Release provided courtesy of ECAC-SIDA

EAST STROUDSBURG - The Eastern College Athletics Conference-Sports Information Directors Association (ECAC-SIDA) has selected Al Shrier as recipient the 2009 Pete Nevins Award for Distinguished Achievement. Shrier will be honored during the organization's annual conference in Avalon (N.J.) on Thursday June 4, 2009.

The award is presented to an individual in recognition of his or her advancement of the field of athletic communications and advocacy for intercollegiate athletics. The winner must have served at least 25 years in the sports information field, and be either a current or former member of ECAC-SIDA. The award will be presented at the discretion of the ECAC-SIDA Executive Board, and only one winner can be named per year.

The ECAC-SIDA Executive Board unanimously approved the creation of the Pete Nevins Award for Distinguished Achievement in 2007. That year, Pete Nevins, the long-time sports information director at East Stroudsburg University who was a legend in the industry for over 30 years, passed away.

Shrier is the dean among national college sports information directors with 55 years of service. In 2004, his years of dedication to Temple University were rewarded with the immortalization of his image in his own bobblehead doll to become the first administrator in the history of NCAA athletics to be so honored.

Shrier officially retired from his position as Temple SID on June 30, 1995, but due to necessity, returned to the post during the 1995-96 academic year. He is currently the special assistant to the director of athletics and is in charge of credentials, media services and hospitality at Temple sporting events.

The 1953 Temple grad is a member of the College Sports Information Directors of America, Temple University, Philadelphia Big 5, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fames.

Shrier is past president of the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association and the Media Room at The Liacouras Center is named in his honor. He received the Lew Klein Alumni in the Media Award from the Temple School of Communications.

Now in its 53rd year, the Eastern College Athletic Conference Sports Information Directors Association provides support for the sports information directors of the Eastern College Athletic Conference. Membership in the ECAC-SIDA is open to all sports information directors, conference information directors, public relations directors, athletic communicators and corporations that have a vested interest in the welfare of the organization. Founded in 1955, the ECAC-SIDA is one of the nation's largest sports information director associations, with member colleges and universities ranging from Maine to North Carolina in Divisions I, II, III and all NAIA schools and junior colleges.