The retired University of Toronto sports information director will receive the prestigious Mary Jo Haverbeck Trailblazer Award at the College of Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) annual convention in June 2017 in Orlando, Florida. The award is named after Haverbeck, the former award-wining Penn State media relations professional and CoSIDA Hall of Famer, and is awarded annually at CoSIDA's convention to an individual who is a pioneer in the field of sports information and who has mentored and helped improve the level of ethnic and gender diversity within CoSIDA.
Paul Carson never envisioned himself as a trailblazer. All he desired to do was help Canadian sports information directors get better.
"To receive an award such as this is so humbling especially when one looks at the list of previous recipients. I never envisioned getting recognized in this manner for what I did," stated Carson.
The retired University of Toronto sports information director will receive the prestigious Mary Jo Haverbeck Trailblazer Award at the College of Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) annual convention in June 2017 in Orlando, Florida. The award is named after Haverbeck, the former award-wining Penn State media relations professional and CoSIDA Hall of Famer, and is awarded annually at CoSIDA's convention to an individual who is a pioneer in the field of sports information and who has mentored and helped improve the level of ethnic and gender diversity within CoSIDA.
A shining example of Carson's mentorship is current manager, events, marketing and sports information at the University of Toronto Mary Beth Challoner. She is a former student assistant of Carson, and is active within the organization.
"Paul Carson is quite easily the sole reason I'm in this business at all," said Challoner. "He hired me as a student-athlete when he was the SID at the University of Toronto. He mentored me, guided me and sent me on my way with a pretty good gig in the Vanier Cup committee office when I graduated.
"His passion to world of sports information and his dedication to communicate, tell the stories and enhance the exposure and experience of intercollegiate student-athletes are beyond reproach, and goes far beyond any words I could use to describe it."
Former CoSIDA President Eric McDowell interacted often with Carson since they met at the 1989 convention.
"Paul Carson is so well deserving of this award," McDowell explained. "I am thrilled for him and looking forward to being there for his special day. Paul became a good friend during our days on the program committee, and along with Jack (Neumann), talked up their colleagues to me about the tremendous talent in our profession which was in Canada. They were instrumental in laying the foundation in getting their colleagues in the then-CIS to attend CoSIDA.
"Paul is an excellent professional who proudly served UT for many years," McDowell concluded. "He also proudly served CoSIDA and his work as a trailblazer in his home country for his beloved profession makes him extremely worthy of receiving CoSIDA's Mary Jo Haverbeck Trailblazer Award."
Carson was honoured with U of T's Thomas R. Loudon Award last year, created by the Athletic Directorate in 1962 to honour outstanding service in the advancement of athletics. Professor Loudon was the inaugural recipient of the award and was closely identified with athletics at the University of Toronto during his lengthy career.
Carson has been associated with the athletics and recreation program at the University of Toronto and the OUA/CIS for more than 50 years.
As a student, he was involved with game operations for men's football and hockey, and refereeing intramural sports. Carson was the scorekeeper at the first Vanier Cup in 1965 and Vanier Cup media officer for 19 years, most recently in 2014. He was media officer for the University Cup for seven years and coordinated sports information for 27 Canadian national university championships hosted by U of T between 1973 and 1996. During his career, he was involved in the operation of more than 100 OUA championship events and in 2001 managed of media services for Canada at the World University Games in Beijing.
Carson caught the sports bug in high school. His mother, the head of the German department at St. Michael's College, would bring home The Varsity every now and then. One day she brought home an issue that had a big article on a tribute night forPhyllis Lea, who was a long time secretary to the director of athletes for the men's athletic association.
"They had a big event for her at a hockey game. The arena was packed and The Varsity had a picture of a full arena celebrating Phyllis Lea. I remember reading it and thinking this was a pretty nifty organization to have a tribute night for a secretary. Not for a coach, not for a director, not a hockey player, but a secretary. This is the kind of organization I might like to get involved in," said Carson.
Carson was already involved in game operations in high school and he had started refereeing house league sports. So, he made his way to U of T, met with Phyllis Lea and was promptly hired based on his experience to work hockey and football games. And then he met Kay Boyd, who was secretary to intramurals, and she hired him to referee football.
He was hooked, but still felt obliged to follow in the path set out by his parents and enrolled in history at U of T, so that he could become a teacher. In first year's geography class, Carson happened to sit next to a group of older students. One of them was Rick Kollins.
"They were all in The Varsity, Rick was sports editor. While the professor was teaching about geography, Rick was regaling us with stories about Varsity athletics. This seemed like a lot of fun and a few years later, I kept remembering the fun Rick and his buddies were having. So, when Rick left and one of his trainees became the sports editor at the Varsity, we both knew each other and I started writing for The Varsity," said Carson.
The rest, as they say, is history.
"I went from helping out at games and refereeing to part time sports information to public affairs and writing about athletics to editor of the athletic's paper to sports information officially, and in the process developed this faith in utilizing students."
Carson is talking about creating jobs for the work study program, potentially his favourite legacy.
"I was known for mentoring students. I was the biggest hirer of students in the faculty," said Carson. "I always felt that if we give students meaningful work, they will come back."
Carson has dedicated himself to four decades of conscientious effort to promote CoSIDA in Canada.
Through his efforts, Canadian SIDs now serve key roles in the college division management group, serve on numerous committees, attend the CoSIDA convention and have their student-athletes recognized with Academic All-District and Academic All-America® honors. His leadership in planning the 2004 CoSIDA Workshop in Calgary was essential in staging the only CoSIDA convention ever to take place outside the continental United States.
Carson also received the CoSIDA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010 and CoSIDA's 25-Year Award for service in 2004.
Carson provided the impetus to have CoSIDA executives meet with the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (now U Sports) national office in Ottawa. The subsequent result was a record turnout of Canadian SIDs at the 2015 Workshop.
Carson has been active member of CoSIDA since 1980. He served on numerous CoSIDA committees, including the convention program, job seekers and former computer technology (now New Media) committees.
In addition to being recognized by CoSIDA, Carson has made his mark in Canada. He received the prestigious the J.P. Loosemore award in 2013. The award is given to an individual who exemplifies the best in university sport in terms of ethics, integrity and honesty in Ontario University Athletics. Paul became the first person from the sports information profession to receive this prestigious award since it was initiated in 1975.
Carson has been associated with the athletics and recreation program at the University of Toronto for over 50 years.
In September 2011, he received a University of Toronto Arbor Award in recognition of his lengthy volunteer service to the University. He is currently the chairperson of the U of T Sports Hall of Fame selection committee.
At U of T, the faculty of kinesiology and physical education has two awards in his honor – the Paul Carson Student Leadership Award and the Paul Carson Intramural Referee of the Year Award. In June 2016, he received the faculty's Thomas R. Loudon award, "presented for outstanding services in the advancement of athletics." In addition, the faculty named the game operations room in Varsity Centre after him in recognition of his service to U of T athletics in July 2010.
Paul and his wife, Dawn Munday, currently reside in London, Ontario.