CMU's Dave Jahnke Receives His First J.W. Campbell/Con Marshall SID of the Year Award
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Colorado Mesa University’s (CMU) Dave Jahnke earns the 2017-18 J.W. Campbell/Con Marshall Sports Information Director of the Year award, announced by the conference office on Wednesday.
The award is voted on by the conference’s 15 sports information directors (SID). Each SID provides their top three choices for the award and cannot vote for themselves.
“I am extremely humbled to receive the award,” stated Jahnke. “There are so many great sports information directors in the RMAC and to be selected by my peers for this award truly is an honor.”
The award is named after two RMAC Hall of Fame sports information directors. J.W. Campbell was a long-time SID at Western State Colorado University (WSCU). He was also the assistant to the Western President, an assistant professor teaching seven separate disciplines and was the school’s information director. Campbell also co-authored two books and wrote numerous articles for magazines and trade publications. He passed away in March 2000 and was inducted into the RMAC Hall of Fame in July 2007.
Con Marshall spent 36 years as a sports information director at Chadron State College (CSC). He was inducted into the RMAC Hall of Fame on July 11, 2014. A native of Chadron, Nebraska and a CSC graduate, Marshall’s name was added to the award in 2007. He has received a 25-year award from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and served on the Harlon Hill Award Selection Committee. Marshall is currently the Information Services Officer for Chadron State, but still dedicates his time and resources to the sports information department whenever possible.
In this year's vote, CSU-Pueblo's Dax Larson finished second and last year's award winner, Tim Flynn of Colorado School of Mines finished third.
Dave Jahnke has been instrumental in the success of Colorado Mesa’s Athletic Department for the past 10 years (Fall 2008). In 2011-12 he was promoted to a full-time position with the Mavs and since then, Dave has taken on numerous committee roles including serving as a member on the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Regional Committee (2014-present), NCBWA National Committee (2016 and 2017), and the Colorado Mesa Hall of Honor Committee (2013-present). He has been a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) member since joining the field in 2008 and was a Tino Martinez Award (Division II National Player of the Year) voter from 2013-2016.
“Dave Jahnke is very deserving of this award,” commented CMU Co-Athletic Directors Kris Mort and Bryan Rooks. “We are both proud and humbled for Dave to be esteemed as the best in his class among the Sports Information Directors in the RMAC in 2017-18. This nomination and selection by his peers across the RMAC is a testament to his work ethic, knowledge, and commitment to our student-athletes and Colorado Mesa University.”
In his seventh year with the Mavericks, Dave is the primary contact for football, men’s and women’s cross country, women’s basketball, wrestling, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s golf and baseball.
He has been the host SID for six RMAC Baseball Tournaments where the Mavericks won five of those tournament titles. He reported for the Mavericks’ 2014 National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division II Baseball Runners-Up team and was the contact during the Mavs’ two College World Series (CWS) appearances. Dave also led the redesign of the cmumavericks.com website, which launched earlier this year.
“I want to thank President Tim Foster and Co-Athletic Directors Bryan Rooks and Kris Mort, our great coaches at Colorado Mesa, and the great staff I had to work with this year,” said Jahnke. “It would be hard for me to not give a special thank you to former J.W. Campbell/Con Marshall award winner Chris Day for his guidance and help this year in the office.”
Dave will be recognized at the 2018 RMAC Hall of Fame and Awards Banquet on Friday, July 13 at the Colorado Springs Marriott Hotel. To purchase tickets online and for more information regarding the event, visit the
RMAC Hall of Fame page.
PAST RECIPIENTS OF THE J.W. CAMPBELL/CON MARSHALL AWARD
2017-18: Dave Jahnke, Colorado Mesa
2016-17: Tim Flynn, Colorado School of Mines
2015-16: Jared Verner, UCCS
2014-15: Andy Schlichting, MSU Denver
2013-14: Alex Helmbrecht, Chadron State
2012-13: Colin Bonnicksen, Colorado School of Mines
2011-12: Anthony Sandstrom, CSU-Pueblo
2010-11: Andy Schlichting, Metro State
2009-10: Peter Yazvac, Nebraska-Kearney
2008-09: Jeff Duggan, Colorado School of Mines
2007-08: Chris Day, Adams State College
2006-07: Doug Fitzgerald, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
2005-06: Peter Yazvac, Nebraska-Kearney & Chris Day, Adams State College
2004-05: Jason McCullough, Fort Hays State
2003-04: Greg Murphy, Colorado School of Mines
2002-03: Jeff Duggan, Regis University
2001-02: Chris Day, Adams State College