NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.-Thursday, longtime Brigham Young University media relations director Ralph Zobell was honored in Washington DC with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Zobell, who is retiring from BYU at the end of this week after 41 years of service in the Cougars’ athletic department, was one of six CoSIDA members to receive this Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2018 CoSIDA Hall of Fame Luncheon at the Gaylord Resort and Conference Center.
The event, hosted by ESPN reporter Maria Taylor, recognized 2018 CoSIDA Hall of Fame inductees and special awards recipients during the association’s annual national convention.
Additionally, veteran CBS Sports announcer Jim Nantz (a former sports anchor at KSL-TV in Salt Lake City) was honored by receiving the Jake Ward award, which is annually presented to “an individual who has made an outstanding contribution in the media to the field of intercollegiate athletics.”
Over the course of his career with the Cougars, Zobell, a native of Cheyenne, Wyo., has worked 1,065 baseball games, 242 football games and 320 basketball games for the Cougars.
His contributions were the impetus of former BYU basketball star Danny Ainge winning the John Wooden award in 1981 and former BYU QB Ty Detmer winning the Heisman Trophy in 1990.
In 1990, Zobell served as the president of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and received the organization’s Wilbur Snypp award at last year’s College World Series at Omaha, Neb. for “outstanding contributions to college baseball.”
