Geoff Hassard, who has spent three decades working in college athletics at WPI, SUNY Oneonta and New England College, is the 2026 recipient of the Pete Nevins Award for Distinguished Achievement.
 



The Pete Nevins 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 EAST-COMM. The award will be presented at the discretion of the EAST-COMM Executive Board, and only one winner can be named per year.
 


Hassard received EAST-COMM's Irving T. Marsh Award for excellence in the field of athletic communications in 2014. He served on the executive boards of both EAST-COMM and CoSIDA and was the president of EAST-COMM in 2012-13.
 


Hassard began his career in college athletics as a graduate student at Springfield College before becoming the Director of Sports Information at WPI in 1994. He spent five years with the Engineers before moving to SUNY Oneonta, where he spent 23 years as Sports Information Director and later Assistant Athletic Director. Hassard retried from Oneonta in July 2022 and returned to college athletics a little over a year later as Assistant Athletic Director.
 


Let's get to know the 2026 Pete Nevins Award winner Geoff Hassard.
 


EC: What does it mean to receive this award, named in honor of Pete Nevins?
GH: It certainly is humbling, especially because I knew Pete.  He was one of those "guys" that younger professionals just entering the business wanted to listen to.  It's an honor to be recognized.
 


EC: How did you get into sports information/athletic communications?
GH: My first experience was at Springfield College as a graduate assistant for Sports Information Director Ken Cerino.  I was fortunate to be introduced to the profession by one of the legends.  I was then fortunate to volunteer for another legend Roger Crosley, who was at MIT at the time when I was coaching women's basketball.  I would consider Roger the most responsible for me being where I am today in athletics.  His mentorship was invaluable.  I learned so much about what it means to be successful in college athletics.  I will never be able to thank him enough.
 


EC: What has kept you in college athletics for three decades?
GH: Wow, three decades?  I am old…LOL.  Because I have had the opportunity to meet, work and talk with some of the greatest individuals in college athletics, I felt a sense of obligation to maintain the level of excellence that they established.  It's a passion that gets you up every day to make an impact.  Has it been without challenges?  No, but it's how you meet those challenges that determines how long you will last in the business.  I have never felt any amount of angst when stepping into my office in 30 years.
 


EC: When you retired from SUNY Oneonta in 2022, the department honored you with "The Geoff Hassard Commitment Award". What did that mean to you?
GH: It's really a strange feeling especially because awards are usually named after someone when they pass.  You never really know if what you do matters, but when Oneonta named an award after me, it was affirmation that I made an impact.  I told the athletic director that if I am upright, I will be there to present the award.  I feel that it's important to be there.  I want the student athletes to know how much it means to me to present the award and be connected.
 


EC: What are some of your favorite moments or memories from your career in athletics?
GH: I look at my time in athletics as a movie where I had a front row seat to some of the greatest moments in the history of Oneonta.  Watching the student athletes compete and celebrating their victories is what it was all about for me.  Many All-Conference, All-Americans and National Champions.  I was blessed!
 


EC: What advice do you have for newcomers to the field of athletic communications?
GH: You have to bring passion every day.  If you are "bringing it", I feel that others will rally around you to make things happen.  Be authentic.  Everyone can see a fake from a distance.  Be true to yourself and don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone.  Build a support system in and out of the profession.  Perspective is a good thing and being able to talk to others about challenges allows you to think about solutions to problems.  Be as proactive as you can.  The more prepared you are, the better you can handle situations that arise at the last minute.
 


EC: If you could go back and give your younger self some advice, what would it be?
GH: Great question.  My younger self is a long time ago…LOL.  I guess, figure it out sooner.  I kind of hung out for three years after High School not being very productive.
 

EC: What things or activities do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
GH: Spare time?  That's a novel concept.  I trained and ran in marathons for about 15 years.  My last marathon was in Boston in 2008.  A partial tear in my meniscus derailed my continuation to train, so I do a lot of walking.  I am still the Chair of the Oneonta Athletic Hall of Fame committee, and I still update their records, so that's some of my spare time.  My wife and I are empty nesters, so being able to spend more time with her now has been awesome!