Kevin Rodriguez is a Sports Information Director at The University of Texas at Austin, which is highly regarded as one of the biggest brands in sports and most successful in college athletics, having won the Learfield Director’s Cup 2 years straight. Kevin is the lead SID for UT baseball and UT Women’s Volleyball, with baseball fielding the NCAA Men’s Player of the Year -- Ivan Melendez -- and the latter being regarded as one of the most prestigious volleyball programs in the history of the sport (they’re the #1 lock to win the NCAA 2022 Women’s Volleyball Title). Kevin has done extensive work with these sports and more, directing information and serving as key liaison between players, coaching staff, media, and other key sports stakeholders. Kevin graduated with a degree in Mass Communications from Sam Houston State University, where he also served as an SID there for two years, along with having worked with the National Football Foundation and University of Memphis as a Director of Athletic Communications. Above all, Kevin is not only a savant within the sports communications field, but a hilarious and down-to-earth dude who’s helped me learn more about the sports space and gain experience in collegiate athletics.

Connect with Kevin:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krodthesid/

Keep up with UT Athletic Teams Kevin Works With:
- Texas Volleyball: https://texassports.com/sports/womens-volleyball
- Texas Baseball: https://texassports.com/sports/baseball


OUTLINE:
- What a Sports Information Director does and why Kevin wanted to go into Sports Communications
- The Power of Winning
- A Career in Sports vs a Regular 9-5
- What is the role of an SID within College Athletics?
- A Day in the Life
- Volleyball Game days
- How crucial are SIDs to the entire athletic program, and specifically the team?
- How SIDs influence the messaging, perception, culture, and overall communication of a team
- e.g. SID John Bianco working closely with UT Football Coach Steve Sarkisian
- How SIDs work with athletes in media training
- Where that strategy comes from — the athletic director on down through the department
- Diffusion of Culture
- What it’s like working with one of the biggest brands in sports and most famous college athletics program at UT Austin
- What keeps Kevin going in the space despite the travels and at times long hours
- Advice for those wanting to break into sports communications
- What it takes
- Most memorable moments
- Asija O’Neal ESPN piece


Recorded on November 30th, 2022

#Sports #sportscommunications #collegeathletics #sportsinformationdirector #sid #texas #longhorns #hookem #texasvolleyball #texasbaseball

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