July 2001

As a college senior in 1986, I trekked across campus to a class called "sports information." At the time, I was hoping to learn something about sports that I could use in my career as a television broadcaster. Little did I know, but the woman teaching the class would influence me far beyond our 16-week session.

This week, my teacher and mentor Mary Jo Haverbeck will be honored once again by the national organization of our profession, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), as the first recipient of the Trailblazer Award, created to honor a CoSIDA member who has broken down barriers, has worked to mentor others, and has encouraged the active participation of women and minorities in sports information.

The word "trailblazer" isn't a strong enough word to describe the words, the actions, the career of Mary Jo Haverbeck.

After graduating from Delaware in 1961 with a degree in education, Haverbeck taught sixth grade for the Alfred I. duPont School District for three years and fourth grade for one year. It didn't take long for her to jump into the publicity field as joined the Bank of Delaware as the assistant director of public relations. After two years, Haverbeck returned to her alma mater in the public information office where she not only wrote news releases but also produced a daily radio show.

In 1971, Haverbeck made a full transition to broadcasting as a newswriter and broadcaster at Wilmington's WAMS Radio and WHYY television. After two years of reporting on American soil, she moved to Liverpool, England, to join the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). As host and producer, Haverbeck had her own show, "An American in Merseyside," a 90-minute weekly program of music, news, and entertainment.

"I remember sitting in Wembley Stadium watching two field hockey teams play in front of 60,000 fans with national TV coverage," Haverbeck said. "I thought, 'Wow, I didn't believe this could happen anywhere in the world!' At sports arenas in the United States, women writers were not always allowed in the press boxes. In England, they had the same access as male journalists."

With the journalism bug etched into her soul, Haverbeck returned to the U.S. and to the classroom. First she studied broadcast news at Syracuse in 1972, then earned a Master of Arts in journalism from Penn State in 1976.

Haverbeck joined the Penn State sports information office in 1974, becoming the first person to publicize the school's women's sports program.

But "firsts" became Haverbeck's middle name. In 1978, she created and edited the first weekly regional publication- Eastern Women's Basketball Newsletter- covering women's basketball news and statistics for 300 Eastern schools. In 1982, she expanded to the national level, creating Through the Hoop,the first-ever newsletter for women's basketball that included the first computerized statistical rankings.

"I knocked on doors to sell advertising for women's programs, and walked the streets talking to people, trying to get their support. I visited newspapers, TV and radio stations. I wrote releases and made phone calls," Haverbeck added. "When they told me, 'We don't have time or space to cover women's athletics,' I just kept pitching good story ideas to them. I think people want to read interesting stories about athletes, whether it's a man playing basketball or a woman playing tennis."

In 1984, Penn State promoted Haverbeck to Associate Director of Sports Information, a position she more than earned. Just two years later, Haverbeck returned to teaching while working fulltime for the Lions. She created and taught a popular three-credit elective course introducing students to the sports information profession.

"I've had a lot of fun in my career. The most exciting times were the make-or-break games, the nail-biters. I've been to two national football championships, the Sugar Bowl in '82 and the Fiesta Bowl in '86," Haverbeck said. "I've worked 10 women's basketball Final Fours and the Olympics. I've visited just about every major basketball venue in the country."

While Haverbeck laid the groundwork for many females in the sports information/media relations profession, she had to do it with the only tools of the time- common sense, confidence, and personality. In today's world, we rely so much on computers, fax machines, cell phones, every technological gadget. I can't imagine the time and effort it took in the early days to promote collegiate sports. But Haverbeck took the time to get to know the people involved- the media, the coaches, the student-athletes. She wasn't afraid to pick up the phone or talk to the media one-on-one to get a story out. She exercised patience and perseverance during the new era of women's athletics.

I have to give Haverbeck credit. Although she's a pioneer, she has continually changed with the needs of our profession. Prior to her retirement in December 1999, she was totally in charge of the Penn State website, a technological "fad" I'm sure no one ever imagined would become a full-time job.

And Haverbeck has always mentored the younger generation. From her early beginnings of counseling college students, like me, through networking, interviews, and job changes to the creation of an all-female network (F.A.M.E.- Female Athletic Media Relations Executives), Haverbeck has been there to lend an ear for listening, a shoulder to cry on, and a smile to share the joyful times.

Four years ago, I returned to my alma mater to work in the office where it all started and to work alongside my mentor. I took over the promotion of Lady Lion basketball as Haverbeck eased into retirement. The highlight for both us came when Penn State made its first-ever trip to the NCAA Women's Final Four in Philadelphia in 2000.

"That was special," Haverbeck recalled of the Final Four. "I was in my hometown market at the premier event in women's college sports with a basketball program I had covered when games were played in front of 50 people. A soldout arena with 20,000 fans, national television and 700 media-- that was what I envisioned 28 years ago."

In 1995, Haverbeck became the first woman inducted into CoSIDA's Hall of Fame. Last summer, CoSIDA presented Haverbeck with its Arch Ward Award (its version of the Heisman) for outstanding contribution to the field of college sports information and for bringing dignity and prestige to the profession. The 43rd recipient, Haverbeck became the first woman to receive the profession's highest honor. After 25 years in the profession, she also received CoSIDA's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000.

"My years of association with Penn State sports have been both challenging and rewarding, and I leave them behind with some regret and with gratitude for all that they haven enabled me to learn and to do," Haverbeck said upon retirement.

And now this summer, CoSIDA has bestowed Haverbeck with the first-ever Trailblazer Award. Thank you, Mary Jo, for your bravery, your compassion, and your dedication, and for blazing a trail for future generations of female SIDs.




The Penn State women: Stephanie, Mary Jo
& Cathy at the CoSIDA Convention. (Orlando 1999)

"We appreciate most sincerely the outstanding service Mary Jo has given the Penn State athletic department in her years as a member of our sports information staff. As someone who helped to define the role of women in athletic publicity, Mary Jo has been a meaningful contributor to the growth of women's sports as Penn State and to the prominence of women in her profession. We will miss her professionalism and the energy and enthusiasm she always brought to her responsibilities."
- Tim Curley, Athletic Director, Penn State