Mickey Furfari
For the Daily Mail
Thursday June 01, 2006
http://www.dailymail.com/news/Sports/2006060136/
MORGANTOWN -- Shelly Poe, West Virginia University's veteran sports information director, has been selected to the College Sports Information Directors Hall of Fame.
She will be formally inducted on July 5 at the national organization's annual convention in Nashville, Tenn.
Poe is only the second WVU graduate, fourth Big East representative and fifth woman to be named to the CoSIDA Hall of Fame, which was founded in 1969.
"I am very surprised," Poe said Wednesday. "I am very humbled because I'm joining so many great sports publicists of years past. It is amazing to me that I'd be considered by anybody for such a tremendous honor. But it's very exciting.
"My whole family is excited."
A graduate of University High in Morgantown, Poe is an author of four books. She was recognized in this year's National Merit Scholars annual report as one of the program's outstanding alumni.
She is the daughter of Ned and Judy Poe of Monumental, in Marion County.
Poe has served in WVU's sports information office since a student from 1981-85. After graduating magna *** laude with a bachelor's degree in journalism, she took an assistant's role and then became the SID in 1988.
At age 23, Poe was the only female sports publicity director in the nation at an NCAA Division I football school.
It was a most memorable first year as SID for her. WVU enjoyed its first undefeated football season and played in a national championship game. She also publicized the school's nationally ranked basketball team that held the nation's longest winning streak (22 games) and earned an NCAA Tournament berth.
During her tenure, Poe has been involved in churning out publicity for every varsity sport -- not just football and basketball. She currently concentrates mostly on football.
"I enjoy very much working with that program," Poe said. "Coach Rich Rodriguez treats everybody equal, and I like working with the players.
"Of course, I also enjoyed working with coaches (Don) Nehlen and (Gale) Catlett while they were here. That was very special. I also liked working with coaches Kittie Blakemore, Linda Burdette and in baseball the late Dale Ramsburg, among others. Those were the people that took an interest in me first."
Catlett, reached at his home, had this to say about Poe: "Shelly is one of the nicest people I've ever met. She's a wonderful person, always tremendously cooperative and always available to help. She's unpretentious, easy to talk to, and a very loyal person. No one could be more deserving."
Michael Fragale, WVU's broadcast/advertising manager, said her innovations in publicizing Mountaineer football to TV networks have earned her praise and acclaim from network announcers and producers nationwide.
"Those have changed the way SIDs help prepare a television broadcast team for a game," he noted.
