League Honors Sgalio With Distinguished Service Award
At the recent Big Sky Conference Summer Kickoff in Park City, Utah, the league awarded Arnie Sgalio with the first "Big Sky Conference Distinguished Service Award.''
Sgalio served in the Big Sky Conference office from 1979-1995 as an information director and an assistant commissioner. During his time at the Big Sky, he also served as the President of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSida).
A native of New Jersey, Sgalio graduated in 1975 from the University of Wyoming, where he played football for one season and earned three letters as a track and field athlete.
Prior to joining the Big Sky, Sgalio served the sports information director at Montana State for two-and-a-half years. After leaving the Big Sky, Sgalio worked at ESPN Regional Television in Charlotte, N.C. The recently-retired Sgalio and his wife Teresa both attended the Big Sky Summer Kickoff in Park City, where he was honored.
Former colleagues Glenn Alford (Idaho State), Max Corbet (Boise State), Dave Mendiola (Boise State) and Brad Larsen (Weber State) also attended the ceremony, along with current Big Sky SIDs (Dave Cook, Eastern Washington, Dave Guffey, Montana, and Bill Lamberty, Montana State), who also worked with Sgalio.
Assistant Commissioner for Media Relations Jon Kasper spent some time reminiscing with Sgalio in Park City:
Q: You spent 16 years at the Big Sky Conference office. What did the league mean to you?
A: Well, it meant a lot because of the people. You had different institutions, a lot of diversity and viewpoints, and most everyone working for a common good. It wasn't always smooth. People cared about being the best they could. It was fantastic to work together with administrators that wanted the best, but understood how they fit. I was always fiercely proud of what we were able to accomplish from 1979 to 1995 in the Big Sky. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with extremely talented people. Thanks to former Commissioners Steve Belko who hired me and Ron Stephenson who I worked with the majority of my tenure at the league headquarters.
Q: Have you followed the league and all of the changes since you left nearly 20 years ago?
A: I have. I've done that from a distance, but yes, especially on the football side. I've admired how that's been maintained. I look back at 1978 when then I-AA football (now FCS) started and the Big Sky was always at the forefront. I'm so pleased that has been maintained over these many years. I don't think there is any argument from my view. The Big Sky is the best conference in the FCS.
Q: You are from New Jersey, how did you end up working at the Big Sky office in Boise, Idaho?
A: I went to Wyoming and played football for a year. I was on a track scholarship, competing in the shot put, discus and hammer. Upon graduation got a job in radio in Cheyenne. Kevin McKinney was one of my mentors at Wyoming as was Bill Young. Then, I ended up at KULR-TV in Billings, Montana, for a year as the sports director. My big break came when then Bobcat AD Tom Parac and former SID news bureau director Ken Nicholson hired a 22-year-old sports information director in 1976 in Bozeman. I was hired about two-thirds of the way through their national NCAA Division II championship season. Thank goodness I didn't jinx them!
Q: You went to work with ESPN in 1995. What are some things people maybe don't know about someone who worked behind the scenes at the "World Wide Leader in Sports.''
A: Well, I went to work at Creative Sports, a major syndicator of sports television in 1995, when ESPN was in the process of purchasing the company. It was a wonderful place to start in the business. To give you some-perspective, when I started, ESPN2 was just beginning and was in carried in five million homes. At the time, I was doing syndication with the Big Ten. Athletic directors were astute to know that 30 million households in syndication was much larger than 5 million on ESPN2. They were clamoring to be in syndication. In three years that quickly changed as ESPN2 was in 89 or 90 million homes. I believe it holds the record as the fastest-growing cable entity ever. ESPN makes it look like it's easy. It's not. Many times I wondered how we got on the air. Looking back on those times, I am fiercely proud of where we came from and what we've became.
Q: You were on the CoSida Board of Directors, and also served as the organization's President. Even after you left the Big Sky you were always at CoSida representing ESPN. What did that organization mean to you?
A: CoSida was a wonderful humbling experience. I was very fortunate to have such great mentors in the West. Guys like Kevin McKinney and Bill Young at Wyoming. Tim Simmons was the first full-time Big Sky SID. I inherited the job from him when he left to go back to the University of Colorado. Nordy Jensen at the WAC, Dave Schultis at BYU, and Bruce Woodbury at Utah were all involved and taught me the ropes. They asked me to get involved. It was such an honor to be able to do that and be a part of an organization that tried to help people do achieve more in their jobs and problem solve the issues of the day. I use the term fiercely proud again. I'm proud of the association, and the hard work we did. I also had a Commissioner in Ron Stephenson who was supportive of my tenure on the CoSIDA BOD.
Q: What's it like being back here, seeing old friends, and being honored by the Big Sky?
A: It's emotional. There are so many great people that I was associated with during my time at the league office. As you grow older you maybe lose contact with friends and colleagues. There's a few people I've seen that I haven't been as close to over the years. But upon arrival here we have picked it right back up. It's like a 10-year gap didn't exist. I think that's what makes it special. We always prided ourselves in the Big Sky that the people made the difference. I know your office and staff is the same way. People make the difference. No question, it makes the league what it is. It's an emotional time to see all these people, and also a happy time. I guess the line is..."don't cry because it's over, be glad because it happened." I'm really glad it happened.