New sports information assistant director links fans with media

The athletic department has faced many changes over the last two years and the latest change came in the form of new Assistant Athletic Director for Communications and Media.

Starting fresh at the beginning of July, Bryan McEldowney recognized right away NKU is a special place.

“When I moved to the [Northern Kentucky area] in 2005 I frequently made a trip into Cold Springs to visit a friend,” McEldowney said. “With each trip, I passed NKU and saw that there was always something different about the university. I never paid much attention, but I knew it had a special buzz.”

Nine years later McEldowney calls NKU home. He said he has high standards for NKU’s athletic program, comparing it to that of Xavier University where he served in a similar position.

“I only know Division I and that’s how I’m going to treat NKU,” McEldowney said.

McEldowney is responsible for handling all of the media and public relations for the athletic department, wjich includes running the NKU Norse website, issuing press releases and working with the Information Technology department to stream team sports. He plans to broaden the media exposure for each sport.

This media exposure includes more detailed pre- and post-game news conferences, packaged video highlights of the different sports teams to recognize their extraordinary accomplishments, and a current upgrade in video quality and broadcasting.

Early on McEldowney developed a vision for NKU, one in which he intends to involve NKU’s student body as well as the athletes.

“NKU had a rich tradition in Division II that led to a lot of great things for the program,” McEldowney said. “Walk around this campus and pay attention to how many students are wearing their Norse gear. Commuter student or not, there are tons of people in the NKU community. It’s not just the campus, it’s the community.”

The amplified media exposure for athletics has had a major impact on students like junior sports business major Jalan Nored.

“The biggest impact of all this will benefit the fan’s perspective,” Nored said. “Teams in the spotlight get support, support from the community and the school.  For some reason it changes the attitude of the game to something that really matters.”

“There’s no reason why NKU can’t start competing for conference championships, and at some point in the near future, national championships,” McEldowney said confidently. “We are located in an area rich with talent and have several programs that are up and coming.”

Athletic Director Ken Bothof looks forward to the changes McEldowney will bring to the program.

“Overall I’m excited about the leadership he is going to bring,” Bothof said.  “He has a good understanding of the Cincinnati area and knows the importance of coaches and players communicating with the media.  His past experience at Xavier is definitely going to help him here.”

With McEldowney helping to steer the athletics programs in a new direction, NKU is ready to face an extremely bright future.