SAN ANTONIO, Texas - As South Carolina State’s longtime sports information director, William Hamilton has taken pride in shining the spotlight on the student-athletes he’s covered the last 36 years.

Over the next two days at the College Sports Information Directors of America’s annual convention, “the hardest working man in Orangeburg” will be the center of attention. Today in San Antonio, Hamilton will receive CoSIDA’s most distinguished individual honor - the Arch Ward Award.

Named after the late sports editor and columnist of the Chicago Tribune, who was also credited with inventing the concept of the All-Star games for Major League Baseball and college football, the award is presented annually to the CoSIDA member who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of college sports information or has brought dignity and prestige to the profession.

During his 36 years of service to S.C. State, Hamilton has witnessed over 370 college football games, attended five NCAA men’s basketball tournament games involving the Bulldogs and accompanied the 1978-79 women’s basketball team to Fargo, North Dakota when it won the AIAW Division II national championship.

It’s the third individual honor Hamilton has earned from Cosida. He received the Bob Kenworthy Community Service award in 1998 and the Trailblazer Award in 2005 for his role in bringing more attention to black college sports.

On Thursday, Hamilton will join the elite of his profession as one of the five newest inductees into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame. This enshrinement comes on the heels of Hamilton’s induction into the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame.

Once again, it was Howard University SID Edward Hill who submitted the nomination for Hamilton. Making the honor even more special for Hamilton is becoming the third Palmetto State SID to receive enshrinement, joining previous inductees and mentors Bob Bradley of Clemson University and Tom Price of the University of South Carolina.

The numerous students mentored by Hamilton who have gone on to future sports information or public relations positions are even more excited for him. Greg Carson, Orangeburg Consolidated District Five Executive Assistant to the Superintendent for Public Relations, worked for Hamilton in the late 1980s and called him a “jewel” as an SID and person.

“He found talent in me that I didn’t know I had and he nurtured that and pretty much got my career started in the media (Carson was a sports writer at the T&D) and in public relations,” he said.

Carson said the most important attribute Hamilton taught him was to always “give something back.”

Given Hamilton’s body of work, Carson believes his Hall of Fame Induction is a long past due. At the same time, he can see how Hamilton’s low-key demeanor makes it easy to overlook his accomplishments.

“Bill is kind of non-assuming,” Carson said. “He just does his job and does it well and really doesn’t look for accolades that much. That’s the beauty of Bill as I see it...and that’s one of the things I learned from him. You do your job and don’t look for accolades. That’s the way he’s always handled things.”

n T&D Senior Sports Writer Thomas Grant Jr. can be reached by e-mail at tgrant@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5547. Discuss this and other stories on-line at TheTandD.com.

 

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