DALLAS (NCBWA) Barry Allen, Assistant Director for Media Relations at the University
of Alabama, is the winner of the 33rd annual Wilbur Snypp Award,
presented annually by the National Collegiate Baseball
Writers Association for outstanding contributions to
college baseball.
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Barry Allen |
Allen begins his 24th year in the University of Alabama Athletics
Media Relations Office and his 19th year as a full-time Assistant
Director of Media Relations. Allen is responsible for the overall
publicity plan for one of the SEC's most successful baseball programs.
He oversees the day-to-day media operations for the nationally-ranked
Crimson Tide baseball program and is responsible for producing the
Alabama Baseball Media Guide, game notes, updating statistics and
updating the school's website. Allen also coordinates all interviews
requests for head baseball coach Jim Wells, the Crimson Tide's assistant
coaches and the student-athletes.
"Barry Allen is the heart and soul of college baseball," said
NCBWA executive director Bo Carter. "There is no harder worker in
the business, and his knowledge and love of the game can be seen
at every level."
He has worked closely with the UA baseball program since the
1987 season, where he has worked more than 1,000 games. Allen has
been associated with three College World Series teams (1996, 1997
and 1999), two SEC Championships (1996 and 2006) and six SEC Tournament
Championships (1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002 and 2003) during his
baseball tenure. He has also worked 16 SEC Tournaments and 12 NCAA
Regionals and served as the NCAA Regional Media Coordinator for
the 1996 NCAA South II Regional, the 1997 NCAA South Regional, the
1999 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional and Super Regional, the 2002 NCAA
Tuscaloosa Regional and 2006 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional and Super
Regional.
"Barry is most deserving of this award, said NCBWA Associate
Executive Director Russell Anderson. "He does an outstanding job
of promoting not only Alabama Baseball, but the entire sport of
college baseball."
In 2006, Allen teamed with Greg Seitz, the Media Relations Director
at Jacksonville (Ala.) State University, to form the inaugural Alabama
Baseball Media Day, sponsored by the Alabama Sportswriters Association.
Allen and Seitz coordinated with all 17 Division I and Division
II schools in the state of Alabama for a statewide baseball media
day held at Regions Park in Hoover, Ala., site of the annual SEC
Baseball Tournament. The head coach and two players from all 18
schools attended the one-day event, which also featured lunch and
a keynote speaker for the highly successful event.
Allen has been associated with the National Collegiate Baseball
Writers Association (NCBWA) since the 1998-99 school year, where
he has served as Second Vice President (1999), First Vice President
(2000) and President (2001). He currently serves on the NCBWA Board
of Directors and works closely with the organization's preseason
and post-season All-America teams as well as the Dick Howser Trophy,
presented to the collegiate baseball player of the year.
"This is a great honor. I have a deep passion for college baseball
and have developed some real friendships over the past 20 years
in covering this great sport, Allen said. The opportunity to work
with many great coaches and student-athletes and to get to know
each of them and their families has been very rewarding. It has
also be an honor to be associated with the NCBWA and the great work
this organization does to promote out national pastime. We have
a great leadership in the NCBWA and a strong membership, too. I'd
like thank everyone involved for allowing me to play a small role
in this organization and to once again say how grateful I am to
be recognized in this way."
Allen attended the University of Alabama, where he earned his
bachelor's degree in Telecommunication and Film in 1989. As a student,
he worked in the school's Media Relations Office, where he worked
with the UA baseball team and track and field teams. He also worked
a public address announcer for the Alabama women's basketball and
gymnastics and served as the official scorekeeper and public address
announcer for the state high school basketball tournament, played
annually at Memorial/Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa. He also worked
part-time at WNPT Radio in Tuscaloosa, where he hosted a high school
football pregame and post-game scoreboard show and worked as play-by-play
announcer for various American Legion baseball teams.
A native of Anniston, Ala., Allen attended Saks High School,
where he served as head football manager and head baseball manager
during his career. He was also the assistant sports editor for the
school newspaper and yearbook.
Allen is also involved with several charitable organizations,
including Children's Hospital, United Cerebral Palsy and the American
Cancer Society.
Allen is married to the former Carla McLendon and the couple
has two daughters, Elle (April 18, 2001) and Annie (April 9, 2003).
Allen is an avid baseball fan and sports memorabilia collector.
His travels have taken him to more than 300 professional and collegiate
baseball stadiums over the last two decades. Allen also collects
baseball and football Hall of Fame autographs as well as Heisman
Trophy winners.
The Alabama veteran follows a long line of illustrious persons
in gaining the award, given in memory of longtime Ohio State Sports
Information Director and NCBWA founder, the late Wilbur (Bill) Snypp,
since 1975. Snypp was a noted contributor to the writers' organization,
which was initiated in 1962 (and celebrating its 46th year in 2007),
as well as an officer in the group. The NCBWA/Wilbur Snypp Award
annually honors a professional for contributions to the sport of
collegiate baseball. Voting is done by a panel of previous winners,
who include past NCAA World Series directors, College Sports Information
Directors of America Hall of Fame members, decorated media members
and others.
ALL-TIME WILBUR SNYPP AWARD
WINNERS |
1975 Wilbur
Snypp, Ohio State 1976 Bill Esposito, St. John's 1977 Phil Langan,
Cornell 1978 John Geis, Southern Conference 1979 Hank Schomber, Georgia
Southern 1980 Bob Culp, Western Michigan 1981 Lou Pavlovich Sr., Collegiate
Baseball 1982 Tom Price, South Carolina 1983 Bob Bradley, Clemson
1984 Robert Williams, Omaha World-Herald 1985 Jerry Miles, NCAA 1986
Larry Keefe, Seton Hall 1987 Tom Rowen, San Jose Mercury-News 1988
Fred Gerardi, KESY Radio, Omaha 1989 Jim Wright, NCAA 1990 Steve Weller,
SIU-Edwardsville 1991 Bill Little, Texas 1992 Kirk Bohls,
Austin American-Statesman 1993 Bo Carter, Southwest Conference 1994 Lou Pavlovich
Jr., Collegiate Baseball 1995 Steve Pivovar, Omaha World-Herald 1996
Gary Johnson, NCAA |
1997 Dave Wohlhueter, Cornell 1998 Allen Simpson,
Baseball America 1999 Alan Cannon, Texas A&M 2000 Jim
Callis, Baseball America 2001
Dick Case, USA Baseball 2002
Russ Anderson, Conference USA
2003 John Manuel, Baseball America
2004 Dana Heiss Grodin, USA Today
Sports Weekly 2005 Dennis
Poppe, NCAA 2006 Mike Montoro,
Southern Miss 2007 Barry
Allen, Alabama 2008 Mike
Patrick, ESPN 2009 Al Chase,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin 2010
Lou Spry, NCAA 2011 Jeremy
Mills, ESPN/D1Baseball.com
2012 Eric Olson, Omaha World Herald
2013 J.D. Hamilton, NCAA
2014 John Sullivan, Rice
2015 David Feaster, Dick Howser Trophy
2016 Ralph Zobell, BYU
2017 Aaron Fitt, D1Baseball.com |
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