Black College SIDs recognized
Hamilton, Hill get overdue honors
South Carolina State University sports information director Bill Hamilton was named the 2005 recipient of the Trailblazer Award by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The award was presented during the organization's annual conference in Philadelphia July 3-6.
The Trailblazer Award is presented annually
to an individual who is a pioneer in the field of
sports information and has mentored and helped
improve the level of ethnic and gender diversity
within CoSIDA.
Hamilton has been at SC State for 32 years and is the longest tenured SID at an historically black college or university. He has opened doors and paved the way for many men and women to enter the profession. Eight to ten of his former employees now worked professionally in the NFL and Major League Baseball. He was named Staff Employee of the Year in 1999 and inducted into the SCSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000.
A 1973 graduate of SC State, Hamilton has served on the NCAA men's Final Four Media Coordination Committee since 1999. He earned a CoSIDA Excellence in Writing Citation in 1995 and was given the Black College Sports Information Directors Association's (BCSIDA) Cal Jacox-Champ Clark Award as the top SID at an historically black college in 1989. His 1983 football media guide was voted fourth best in the nation for Division I-AA schools by CoSIDA, and the cover of the guide received first place honors.
He currently serves as president of BCSIDA and has served on various CoSIDA committees. He was a member of the CoSIDA Board of Directors from 1993-96 and has attended every CoSIDA workshop since 1974.
In 1998, he was given the CoSIDA/Kodak Good Person Award and the 25-year Service Award.
He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and the South Carolina State Employees Association, where he serves as a chapter and state board member. Active in civic and community organizations, he is currently chairman of the Orangeburg (SC) Attention Homes Board of Directors and former president and past state board member of the Orangeburg County Chapter of the Alston Wilkes Society.
Hamilton's award was the second recognition for HBCU sports information directors at this year's CoSIDA Workshop. Howard SID Edward Hill received the Bob Kenworthy Community Service Award at a luncheon on July 4.
The award is given annually to a CoSIDA member for civic involvement and accomplishments outside of the sports information office.
Hill has served as sports information director at Howard since 1984 and during that time has been very active in the Washington, D.C. community. He serves as head coach and co-founder of the DC Warriors basketball program (ages 7-14). His fundraising efforts have enabled his teams to travel and participate in tournaments throughout the eastern United States. Many of his players have gone on to play on the collegiate and professional levels and become productive members of their communities.
He has been a counselor for the National Youth Sports Program for more than 20 years while serving as a father figure to youth in the District of Columbia Public School System.
Prior to coming to Howard, Hill was a staff writer for the Winston-Salem Chronicle and the Black College Sports Review. He also worked as a news aid and freelance writer for the Washington Post.
In addition to his sports information duties, the University of the District of Columbia graduate teaches a sports media class at Howard.
The award was initiated in 1993 to honor Kenworthy, who served as the sports information director at Gettysburg College for more than 25 years while actively participating in community and campus affairs.
Hill becomes the second black college SID to receive the award. Hamilton received it in 1998 when it was known as the Good Person Award.
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