College Sports Information Directors of America

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• 2021 Special Awards Announcements and Features
• #CoSIDA21 Virtual Convention Home
• Past Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients

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Kevin Ruple – Baldwin Wallace University (Retired)

CoSIDA Lifetime Achievement Award

by Lenny Reich – University of Mount Union, Assistant Athletic Director / Sports Information Director

If you type the word “dedication” into your internet browser, the first thing you will see as the definition is “the quality of being committed to a task or purpose.” 

That definition would apply to Kevin Ruple and his 37-plus year career at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio. Ruple, who retired on June 30, 2020, is a recipient of a 2021 CoSIDA Lifetime Achievement Award for his long-time service to athletic communications. 

Ruple was named the sports information director on March 1, 1983. He was promoted to Director of Athletic Communications and Public Relations in October of 2016 and served in that capacity until his retirement.
 

My internet browser shows a list of similar words below the definition of dedication, and among them is commitment, diligence, enthusiasm, hard work and loyalty; these characteristics also seem to reflect Kevin and his long career. 

"Kevin had a long and successful career at Baldwin Wallace and we are grateful for his service," noted retired BW Senior Vice President Dick Fletcher "He highlighted the successes of our teams, student-athletes and coaches and helped further advance the mission of the University. Of special note has been his role as a mentor to countless students who have gone on to successful careers in sports information around the country." 

During his time at Baldwin Wallace, Ruple promoted thousands of student-athletes and was a staunch advocate that athletics be a key part of a student’s entire college experience. He was a primary reason why Baldwin Wallace had an incredible 122 CoSIDA Academic All-America honorees during his tenure. 

"This a well-deserved honor for Kevin, said current Baldwin Wallace Director of Athletic Communications and 1996 alum Jeff Miller. “I know he would say that this award is as much an award for all those student assistants and student-athletes rather than just himself. Kevin was the happiest was when he saw one of his 'kids' go on from BW and become successful in life and work.” 

Over the years, Ruple mentored literally hundreds of student-assistants - many of who have gone on to work in athletic communications in all levels of collegiate athletics and professional sports.

“Kevin’s commitment to BW during his years at the university didn’t just revolve around athletics. His impact was felt across the entire Yellow Jacket community and nationally among his peers. Kevin’s passion for BW, the student-athletes and his student workers were second to none,” commented Julie Work, a 1998 BW alum and NACDA vice president. “I am forever grateful that he took a chance on me as his first full-time intern when I didn’t know a thing about sports information.”

Outside of his duties at BW, Ruple has been an active member of CoSIDA. From 1994-98, he served on the Board of Directors as a College Division representative. He served on the CoSIDA Academic All-America® core committee from 1997-2017 as the national chair for the football and at-large programs. 

In addition to this Lifetime Achievement Award, Ruple is just one of a handful in CoSIDA history to receive three prestigious honors from the organization as he was presented the Warren Berg Award in 2004 for outstanding work in the college division, was inducted into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame in 2008, and earned the Lester Jordan Award (for outstanding contributions to CoSIDA’s Academic All-America program) in 2011. 

“For me, CoSIDA will always be synonymous with Kevin. Not just because he has won pretty much every award and honor our organization has - all very deserving — but because he has always been one of the organizations best advocates and biggest supporters,” commented John Bianco, a 1988 BW alum and Associate AD for Communications at The University of Texas.

From the first day I worked with Kevin at BW, he always spoke of CoSIDA, the convention and all the incredible things it can do for you as well as what a rewarding profession SID work is. I remember driving with him Kansas City for the convention in 1988 after I graduated, participating in COSIDA’s job seeker program, and making so many connections and relationships that week. From that point, like so many that Kevin has impacted, I followed in his footsteps and found a job working with the thing I love most, sports. He’s an awesome mentor and friend and I’m beyond grateful to him,” Bianco concluded.

“Most of the stories about Kevin end with a laugh, and like many of his former student workers, I would not be where I am today without his tutelage, understanding and encouragement,” noted Phil Pierce, NCAA Assistant Director of Media Coordination and Statistics and a 1996 BW alum. “There are Kevin’s former students working in sports information around the country for the last four decades. That alone is a testament to his unwavering commitment to the field and those that he worked with.” 

Prioir to beginning his athletic communications career, Ruple, a native of Ashtabula, Ohio, was a student-athlete in his own right, playing baseball while earning a bachelor’s degree at The College of Wooster.

And, for anyone who knows Ruple, all his professional achievements are secondary to what he would classify as his biggest accomplishments involving his son, Danny. An outstanding student-athlete, Danny was an award-winning four-year letterman on the Baldwin-Wallace men's soccer team. Among his many honors, Danny was the 2019 CoSIDA Men's Soccer Academic All-America of the Year honoree for NCAA Division III, and is currently finishing his MBA at BW. 

When you come right down to it, Kevin Ruple dedication to both his Baldwin Wallace family and his own family and the success of both have ended up making a definition of his own for “lifetime achievement.”