General Info
m e d i a re l a t i o n s Rob
Coaching Staff
SCHABERT v Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Information and Broadcasting St. Cloud State, 1977
2012 Golden Eagles 2011 Season in Review Tradition of Excellence Players in the Pros 2012 Opponents
Heading into his 30th year on the Tennessee Tech athletics staff, Rob Schabert is assistant athletics director for sports information and broadcasting. He joined the Tech staff on Sept. 8, 1982, and has been going full-speed ever since, working not only in publicizing Tech’s studentathletes and staff but also in promotions and marketing for the athletics department. In September 2008 he was inducted into the Hall of Distinction at Minnesota State University (Mankato). An active member of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), he has attended the organization’s annual workshop in 29 of his 35 years in the profession. He has served on numerous CoSIDA committees, including Ethics, Academic All-America and Writing, and he currently serves on the Olympic Liaison Committee. In 2004, he was voted winner of the university’s Outstanding Professional Award, and in July 2005 was promoted to his current title. A tireless worker, Schabert has won dozens of national publications and writing awards, including “Best in the Nation” from USA Volleyball for his annual media guide six times. Schabert, 55, has established several programs within the department. He created the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll in 1987 and initiated the President’s Awards program in 1991. He also established the Woman of the Year/Man of the Year awards along with the Outstanding Male and Female Athlete awards. He is active in the TTU Sports Hall of Fame selection process and serves as the emcee of the annual Hall of Fame Dinner. Schabert has promoted the selection of numerous Tech Academic All-Americans and is extremely active in promoting both the academic and athletic accomplishments of Tech’s student-athletes. Another wing of his operation is the day-to-day production and operations of the vast Tech athletics web site, TTUsports.com. Rob and his staff also serve as the hosts to all media attending athletics events on campus. Over the past several years, many of the interns who have worked for Schabert have moved into full-time positions in the Sports Information profession at a wide variety of colleges and universities, including Appalachian State, UAB, Xavier, Idaho, Texas State and the University of New Mexico. A Minnesota native who learned the trade under the guidance of his father, Bob (a long-time Minnesota Sportswriter), Rob earned his bachelor’s degree in mass communications from St. Cloud (Minn.) State University in 1977, spent one year in the Minnesota Twins public relations office, and was SID for five years at Mankato State University. He was a charter member of the St. Cloud chapter of Sigma Delta Chi, the Society of Professional Journalist. In 2002, Rob was a volunteer with the Salt Lake Olympic Committee as a member of the Press Operations staff. Rob and his wife, Joan, have two grown children who are also in the public relation business -- Matt (Morehead State sports information) and Kristen (U.S. Army public affairs). They also have one grandson, Jacob.
Universitry Section
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Sports Information Assistants Nick Burns, 26, joined the Tennessee Tech Sports Information staff in July of 2010 and is in his second season on the staff. He is the primary contact for volleyball, women's basketball and baseball, and the secondary contact for tennis. A native of Bloomington, Minn., he is a 2007 graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications with a public relations emphasis. As an undergraduate, Burns was a reporter for the campus newspaper covering the men's and women's track and field and golf teams and writing feature stories. He also worked in the school’s athletic communications office helping with gameday services and writing. From 2007 to 2009, Burns was a graduate assistant in the MSU athletic communications office, serving as the primary contact for the volleyball and women's basketball teams for two seasons, and the softball, men's and women's track and field and tennis teams for one season. He produced publications, was the in-game statistician for all Maverick home events, updated the athletic website and filled in as guest host of the weekly Maverick Magazine radio show. During the 2008-09 women's basketball season, Burns served as the primary contact when the team won the Division II NCAA National Championship in San Antonio. He has also worked at the WCHA Final Five. Tommy Dillard, 25, joined the Tech Sports Information staff in July after serving as sports editor of the Murray Ledger & Times. Dillard served as the beat writer covering Murray State athletics and coordinated coverage of the university as well as several high schools. He was also responsible for page and section design, photography and web site maintenance. At Tech, Dillard will handle several aspects of media relations for the athletics department, including the production of publications, press releases and human interest articles. He will serve as the primary sports information contact for the soccer and men’s basketball teams, as well as the golf, cross country and track teams. Prior to being named the sports editor of the newspaper in Murray in 2010, Dillard served three years as assistant sports editor covering local high school athletics. He has also worked for the Associated Press, covering Murray State home athletic events as well as non-sports-related work. Dillard has earned numerous awards from the Kentucky Press Association. A native of Germantown, Tenn., Tommy graduated from Murray State in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. He married the former Elaine Kight on June 11. Brandon Goodwin, a 2010 graduate
of Tennessee Tech, has returned to his alma mater to work with the TTU Sports Information staff. He will work in new media, coordinating social media efforts, blogs, and radio and video broadcasts. A native of Lenoir City, Tenn., Goodwin, 23, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in communications and pre-law with an emphasis in sports media. During his tenure at TTU, Goodwin served as sports editor for The Oracle, Tech’s weekly student newspaper, where he covered each of Tech’s then 16 intercollegiate teams. He also held the title of assistant sports editor of The Eagle, the TTU yearbook, and was a disc jockey on WTTU 88.5 fm in Cookeville. Goodwin worked as an undergraduate student in the sports information department from 2007-2010 while attending Tech. His responsibilities ranged from writing and designing media guides to public address and radio broadcasts. He serves as one of the voices of the Golden Eagle Sports Network, providing sideline color and information during football broadcasts.