Maricopan inducted into sports information hall of fame

Wayne Block caught the sports information bug nearly half a century ago.

Today, as the Maricopa resident nears 70, he prepares to join a unique club of only 200 sports information broadcasters inducted into the College Sports Information Directors of America National Hall of Fame in Orlando, Fla.

“Wayne Block can be described as a true pioneer in the field of sports information,” said long-time friend and colleague Bill Steinman. The former sports information director at Columbia University spearheaded Block’s nomination.

Block bought his Maricopa home in 2008, originally meaning to retire with wife Linda when they became full-time residents in 2011.

But the retirement didn’t stick. After working as a sports reporter for InMaricopa, Block returned to his love of sports information two years ago as sports information director at Mesa Community College.

“I volunteered to help, and wound up working in sports,” Block said. “Since, I’ve spent 37 years working in sports information.”

The career has colored the Block’s lives, filling their evenings with sporting events of every kind. They’ve been in the middle of the action, and Linda has often contributed, announcing and offering play-by-play. Their son Kevin later joined in, proudly helping his dad in the middle of the action at games.

“On our very first date, I was at the 50-yard line, and he was in the press box at Virginia Tech,” Linda Block recalled. “That was before we had computers, so we had to print press releases, dump them in an envelope and drive to make sure it went out in Sunday mail.”

“We keep busy. That’s part of staying young.”

Block has overseen several technological changes in the media industry. From days of personally delivering press releases, he now oversees the digital age.

At MCC, Block led the effort over the last year to live-stream sporting events, and is overseeing improvements to the website. He manages Facebook, Twitter and Intranet postings.

“Wayne has transformed our athletic department in many ways,” said John Mulhern, Mesa Community College’s director of athletics. He added that Block’s accomplishments have led to a rise in followers of the athletic programs that the college has never before experienced.

Block earned his bachelor’s degree in business from Hofstra University in 1966. He got his first taste of the sports industry as a ball boy for the New York Knicks. His first sports information director job was with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, before he moved on to C.W. College, and then became assistant sports information director at Virginia Tech University.

He also has worked at Hampton University where he directed a new sports bureau. While in Virginia, he also worked at local radio stations, before returning to sports information at Christopher Newport University where he worked the next 27 years, until 2010.

In 1974, Block was awarded a CoSIDA Best Special Project award for a recruiting brochure he developed based on Virginia Tech’s prior year championship.

Block considers the late CoSIDA Hall of Fame winner Wendy Weisend his mentor, after working with her at Virginia Tech.***ADVERTISEMENT***

“Wendy truly taught me the vast majority of what I know about sports information … in terms of how a SID should conduct himself and his job,” he said. “It was all about professionalism. I always hoped I could join Wendy in the Hall of Fame.”

 He met his wife Linda at a bowling competition, although neither will admit to whose team won. They’ve been married 42 years.

“My wife has been assisting me for as long as I remember; she is what has made my career possible,” Block said. “What kind of job can you go to games often every weekend?”

He said they love their life in Arizona, where they are preparing for summer pool days without humidity.

“I love the fact that (in Maricopa) I’m away from the hustle and bustle,” Block added. “One thing that is really great about being on the south end, is we are in a fun part of the city.”