LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 24, 2012) - The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) is proud to announce that BYU Television has been selected as recipient of the 2011-12 AVCA Grant Burger Media Award.
BYU TV is an HD cable/satellite television channel operated by Brigham Young University. They are broadcasted around the globe through direct satellite broadcast services (for example, Dish and DirecTV), cable carriers in select areas, the church satellite system, and internet streaming. Their broadcasts reach nearly 70 million viewers, are available on over 600 cable channels and are free online for all users.
They broadcasted 14 of BYU men's volleyball 16 home matches in the 2012 regular season, and also a conference quarterfinal match. Their broadcasts are in full High Definition with commentators, multiple camera angles, graphics and instant replays to really bring the spirit of the match to life. The AVCA encourages all programs to consider live webstreams of their matches, but BYU TV goes above and beyond.
"The fact that we are honoring a television group for the second time in three years speaks volumes about where the sport of volleyball is going," said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. "The quality of the BYU broadcasts, their creativity with graphics, the story telling they do with replay and camera angles, all are cutting edge in the production of volleyball in the U.S. We are a visual sport; to love the game you must be able to experience and understand it. BYU TV is giving that opportunity to the casual fan. It's breakthrough stuff!"
However, they do more than just broadcast matches. Their weekly show "True Blue" highlights human-interest stories about Cougar sports, often featuring stories with the men's volleyball team. Their top-notch broadcasts don't prevent fans from showing up to the Smith Fieldhouse where thousands of fans regularly show up to support their team. The television programs help bring added exposure to the squad on a international level.
The AVCA expanded the media award's scope in 2004-05 by having a finalist in four different categories: broadcast, print, web and sports information/athletic communications. The finalist for the sports information/athletic communications category came from region winners from each of the NCAA divisions, as well as the NAIA.
Furthermore, the organization again expanded the award in 2007-08 by adding one more finalist, and separating the overall winner from the finalist pool.
Grant Burger Media Award Category Finalists
Category Finalist Affiliation
Overall BYU TV Brigham Young University
Broadcast Jeff Kohlmeyer UW-Whitewater Television
Print Paul Morgan Kalamazoo Gazette
Web Marc Raimondi New York Post
Sports Info Brian Magoffin Springfield College
Sports Info D.C. Koehl Ohio State University
Jeff Kohlmeyer
Jeff Kohlmeyer is the Senior Television Artist for UWWTV, the cable television network and station for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. They broadcasted all home conference volleyball matches. They use student commentators, graphics and cool camera angles to give the sense to the viewers from home they are right there in the gym. It is used not only to promote the team, but for the players to go back and watch themselves in a more mainstream way.
UWWTV showcases originally produced news, sports and educational programming for the Whitewater area. The station streams live online via their website (http://reslife.uww.edu/uwwtv/) as well as a live simulcast on different television stations throughout the region.
Paul Morgan
For almost 30 years, Paul Morgan has played an integral part in advancing the sport of volleyball at Western Michigan University and the overall Southwest Michigan community as a writer for the Kalamazoo Gazette. Since first coming onto the scene in 1983, Morgan has provided a steady stream of articles that not only cover matches, but also write features during the week making him the lone MAC writer to do so.
Morgan's extensive volleyball coverage was one of the reasons WMU played host to the 1985 NCAA Final Four. Nearly 8,000 people were in attendance, setting an NCAA record that stood for a decade. His role then expanded over the years from exclusively covering Bronco volleyball to high school volleyball as well. This year, he has taken the opportunity to retire from the Kalamazoo Gazette, but will still serve as a free-lance writer.
"Across the decades, Paul has been THE voice of volleyball in southwest Michigan, providing outstanding coverage and an uncommon dedication to promoting the sport," said WMU Head Coach Colleen Munson in her nomination form. "Paul is indeed special to our program and is most deserving of your consideration for this award."
Marc Raimondi
Marc Raimondi has been a New York Post volleyball reporter since 2009, demonstrating superior skills, abilities, and professionalism as a reporter. He has done a fantastic job increasing awareness of volleyball in New York City posting articles and blogs on almost a daily basis. Raimondi covers both the girls and boys in their respective seasons giving instant credibility to the area as one of the top NYC volleyball reporters.
"Mr. Raimondi's contribution has been outstanding and exemplifies the qualities of excellence and professionalism that are embodied in t he AVCA Grant Burger Media Award," said Horace Mann School's Girls and Boys Varsity Coach Jason Torres.
Brian Magoffin
Of all of the SID's across the country at any level, few handle themselves on both the men's and women's game like Springfield College's Brian Magoffin. Magoffin was one of the main Springfield representatives responsible for hosting the inaugural NCAA Men's Division III National Championship, working tirelessly to promote the event. Using print media, webcasts, and local ESPN shows, he has maintained an extremely high level of work throughout the year to advance both teams' exposures.
He provided game stats for all home matches and ensured web streaming for each home match as well. With this being 2012, the use of video and social media is paramount for the ultimate success of a program's exposure. Few SID's have used those technologies to the extent Magoffin has, inserting match footage and interviews on the web in all home matches.
"I have never had the opportunity to work with a Sports Information Director who gave as much attention to the sport as Brian," said Springfield Women's Head Coach Moira Long. "This is my first season at Springfield College and I could not believe the amount of work Brian put in on our behalf. He is a great candidate for this award."
A list of the NCAA SID Region Honorees for the AVCA Grand Burger Media Award is listed below.
Dennis "DC" Koehl - In Memoriam
There are just a handful of pioneers that speared the growth of volleyball over the last 30 years, but one of them is former Ohio State University SID DC Koehl. He passed away earlier this year stemming from complications from a fall, but the impression he's made on the game will last forever.
In the late 1990's Koehl stepped up to become the webmaster of the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association's (MIVA) website where we held that position until four years ago. He served as the communications contact for both the men's and women's teams for the last three decades, coordinating the publicity efforts for countless NCAA-qualifying, Big Ten- and MIVA-champion teams, and dozens of All-Americans and Players of the Year. A member of the College Sports Information Directors of America for 37 years, Koehl was honored with a 25-year award by the organization in 1999.
"To call DC thorough would be like calling water wet," said Ohio State Men's Head Coach Pete Hanson. "He was a no-nonsense kind of guy whose stoic appearance and quiet demeanor would occasionally put people off. However, the coaches in the sport that worked with him knew the demeanor was nothing more than a façade which hid a deep and abiding love for the sport of volleyball. Sadly it is only now he is gone that we truly appreciate the scope of his efforts on behalf of our sport."
He was 62 years old.
NCAA Division I Women's Sports Information Director Region Honorees
Central Region Todd Zeidler Baylor University
East Region Steve Stone Florida State University
Mideast Region Susan Bedsworth Penn State University
Midwest Region Eric DeSalvo University of Central Florida
Northeast Region Tracy Nelson United States Military Academy
Pacific Region Geoff Thurner University of Oregon
South Region Amanda Brooks University of Florida
West Region Nick Hallisey Colorado State University
NCAA Division II Women's Sports Information Director Region Honorees
Atlantic Region Bob McComas Slippery Rock University
Central Region Josh Deer Concordia University, St. Paul
East Region Doug Monson Stonehill College
Midwest Region Brad Monastiere Hillsdale College
South Region Tom Kolbe University of Tampa
South Central Region Chris Macaluso Abilene Christian University
Southeast Region John Jordan Flagler College
West Region Mark Reinhiller Cal State San Bernardino
NCAA Division III Women's Sports Information Director Region Honorees
Central Region Alex Linden Nebraska Wesleyan University
Great Lakes Region Leonard Reich Mount Union College
Mid-Atlantic Region Mike Falk Muhlenberg College
Midwest Region Tom Fick Wisconsin-Whitewater
New England Region Dave Walberg UMass-Boston
New York Region Fran Elia SUNY Cortland
South Region Chris Kilcoyne Randolph-Macon College
West Region Michael Wells Occidental College
NCAA Division I-II Men's Sports Information Director Conference Honorees
EIVA John Stallings Rutgers-Newark
MIVA Derrick Sloboda Lewis University
MPSF Tim Tessalone University of Southern California
Conference Carolinas Sean Fox Pfeiffer University
NCAA Division III Men's Sports Information Director Conference Honorees
CUNYAC Rita Chinyere Hunter College
GNAC Anthony Perry Rivier College
NECC Rob Palardy Endicott College
UVC Robin Jonathan Deutch Vassar College
Skyline Kim DeRitter Kean University
CVC Pete Lefresne Juniata College
NAIA Sports Information Director Honoree
Tyler Price Park University
About AVCA Grant Burger Media Award
The AVCA Grant Burger Media Award is an honor intended to recognize members of the media who have been involved in the advancement of the sport of volleyball, whether it be through consistent coverage in all mediums (sports information, print, broadcasting and web content), production of volleyball-specific publications or extensive radio and/or television exposure. It is named in honor of Grant Burger, former Director of Sports Information and Associate Director of the AVCA (1988-92), whose hard work, innovative mind, knowledge and enthusiasm took the areas of media relations and publications at the AVCA to a higher level and increased awareness of the sport of volleyball nationwide.
