Jerry Emig
By Bill Bender
Sporting News/FWAA 2025 President
Jerry Emig recalled a moment during the early days of social media that changed his career as a sports information director forever.
Emig had an exchange with a reporter about not tweeting until the end of an Ohio State press conference, which was the rule at the time. It wasn't that serious, Emig remembers, but it nagged at him into the night.
"I didn't feel good because it really didn't do anything for the situation by me getting upset with the situation," Emig said. "I called my wife, and literally from this moment on her words stuck with me, and it was, 'Everybody is not going to be in the same space you are every day, Jerry.'
Jody Emig was right. Jerry used that advice to become one of the best sports information directors in college football. Emig, who retired last spring, spent 33 years in athletic communications after stints at Southern Illinois-Carbondale, Temple and Ohio State.
"From that point on, I just felt like my relationship with the media – which I felt like was always good – took a turn for the better because I realized that everyone was coming to work with the same mindset as me," Emig said.
He is most-recognized for his time at Ohio State, where he spent 23 years and was the sports information director from 2011-25. Emig was the primary spokesman for arguably the largest beat in all of college football with the Buckeyes and worked with former coaches Luke Fickell, Urban Meyer and Ryan Day. He was the sports information director during national championship runs in 2014 and 2024.
For that career, Emig has been named the 15th recipient of its FWAA Bob Holt Lifetime Achievement Award – which was renamed for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette sportswriter who passed away on Dec. 4, 2024.
The previous winners are Art Spander, San Francisco Examiner (2013); Bill Little, University of Texas (2014); Irv Moss, Denver Post (2015); Buddy Davis, Ruston Daily Leader (2016); Mike Finn, ACC (2017); Dave Plati, University of Colorado (2018); Paul Hoolahan, Sugar Bowl, and Wright Waters, Football Bowl Association (2019); Sid Hartman, Minneapolis Star-Tribune (2020); Shelly Poe, Auburn University (2021); Donald Hunt, Philadelphia Tribune (2022); Randy Peterson, Des Moines Register (2023); David Jones, PennLive.com (2024); and Susan Miller Degnan, Miami Herald (2025).
When told the news earlier, Emig had to stop and collect his thoughts. Even in retirement, he treasures the time spent at Ohio State – where he had every-day interactions with hyper-successful coaches such as Meyer and Day and All-Americans and a loaded collection of future NFL Draft picks.
"It was something I realized in the moment how fortunate I was to be at Ohio State during a time when they were incredibly successful this entire century and I had a front-row seat to not only great successes on the football field, and off the football field but also great human beings and individuals," Emig said. "All the head coaches and assistant coaches that I worked with, and probably most importantly, the players.
"We had such quality people as a players and individuals in addition to as great football players,” he said. "We had such as quality players – which is imperative in working with my job in the media – much more enjoyable and very enjoyable to do with individuals who were quality people."
With that success, the demand for access increased in the social media age. An Ohio State press conference features anywhere between 50 to 75 people on an every-day basis, including writers, podcasters and television stations. That number more than doubles on game day.
Tim May, who has been on the Ohio State beat for 42 years through his time with The Columbus Dispatch, Letterman Row and "The Tim May Show," marveled at how Emig was able to manage those high–profile coaches and players and maintain that relationship with the national and local media in Columbus, Ohio, where covering Ohio State football is a 24/7 endeavor.
"Jerry was really good at putting himself in the middle of that and for the part – you don't ever satisfy everybody – but satisfying most of the people," May said. "That's a true skill, in my opinion. He wasn't just an administrator. He was really good at smoothing the corners on both ends of the situation when things get tight."
Todd Jones, senior writer for Ohio State Alumni Magazine, knew Emig when he was at Temple. Jones remembers Emig setting up a 1-on-1 interview with legendary Owls coach John Chaney after a 5 a.m. basketball practice. Jones also covered the Ohio State football team and appreciated Emig's professionalism in that hectic environment.
"He's Minnesota nice," Jones said. "He's just a people person. He had the right personality. He understood what you were trying to do as a reporter and tried to be helpful in the ways he was able to be helpful. You always knew where you stood with Jerry. He was an old-school person who understood both sides – who he worked for, and that was the most-important thing, but also what the media's job was all about."
Emig – a Minnesota native – made that approach work at the highest level.
"That was my job – servicing the media in the fairest, best way possible was a major part of my job," Emig said. "It didn't matter the outlet. It didn't matter what was written yesterday or what was going to be written tomorrow. The important thing was to be fair."
That access made Emig stand out. Day was named the FWAA Super 11 Coach of the Year for 2024, and Ohio State was named one of the Super 11 winners for 2025. He was named to the College Sports Communications Hall of Fame on Jan. 12, 2026. Emig also was known for advocating for Ohio State players on the All-America teams.
"They were No. 1 great football players who deserved and earned the opportunities to be promoted as All-Americans and major awards," Emig said. "Secondly, I go back to the quality of their character. They were just some awesome guys – all I wanted to do was as much as I could for their cause."
Emig and Jody have three children – a daughter Shelby and sons Roman and A.J.
Emig is enjoying his first season of retirement – though he does have a lifetime all-access pass to Ohio State. He recalled a moment last summer where he was with Jody while driving by Lake Superior during a 72-degree afternoon under blue skies.
"It's a Wednesday afternoon, we're listening to music and we have nowhere to be except wherever we want to be," Jerry told his wife Jody. "It's good. We're on our time."
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,300 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com.
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