for men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball earned him a first-place nod in that respective category.
“I’m deeply humbled to be chosen by my peers for this incredible honor,” Robinson said. “We have a tremendously talented group of sports information professionals in the Sooner Athletic. I wouldn’t have even been considered for this honor if it weren’t for Robyn Daugherty and Steve Beers — both of whom show an incredible amount of unwavering support and encouragement. John Brown University has allowed me the opportunity to learn, grow and flourish in the profession, and a special group of coaches in the department that share the vision of JBU make the hard work and long hours that much more enjoyable.
“Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t thank Darren Gould and his efforts in partnering with me to offer JBU parents and fans easily the best and most consistent live video coverage possible. Darren’s vast knowledge of broadcast media and his joy in helping me put out a quality product is an asset that we couldn’t afford to be without.”
A native of Clinton Township, Mich., Robinson earned his Bachelor of Arts in business communications from Calvin College in 2009 before graduating summa cum laude from the California University of Pennsylvania with a Master of Science in sport management, concentrating in intercollegiate athletic administration.
Robinson will now be considered at the national level, as part of the NAIA’s National Awards Day on Sept. 16.