TMD is starting a series that looks at the life of the sports information director. To me, it's always been about the most important, and most underappreciated job in college athletics. Up first, WMU's Mat Kanan.

I first met him the day that he took the job in Kalamazoo. He was working at Penn and while WMU was playing at Temple, he took over football operations and then hopped onto the charter back to Kalamazoo.

In case you haven't had the pleasure, he's one of the best SIDs around.

http://themacdaily.com/index.php?news&nid=488

is he hiring?

Mat has been wonderful for WMU. I'm glad that he is a Bronco right now, and hope that we can keep him for a very long time.

Always proud to be a Bronco.

This is a joke, right? You're actually profiling freaking SIDS? (Yes, I intentionally capitalized the S). Seriously, there's nothing more important or pressing or newsworthy in the world of the MAC so you're gonna profile f*cking SIDS?

Unreal.

"I get to see these people grow into young men and women."

:rolleyes:

Quote:What advice would you give to a high school or college student that wanted to become a SID?

I would stress volunteering at area events to gain experience; write as much as
you can; read as much as you can; work for the school paper; work on the yearbook in order to gain page design experience; work on student radio/TV station (if applicable).

Pfff. The answer is to smoke as much AD pole as possible and do a sh*tty job once you get hired (not Mat personally but the entire Department).

Aren't there any hot volleyball babes for you to be doing stories on? Good thing you're working for yourself because if ANYONE ever came up to me with an idea to do stories on SIDs, I would fire them immediately.

(07-30-2010 09:07 AM)Charm City Bronco Wrote:  Aren't there any hot volleyball babes for you to be doing stories on? Good thing you're working for yourself because if ANYONE ever came up to me with an idea to do stories on SIDs, I would fire them immediately.

Charm I'll disagree with you. I'm glad to see that when it is out of season some of the well deserving people behind the scenes get a little ink. These people are critical to the success of any program. Perhaps you haven't lived in a era with some bad SID's.

Always proud to be a Bronco.

Meh.

Sent him two corrections to football records/media guide few years back and they've never been made. Specifically:

1967 game with Arkansas State was away, in Jonesboro, AR - not at home in Kalamazoo.

1986, Temple forfeited their win over us, making official record 4-7, not 3-8 (and thus Harbaugh's WMU coaching record 26-26-3).

Good SIDs don't overlook those distinctions in a school's official history.

(07-30-2010 11:22 AM)acer1 Wrote:  Charm I'll disagree with you. I'm glad to see that when it is out of season some of the well deserving people behind the scenes get a little ink. These people are critical to the success of any program. Perhaps you haven't lived in a era with some bad SID's.

Always proud to be a Bronco.

Are you kidding? Anyone involved with WMU athletics in the early-mid 00s knows all about horrible SIDs. And even to prove my point, if Kanan had any sort of grasp on what his job actually entails, when he got the interview request about his job, if he really knew what he was doing, he'd have said "you know, I appreciate the offer, but I really can't do it. How about you do a story on the chick with one leg on the golf team who just shot 66 at the MAC Championship?" THAT is the whole point of being an SID. Deflect media attention away from yourself and promote the University and its athletes.

If you honestly believe SIDs are "critical to the success of any program" then I have well-paying, $40/hr assembly line jobs in metro Detroit to sell you.

I can't wait until the next interview!

(07-30-2010 04:00 PM)bronco5 Wrote:  I can't wait until the next interview!

Who's going to read it to you - especially while you're facing the toilet tank?

I'll be able to read it off my iPad.

(07-30-2010 09:04 AM)Charm City Bronco Wrote:  This is a joke, right? You're actually profiling freaking SIDS? (Yes, I intentionally capitalized the S). Seriously, there's nothing more important or pressing or newsworthy in the world of the MAC so you're gonna profile f*cking SIDS?

Unreal.

It's a fair question. Why would we do this? The answer is three-fold. First, during the slow season of summer, it's a good way to keep content fresh (which was pointed out above). Second, these guys bust their humps off 12 months a year so that web sites are updated, stats are correct, TV guys can properly pronounce names, bowl committees don't forget about the accomplishments of a 7-5 football team or a 20-win basketball team that didnt' win the conference tournament, etc. Third, it's a little way to give back to people that make the media's job easier.

Not everyone will like this series, but that's ok. You can't please all the people, all the time.

If you want more straight-up football gossip, this link should hopefully be more to your liking.

http://themacdaily.com/index.php?p=1_152

If you want an interesting SID story, interview Matt Holmes regarding the time he was on "Stump the Schwab." He had him.........and then let it get away.