CU's Plati To Be Inducted Into CoSIDA Hall Of Fame

BOULDER — Sports writers love to write about "coaching trees," those family trees in the sports world that trace the lineage of a long list of coaches back to a single source or mentor.

Similar connections exist in the world of sports information — and one of the most prolific "SID trees" in the nation over the last several decades has been the University of Colorado's Sports Information Department, where current SID David Plati has been the department director for 35 years.

That tree is just one of the many reasons Plati has been selected for induction into the College Sports Information Directors of America Hall of Fame on June 10 at the annual CoSIDA convention in Orlando, Fla. Plati is one of six SIDs from across the nation who will be inducted, according to a press release issued Monday.

Plati, a 1982 Colorado graduate, has worked in the CU Sports Information Department for 41 years, learning under some of the best in the business in his early years, including Fred Casotti, Mike Moran and Tim Simmons at CU and Jim Saccomano at the Denver Broncos.

But since being named CU's 13th full-time sports information director on July 24, 1984, Plati has been the driving force behind more than 100 aspiring students moving on to full-time careers in the business.

"It's obviously a very humbling honor to be selected for induction in the hall of fame of your profession," said Plati, who earlier this year was also honored with the Football Writers Association of America's Lifetime Achievement Award. "No doubt, there are a lot of great SIDs around the country who are worthy of induction, and just to be considered is an honor. But the thing I'm most proud of in my career is the number of students who have worked for us that we have put into the profession. It's easily over 100, if not more. A lot of them have gone on to have great careers in the pros and colleges and I think that speaks to the work we have done over the years."

The Colorado SID tree has spread its branches throughout the nation.

"Dave Plati gave me my start in the sports information field over 30 years ago, and for that I will be forever indebted," said Steve Fink, currently the Assistant AD/Communications at South Carolina. "He is one of the hardest working individuals I have ever known and his passion and love for the Buffs is unmatched. His unique and creative mind, along with his penchant for numbers, trivia and pop culture, is unrivaled in the field."

During his career, Plati has worked for six athletic directors, nine head football coaches and seven men's basketball coaches. He has overseen national championship seasons in four sports, and has shepherded the campaigns for a long list of national award winners, including a Heisman Trophy, two Thorpe awards, two Butkus awards, a Mackey winner and literally dozens of All-Americans in a variety of sports.

Along the way, he earned the highest level of respect from the student-athletes and coaches he has served, as well as members of the media from across the nation.

"When you think of Dave, the song 'Nobody Does it Better' comes to mind," former CU football coach Gary Barnett said. "That is simply true. Everyone who ever received a national or league award over all these years has Dave Plati to thank. He emerged early on as a force in his business and established himself as one of the very best."

Through the years, CU's sports information office has regularly been recognized as one of the nation's best under Plati's guidance. The FWAA has recognized CU's sports information office eight times during his tenure: three times for an outstanding press box operation (1987, 1992, 1997), and five times with the FWAA's Super 11 award (2010, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017), for all-encompassing efforts with the nation's football media.

"David is very deserving of this honor," CU Athletic Director Rick George said. "I'm very happy for him and proud of the way he has represented the university over the past 40

years. He has played a big role in this department for many, many years and has obviously been outstanding at his job."

In his four decades in the department, Plati has worked with virtually every CU sport in one capacity or another. Now, while his primary responsibilities are with the football and men's golf programs, he also oversees the sports information efforts for all sports. He has worked or covered more than 2,150 CU events, including 466 football games, a stretch that saw him attend 410 consecutive football games.

His expertise has also been utilized by other entities outside the direct circle of the Buffaloes. He worked five BCS National Championship games (2002-06-09-10-13 seasons), all five College Football Playoff title games (2014-15-16-17-18 seasons), eight Rose and two Fiesta bowls for a grand total of 43 postseason bowl games (including CU's 19 bowl appearances).

The result has been a sterling reputation from coast to coast, as he has left a lasting impression on CU coaches and student-athletes as well as members of the media.

"He is Colorado," said former CU coach Dan Hawkins. "Administrators, coaches, professors, students — they all come and go. But Dave has been there longer than them all. He is an institution. He is so passionate about Colorado and dedicated to his work. He's a grinder. He gets the job done and he does it with professionalism and excellence."

Former student-athletes still remember Plati's assistance in not only garnering national attention and honors, but also as a mentor in helping them navigate their media responsibilities.

"Dave was an incredible resource during my time at CU," said former CU All-American and Butkus Award winner Matt Russell. "The exposure he generated for all of us and our teams, spearheading our award campaigns and highlighting our achievements, was second to none. He was a friend and mentor to me and my teammates, an advocate and a voice in our ear helping us to manage the spotlight. He always made sure we represented ourselves and our school in a positive way as student-athletes."

Plati will join three previous Colorado SID's who have previously been inducted into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame, the late Fred Casotti (1996), Mike Moran (2002) and Steve Hatchell (2018). Casotti spent 50 years working in the CU athletic department, 16 as an SID (1952-68); Moran followed Casotti (1968-79) and went on to the work in PR and communications for the U.S. Olympic Committee for a quarter century. Hatchell worked at Colorado in the 1970s and is now the president and CEO of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.

Plati will be part of a six-member inductee class.

"I'm honored to be included in such an accomplished group," Plati said. "I've worked with most of these people over my career, and every one of them is no doubt well-deserving of the honor."

Other inductees in the 2019 class:

Jeff Bernstein – New York University (NYU), Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information

Dave Lohse – University of North Carolina, Associate Athletic Communications Director

John Paquette – Big East Conference, Senior Associate Commissioner, Sports Media Relations

Maxey Parrish – Baylor University (retired), Former Director of Internet Operations and Sports Information

Mark Stillwell – Missouri State University (retired), Former Assistant Director of Athletics/Sports Information Director

What others said about David Plati:

"There's three words that jump in my mind when I think of Dave Plati. Wholehearted, genuine and thorough. He's all-in. You know the expression, all-in or nothing at all — he's all-in. Every day he hits the ground running and gets the job done. He's very experienced and savvy in his job — and he's a Buff through and through. With me, he was always respectful, honoring, genuine and helpful. I trusted him, and that's important for a head coach. I'm proud to be his friend and glad to have had that experience with him.He's authentic. He's trustworthy, the kind of guy you knew that he was always trying to what was best for CU. That was always his primary concern." — Former CU head football coach Bill McCartney

"I knew from the first moment I met Dave that he was special. He loved what he was doing and he was good at it. It just came naturally for him. He was extremely loyal and remains that way today." — Former CU and CSU SID Tim Simmons

"David Plati is one of a kind. The media appreciates Dave for his talents, creativity and detail. But I don't think they and even many at CU understand how hard he works and how dedicated he is. He is always working." — Former Denver Bronco PR Director Jim Saccomano

"Dave likes to run his press box by FWAA rules — to the letter. That obviously means no cheering in the box; it also means no snickering at an inappropriate time (if either team does anything snicker-worthy); no loud chatter after a TD, a flag, a long play, etc. Dave wants professionalism from his staff, his student assistants and press box patrons. Tight ship, in other words. All that said, don't get the idea it's a prison ship. Dave likes an enjoyable, cordial environment, but keeps it professional." — Former Rocky Mountain News writer B. G. Brooks

"In my years covering intercollegiate athletics I've leaned on guys like Dave Plati for my storytelling. My stories are always better when in Colorado. Dave's a true original." — Tim Brando, National Sports Commentator for Fox Sports

"The University of Colorado has a tradition of outstanding Sports Information Directors. Dave Plati has carried on that tradition, brilliantly, for the past 35 years. He is an institutional within an institution and the University has been fortunate to have him as a member of the family." — Bill Marolt, 1964 Winter Olympian, CU Athletic Director from 1984-96, President and CEO of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association 1996-2014

"I've had the good fortune to know and work with Dave for many years and can easily say this honor is long past due. Suffice it to say, I've always had a great respect for Dave because of his commitment to executing the fundamentals of our profession without compromise and also because of his unbending loyalty to the University of Colorado. Without question, he's one of the most hard working and creative SID's I've ever encountered. This honor speaks volumes about his long and successful career in the profession. No one is more deserving of a place in the CoSIDA Hall of Fame than Dave Plati." — Former Kansas SID and current CoSIDA executive director Doug Vance

"Dave is truly one of a kind in his profession. Not only does he have a passion for college sports, he wants what's best for both the media and student athletes. He helps prepare student athletes for the professional life of dealing with an ever-expanding and demanding media, ad encourages them to share stories unique to who they are and how they arrived at CU. His is honest and he is genuine — traits we all should strive for." — National writer Matt Hayes

"Dave Plati has set a very high bar for professionalism and excellence in his field. I have him on my very-short Mt. Rushmore list of sports information directors, from a bygone era, who have bridged the gap from old-school to space age without losing a step. Coaches and athletic directors have come and gone in Boulder. It is Plati who has remained the department stabilizer, in good times and bad. Think, in his tenure, of all the jubilant and turbulent stories he has had to manage. Dave has been a fair broker with the media, understanding our jobs are different than his job. From our end, he also runs a lean, mean, no-nonsense and professional working press box. On top of that, he is a talented, versatile, funny editor and writer who (arguably) produces the best game notes packages in the country." — Former Los Angeles Times and current national writer Chris Dufresne