RRAC SID of the Year 2021-22

RRAC SPORTS INFORMATION DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
ED CASSIERE, XAVIER

WACO, Texas -- As a sports information veteran with a sterling resume, Ed Cassiere made an immediate impression when Xavier became an official member of the RRAC in the fall of 2021. His professionalism and cooperation with fellow SIDs led to his selection as the 2021-22 RRAC Sports Information Director of the Year in his first year in the conference.

Through a vote of his peers, Cassiere was selected by his fellow RRAC SIDs. Each year, the SID of the Year award recognizes the individual who has performed the best at promoting their school's athletics program, collaborating with fellow SIDs, serving the conference, maintaining timely and accurate information, driving media coverage, conducting gameday operations, and expanding social media outreach and broadcast capabilities. It honors those that go above and beyond, while maintaining strong relationships across the conference.

During the last year, Cassiere managed the communication for all 14 of Xavier's sports as the program won four RRAC championship events, advanced eight teams to NAIA national tournaments, and placed second in the RRAC All-Sports Award standings. The school won its first NAIA national championship in any sport with the competitive cheer title, and Cassiere coordinated the media coverage while generating multiple interviews.

This was nothing new for Cassiere as he completed his 16th academic year at Xavier and his 30th year as a college publicist. He was promoted from sports information director to assistant athletics director for communications in 2017, and he was elevated again in 2020 to associate athletics director for strategic communications. He was chosen as the 2018-19 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference SID of the Year, and he was recognized as the 2021 Sports Information Director of the Year in the small-school division by Black College Nines.

Prior to arriving at Xavier, Cassiere was the SID at the University of New Orleans (La.) for 13 years, and he was an assistant SID at the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) during the 1986-87 year.

"Ed Cassiere is one of the best Sports Publicists that I have worked with during my 20 years in college athletics," says Xavier Athletic Director Nathan Cochran. "Ed is knowledgeable and a tremendous asset to the Xavier University athletic department. Good sports information professionals are hard to find. I wanted the Executive Director position here at Xavier because I knew how good Ed is at his job. Ed deserves this award, and I am so excited for him to be honored for his craft."

Cassiere has earned 95 awards in his career - including 29 for first place - in sportswriting and sports information. He was labeled as "one of the best sports information directors in the country" by HBCU Digest in 2015, and he was the NAIA recipient of the Grant Burger Media Award from the American Volleyball Coaches Association for his coverage of the Gold Nuggets in 2016 while receiving the NAIA Southeast Region award in 2018-19.

Cassiere is a current member of the NAIA's Statistics, History, Records & Honors Committee and he served three years (2015-18) as the NAIA Statistics Committee co-chair. He's also a member of the Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee, which is sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

Cassiere was president of the Louisiana Sports Writers Association from 1994-96, and earned his Bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. The native of Shreveport was a sportswriter for the Shreveport Journal from 1981-86.

RRAC SID of the Year Honorees