DePauw's Bill Wagner to be honored with Warren Berg Award

The membership’s best and brightest, both longtime members and newer professionals, are being recognized for excellence with the announcement of College Sports Communicators’ Arch Ward Award, Warren Berg Award, Bill Esposito Backbone Award and Rising Star Awards.

Mike Mahoney, the longtime athletic communications director at the University of Pennsylvania, is this year’s recipient of the Arch Ward Award. Bill Wagner, a 2014 CSC Hall of Fame inductee and longtime assistant athletic director for athletics communications at DePauw University, is the recipient of the Warren Berg Award.

The Arch Ward and Warren Berg awards are  presented annually to CSC members who have made outstanding contributions to the field of athletic communication and who, by their actions, have brought dignity and prestige to the profession.

WARREN BERG AWARD
Bill Wagner, DePauw University
Assistant Athletic Director for Athletics Communications

One of the most respected professionals at the NCAA Division III level, Bill Wagner has spent parts of five decades in service to student-athletes, including 40 at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.

Wagner became DePauw’s sports information director in 1986 and was promoted to assistant athletics director for athletics communications in 2019. He oversees the external communications efforts for the Tigers’ 23 programs. Prior to DePauw, Wagner served as part of the sports information staff at his alma maters, Miami University (Ohio) and The Ohio State University.

In addition to DePauw’s student-athletes, Wagner has served the profession at the highest level. A College Division Representative on CSC’s Board of Directors from 2005 to 2008, Wagner was the first president of the Division III Sports Information Directors Association, serving from 2008 to 2011. He has served the Academic All-America core committee since 2002 and continues to serve as a district coordinator.

Wagner has been a host media coordinator for over 100 NCAA postseason competitions, including 2001 Division III Men’s Tennis Championships and the 2003 and 2010 Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships.

For as much as Wagner is known for his excellence in the office, he is also known for having been a friend, mentor and confidant for hundreds of other professionals in his 40-plus years in the business.

A 2014 inductee into the CSC Hall of Fame, Wagner was inducted into the DePauw University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2025. He received DePauw’s Outstanding Gold Spirit Award in 2024 and the Bob Williams Helping Hands Award from the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association in 2025. His resume includes numerous CSC Publication & Digital Design Awards, including “Best In The Nation” awards for DePauw’s 1996 and 1997 football media guides.

Wagner graduated from Miami University in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science in business administration with a major in marketing and emphasis on advertising and marketing research. He earned a Master of Arts degree in sport management from Ohio State in 1986.

Wagner and his wife, Shelly, are the proud parents of two children: Nadia and John.

WARREN BERG AWARD
Voted upon by the Special Awards Committee, the Warren Berg Award is presented annually to a CSC College Division member (NCAA Divisions II & III, NAIA, two-year colleges and Canadian institutions) who has made outstanding contributions to the field of college athletics communications and, who by his or her activities, has brought dignity and prestige to the profession.

Amy Villa, director of athletics media relations at San Jose State University, is just the 10th recipient of the Bill Esposito Backbone Award. The honor recognizes CSC members who display sound judgment and unusual courage in guiding their institution, conference office or collegiate athletics-affiliated association through a difficult public relations situation.

Four individuals will receive the 2026 CSC Rising Star Awards. The honor recognizes members with 10 years of service or less whose work, service, energy, and enthusiasm make them a “rising star” in athletic communications.

Courtney Day, associate athletics director for communications and digital strategy at DePaul University, and Rachel Schermick, assistant executive director, communications & championships, at the Ivy League, are the University Division winners of the award. Ashleigh Jones, athletic communications director at Denison University, and Lance MacKenzie, manager of communications at the University of Calgary, will receive the College Division Rising Star awards.

All CSC Special Awards honorees will be recognized during CSC’s annual convention, CSC Unite 26, which takes place June 7-10 at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. The convention is held in conjunction with NACDA and Affiliates Convention Week.