5 Questions with University Sports Information Director and Alum Luke Reid

The Chico State Sports Information Department is a busy one, churning out 665 pieces of content last year, including event coverage, press releases, and student-athlete profiles for the University’s 13 intercollegiate sports. This month, the writing efforts of Sports Information Director (SID) Luke Reid (History, ’04; MA, Kinesiology, ’09) were recognized by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). In the 2021–22 CoSIDA Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest, Reid’s work captured the best “Event Coverage” honor in District 8 (which includes all collegiate SIDs in the West region). “’Cats navigate carnage to capture 8th place” chronicled the Chico State men’s cross country team’s finish at last fall’s NCAA Division II National Championships. In typical Reid style, it’s rich with captivating details, personality-filled quotes, and impressive stats. After more than 20 years with Wildcat Athletics, there’s little he doesn’t know about the nuances of each sport or its student-athletes. When he’s not scribbling notes in the stands of Acker Gymnasium, on the road with our Wildcats, or cheering on his children at their Little League games, you can find Reid studying toward his Master of Marriage and Family Therapy from Northcentral University.

“I have personally benefited hugely from therapy and marriage and family therapy, and it’s something that keeps coming up as I’ve thought over the years about what else I might do in my life,” said Reid. “When I’m finished with the program, and if I want to transition, I can. If I’m happy to continue doing what I’m doing now, I’ll stick with it.”

What role does an SID play at the college or university?

I see my role as giving folks more reasons to be proud about being a Chico State student, a Chico State student-athlete, a Chico State grad, an alum, or a stakeholder of any kind. I think there’s so much to be proud about this University, and athletics is an obvious place that gets some eyes. We see ourselves as the front door for a lot of folks in the community, so it’s an opportunity to brag about what happens with our Athletics department. It’s also about sharing the student-athlete experience, and being a historian, in a way. One thing I often think about when I’m writing a story is this student’s mother, father, grandma, or grandpa may print this thing out and put it in a scrapbook for them, so it’s something that they can look back on 30 years down the line and tell their kids or their nieces and nephews about and show them, “Hey, I played baseball at Chico State.”

What are the ingredients for a strong piece of event coverage?

Finding a way to get deeper than just the words, to make somebody feel something beyond just reading the story, and being able to somehow engage the senses. The idea of “show, don’t tell,” is something I think about a lot. I’m passionate about the stuff I write about, and if I allow myself a little extra time for what I think is a special event or a special story, that helps a lot. For the award-winning story, it was the national championships for cross country. It was a brutally hot day out there and I was able to watch the video stream and was taken by what I was seeing play out. Some great quotes from coach Gary Towne really helped tell the story and also the perspective of our student-athletes. I’m excited that a story about cross country was recognized. It’s one of those things where I work hard to try to give that program the justice it deserves because of the amazing accomplishments they have year after year after year and the effort that those student-athletes put in.

What are the rewards and challenges of your job?

The best parts of it for me are watching our teams compete and getting a chance to write about and share that with the world as best as I can. The technological aspect is a big thing that’s changed and has been a challenge for me. When I took over this position, we’d get into the office on Monday and write about what happened over the weekend. Producing game-day content was one of the first things I changed. That grew into new technology and social media, and then we added things like video, audio, podcasts, and photography. My work has gone from being a one-person shop to being two people who are working their tails off to try to keep up.

What are some of your most memorable moments?

My most memorable experience was way back in 2003 when I traveled with the men’s soccer team to the national championships in Virginia Beach, Virginia. I had never experienced anything like that before. I was one of the drivers, we played OutKast’s record everywhere we went, and I got to know that team really well. The road to the national championships was the first time I had experienced one of our teams winning the NCAA West Regional and then going to the Final Four. There was a moment when we were at Dominguez Hills playing in the West Regional championship match. When we scored the winning goal, our coach at the time, Mike O’Malley, sprinted right to me and leaped into my arms. And then there are the times when you’re at the end of the season and you have an opportunity to share with those student-athletes how much it’s meant to watch them grow and evolve as student-athletes and people and how proud the University and the community are of them and what they’ve accomplished.

What does it mean for you to cover your hometown university’s athletics?

I love Chico. And I think the University is a huge reason why Chico is as special as it is. The culture it brings and the arts, the music, and the youth and energy that this University brings to the community makes it a really special place. I feel really fortunate to have a job where I’m able to meld those things together and share some of the special things about Chico State. I started working in the Sports Information Department as a student in 2000 and just received my 15-year pin as SID. I’ve never lived more than a mile from my office. I can walk to work whenever I want to. It’s a special thing for me. I don’t know why, but it just is.