Chris Wenzler '90 Selected for the COSIDA Hall of Fame

2/22/2021 12:36:00 PM | By: JCUSID

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- The late Chris Wenzler '90, John Carroll University's former Sports Information Director, has been selected for the highest distinction an SID can achieve: induction into the College Sports Information Directors of America (COSIDA) Hall of Fame.

Six professionals have been chosen for induction into the COSIDA Hall of Fame Class for 2021. Wenzler is the lone posthumous inductee this year.

It's an honor that is deserved. Wenzler faithfully served John Carroll Athletics for over 30 years until his passing this past June. He was a pioneer in the sports information world, taking over an office of three students, one computer (an Apple Macintosh SE), a dot matrix printer, a typewriter, and a phone. His wife, Melissa, often helped, and still assists to this day. His children, Madeline and Oliver, the lights of his life, often helped as well. He expanded the office to 40 students and created one of the best SID staffs in Division III. He pioneered live broadcasting at the Division III level and is responsible for many other innovations as a leader in the field.

The OAC also recently unveiled the Wenzler Award, to be given to an OAC SID student exemplifying the spirit and work ethic Chris displayed each day.

Beyond his professional accolades, Chris touched the lives of thousands of Blue Streaks with his kindness, mentorship, and incredible work ethic. We wish he could be here in-person to accept this honor.

While Chris is no longer with us, he lives on in the hearts of those who knew him. He was a one-of-a-kind human being and we miss him every day. He loved the following Stuart Scott quote, making it his email signature. We'll continue to honor Chris as we work with COSIDA on a written feature and video, but it seems fitting to end here with Scott's quote, which suits Chris perfectly.

"When you die, that does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live and in the manner in which you live."

via COSIDA:

In March and April, feature stories on all Special Awards recipients will be posted on CoSIDA.com and on CoSIDA social channels. May is designated as CoSIDA (Video) Awards Month, when pre-recorded videos with the 2020 and 2021 Special Award winners will be showcased during that month (due to two years of virtual convention programming).

Each of these six CoSIDA Hall of Fame inductees will join their predecessors on the CoSIDA Hall of Fame plaques that are on permanent display at the NCAA Hall of Champions in Indianapolis. The full COSIDA release can be found here.

Print Friendly Version

Related Videos

Related Stories

Sponsors