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By Mark F. Gray, Special to the AFRO
Ed Hill was an understated spokesman for Howard University. In 30 years as sports information director for the Bison athletic program, Hill was more than a disseminator of information about the games students played. He was a mentor, instructor, confidant and friend for scores of young men and women who have played pro sports and ascended to prominent roles in the sports media industry.
His professional life was highlighted when the College Sports Information Directors Association (CoSIDA) inducted him into their hall of fame during the annual convention at Gaylord Resort at National Harbor.
“You couldn’t have written a better script,” Hill told the AFRO. “Hall of fame, Washington, D.C., all of my friends, family, and mentors here to share in this moment, it doesn’t get any better than this.”
Hill, who retired at the end of the 2016-2017 athletic season, never wanted the spotlight. He mastered the art of putting the shine on the accomplishments of players and teams who made history. However, he did take one last victory lap through the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference where he was honored by the schools in the league. Hill was treated as royalty by his MEAC brethren in a manner befitting a retiring pro athlete.
On every campus, when Howard visited for their annual basketball games, the already minted MEAC hall of famer was showered with gifts and platitudes during his own special night. Ultimately it was his peers in the conference who lobbied for Hill’s place in CoSIDA history. It was as important to them, as it was for Hill, to make sure when he was honored amongst the all-time greats in his profession.
“I’m quite proud to have Ed Hill as a longtime colleague and friend,” said former South Carolina State SID Bill Hamilton. “We pushed hard and lobbied vigorously to make sure that he would be honored in his own backyard, so his family and friends could share in his moment with him.”
During the ascension of Black College football into the mainstream of college sports during the late 1980s and early 1990s, Hill’s marketing acumen brought credibility to Howard’s program. His two best marketing campaigns were for Howard quarterbacks Jay “Sky” Walker and Ted “Sweet Flight” White. Both signal callers led the Bison to HBCU national championships and played in the NFL. Their visibility was increased by clever designs of media guide covers and the reliability of Hill to consistently provide quality information, making it easier to get coverage from conventional media.
Hill’s career began as a sportswriter with the Winston Salem Chronicle which gave him a perspective on how to develop relationships with sports journalists. He was relentless in providing information and accommodating the press despite the lack of space in facilities that remain less than state of the art at Greene Stadium and in Burr Gymnasium. Despite Howard’s lack of resources Hill’s professional resilience continued.
Beyond his acumen in media and public relations, Hill’s mentoring and guidance helped mold many of today’s most prominent sports journalists at major networks and media relations professionals from his cramped work office space inside Drew Hall. Today that mentoring carries on into the streets of D.C.
“We’re facing a lot of problems and I’m hoping to coalesce with other people to make a difference,” said Hill.
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