Jeff Hodges, sports information director for the Athletics Department, has been working at his alma mater for 31 years. During his time here he has facilitated all elements of media relations and promotions for the Athletics Department.

In recognition for how well Hodges has done he was inducted into the College Sports Information Directors of America’s Hall of Fame, said Shane Herrmann, assistant sports information director.

“He got inducted in 1997, and at the time, he was the youngest person ever to be inducted,” Herrmann said. “He’s the secretary of that organization so he serves on the committee, and he’s well-respected across the country.”

Being inducted into the COSIDA Hall of Fame was an interesting experience, Hodges said.

“It was strange for me, because at that point I had only been in the profession for 14 years and I had always thought of a hall of fame as sort of an end-of-your-career thing,” Hodges said. “I was 36 and I thought, ‘What do I do now?’”

In 2013 Hodges was also inducted into the UNA Sports Hall of Fame, which he created, said Todd Vardaman, assistant athletic director of compliance.

“Jeff created it to recognize people who had an outstanding career, an impact during their time at UNA and who continue to advocate for the university,” Vardaman said. “He fits all those criteria. He should have been in it a long time ago, but he finally allowed himself to be on the ballot and obviously was voted in.”

The Harlan Hill Trophy, which is similar to the Heisman Trophy for Division II athletics, was also created by Hodges, Vardaman said.

“He created the trophy as a way to acknowledge Division II student athletes in conjunction with the university and the community championship game,” he said. “A lot of it has to do with Jeff’s work ethic. He’s always looking for a way to recognize student athletes and their accomplishments.”

Hodges has also had the opportunity to work with the media relations side of the Olympics on many occasions, including the 1994 Winter Olympics, he said.

“When the 1994 Winter Olympics came along they asked me to go work in Lillehammer, Norway with the U.S. Team, and I was responsible for the biathlon cross country skiing teams,” Hodges said. “I was actually a member of the U.S. Olympic team and got to open ceremonies and things. It was the exact same thing I do every day, but on a much larger scale.”

As the sports information director, Hodges has had to deal with negative press for the Athletics Department as well as positive, said Mark Linder, director of athletics.

“In my seven years here, Jeff has been really involved in a few of the situations where a student athlete makes a bad decision off the playing field,” Linder said. “Obviously we have to look at all the information around the case and come up with the best decision for the university. I rely heavily on Jeff’s expertise and this wisdom to make sure we make the right decisions.”

Hodges’ personality is a big reason for his success, Linder said.

“I think the best thing you can say about a person is talk about their character and integrity,” Linder said. “Personally, Jeff is a man of character and a really great person. He’s a great sports information director and he’s a great assistant director for communications, but he’s an even better person.”