Tony Neely Named to College Sports Communicators Hall of Fame & Winner of “Arch Ward Award”
LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky Assistant Athletics Director for Athletics Communications and Public Relations Tony Neely — whose career in college athletics spans 42 years, including more than three decades with the Wildcats — has been named to the 2025 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Hall of Fame and winner of the prestigious Arch Ward Award.
The Arch Ward Award is part of the CSC Special Awards, being announced throughout the week of January 6-9. The award is presented for outstanding contributions to the winner’s institution, the field of athletic communications and to CSC’s mission.
“Tony has been unbelievably selfless advancing the accomplishments of others in a career spanning decades,” UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said. “He has spent thousands of hours promoting other peoples’ awards and accolades, so these recognitions for him are pretty cool. Congratulations to Tony and his wife Terri. The Neely’s have devoted so much time and effort in service to others. We couldn’t be more thankful for them.”
The CSC Hall of Fame class will be honored at the 2025 CSC annual convention in June in Orlando. The convention is held in conjunction with NACDA and Affiliates Convention Week.
The 2025 Hall of Fame Class is composed of long-time CSC members Neely (Kentucky), Scottie Rodgers (Cotton Bowl Athletic Association/Goodyear Cotton Bowl) and John Painter (Maryville College, Tn.); former CSC President and Board of Directors member Cindy Potter (Columbia College, Mo.) of the NAIA; and retirees Lonza Hardy, Jr. (MEAC, SWAC, among others) and Larry Hymel (Southeastern University).
For 31 years, Neely has given distinguished service to UK where he currently serves as Assistant AD for Communications and Public Relations.
His athletic communications career began in 1978 as an undergraduate at Vanderbilt University, and Neely spent 16 years in communications at his alma mater from 1978-94. He started as a student assistant at Vanderbilt in 1978 and was hired full time as an assistant sports information director before finishing his final semester as a student. He was promoted to associate SID in 1990 and then to sports information director just two years later. In 1994, he accepted the SID position at Kentucky.
UK’s communications/public relations staff have been named one of the best in the country by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) three times under Neely’s direction.
Neely has served eight years on the CSC Professional Development and Continuing Education Committee where he is one of CSC’s key moderators for convention sessions and webinars. Throughout his years of membership in the organization, he also served on CSC committees for NCAA Legislative Liaison, Postgraduate Scholarship, and Publications Award Publicity.
Neely earned his 25-year Award at the 2018 CSC Convention and has won numerous publications and writing awards in the CSC Fred S. Stabley Sr. Writing Contest during his tenure. He also co-wrote the official University of Kentucky book commemorating the UK 1998 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament championship.
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CSC is composed of intercollegiate athletic communications and creative professionals from colleges, universities and athletic conferences at all divisions of competition in the United States and Canada.
The 2025 Hall of Fame class highlights the annual CSC Special Awards. In addition to the Hall of Fame, other Special Awards recognize emerging leaders, community service, lifetime achievement, organization trailblazer, outstanding media contribution, and 25-Year service honors. Those announcements follow January 7-8-9.
“College Sports Communicators is proud to unveil its class of 2025 Special Award winners. Over the next four days, CSC will highlight these incredible individuals and their remarkable stories, state College Sports Communicators President Kevin Trainor, University of Arkansas Senior Associate Athletics Director. “These men and women represent the very best of our membership and have distinguished themselves by serving intercollegiate athletics and their communities. We look forward to honoring our CSC Hall of Fame inductees and all of our Special Award winners at CSCUnite25 in Orlando this June.”
Each of the six 2025 Hall of Fame inductees will join their predecessors on the CSC Hall of Fame plaques that are on permanent display at the NCAA Hall of Champions in Indianapolis.
