Syracuse Mourns the Passing of Longtime SID Larry Kimball
6/5/2023 4:51:00 PM | General
"The Dean" of The BIG EAST Conference sports information directors, Lawrence A. Kimball, passed away on June 3. Kimball was Syracuse University's sports information director for 31 years, promoting all Orange student-athletes, coaches and teams. A cornerstone of Syracuse Athletics, Kimball worked with Hall of Fame coaches Ben Schwartzwalder, Dick MacPherson, Jim Boeheim, Roy Simmons Sr., Roy Simmons Jr., John Desko and Ed Carlin. A celebration of life will be held on Friday, June 16 at the Craftsman Inn (Fayetteville) from 4 to 7 p.m. (program at 5 pm).
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After graduating from the Miami University in Ohio in 1954, Kimball served in the Army for two years, and then worked for the Norwich (N.Y.) Sun and the Utica (N.Y.) Press. He began his career as an assistant director of public relations and sports information director at the University of Vermont, before coming to SU in 1966, where he promoted all Syracuse student-athletes, coaches and teams until his retirement in 1997.
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During his 31-year tenure at Syracuse, Kimball promoted hundreds of All-Americans across all Syracuse sports and told the stories of countless student-athletes who excelled at their craft. He assisted local, national and international media in their coverage of the Orange. Kimball worked 383 consecutive football games, which led the nation at the time of his retirement, and 42-straight Intercollegiate Rowing Association national championship regattas, including 31 as co-director. He also served as the media coordinator for six NCAA Basketball Tournaments in the Dome, promoted the Orange in 11 football bowl games, 21 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournaments, including the 1975 and 1996 Final Fours, and six NCAA men's lacrosse championships. At Syracuse, he worked the press box for the first football game in the Carrier Dome in 1980, which just so happened to be against his alma mater, the RedHawks.
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Enshrined in two Halls of Fame, including the College Sports Information Directors of America Hall of Fame (1994) and the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame (2009), Kimball served as the president of the ECAC Sports Information Directors Association (1973-74) and was honored with that organization's Service Bureau Award in 1976. In 1997, he also was recognized as an honorary Syracuse University LetterWinner of Distinction and earned the Scoop Hudgins Lifetime Achievement Award and the Doyle Smith Sports Information Director/Media Award. To honor his dedication to the Orange athletics program, SU established the Lawrence A. Kimball Sports Information Director Endowment Fund, the first of its kind at the time, and the men's and women's rowing programs christened a shell in his honor when he retired in 1997.
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A native of New England, Kimball was born on September 26, 1932. He is survived by his wife, Joan, daughters, Christina (John) Kelly and Melissa (Ed) Jones, and his granddaughter, Madison Jones. He was predeceased by his grandson, Thomas Kelly.
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In lieu of flowers, donations in Larry's memory may be made to the Maine Historical Society, Phoebe Berks Healthcare Center (Wernersville, Pa.) or to the Lawrence A. Kimball Sports Information Director Endowment Fund through the 'Cuse Athletics Fund at Syracuse University.
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After graduating from the Miami University in Ohio in 1954, Kimball served in the Army for two years, and then worked for the Norwich (N.Y.) Sun and the Utica (N.Y.) Press. He began his career as an assistant director of public relations and sports information director at the University of Vermont, before coming to SU in 1966, where he promoted all Syracuse student-athletes, coaches and teams until his retirement in 1997.
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During his 31-year tenure at Syracuse, Kimball promoted hundreds of All-Americans across all Syracuse sports and told the stories of countless student-athletes who excelled at their craft. He assisted local, national and international media in their coverage of the Orange. Kimball worked 383 consecutive football games, which led the nation at the time of his retirement, and 42-straight Intercollegiate Rowing Association national championship regattas, including 31 as co-director. He also served as the media coordinator for six NCAA Basketball Tournaments in the Dome, promoted the Orange in 11 football bowl games, 21 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournaments, including the 1975 and 1996 Final Fours, and six NCAA men's lacrosse championships. At Syracuse, he worked the press box for the first football game in the Carrier Dome in 1980, which just so happened to be against his alma mater, the RedHawks.
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Enshrined in two Halls of Fame, including the College Sports Information Directors of America Hall of Fame (1994) and the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame (2009), Kimball served as the president of the ECAC Sports Information Directors Association (1973-74) and was honored with that organization's Service Bureau Award in 1976. In 1997, he also was recognized as an honorary Syracuse University LetterWinner of Distinction and earned the Scoop Hudgins Lifetime Achievement Award and the Doyle Smith Sports Information Director/Media Award. To honor his dedication to the Orange athletics program, SU established the Lawrence A. Kimball Sports Information Director Endowment Fund, the first of its kind at the time, and the men's and women's rowing programs christened a shell in his honor when he retired in 1997.
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A native of New England, Kimball was born on September 26, 1932. He is survived by his wife, Joan, daughters, Christina (John) Kelly and Melissa (Ed) Jones, and his granddaughter, Madison Jones. He was predeceased by his grandson, Thomas Kelly.
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In lieu of flowers, donations in Larry's memory may be made to the Maine Historical Society, Phoebe Berks Healthcare Center (Wernersville, Pa.) or to the Lawrence A. Kimball Sports Information Director Endowment Fund through the 'Cuse Athletics Fund at Syracuse University.
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