Varsity Athletics

Jim Rodriguez

BEREA, OHIO -- North Olmsted native and current Baldwin-Wallace College senior Jim Rodriguez ‘11, a sport management and business administration major, is a 2010 recipient of a $2,500.00 CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) Fred Neusch – Dave Wohlhueter Undergraduate Scholarship. He is the second B-W student to receive the honor in the past three years and will be presented his award on July 7 at the annual CoSIDA Workshop in downtown San Francisco.

Rodriguez is in his fourth year of working in the SID office at B-W and interns with the Mid-American Conference (MAC). He plans to pursue a Master’s degree and a career in college athletics following graduation in 2011. He will be one of only two recipients of the scholarship after being chosen over hundreds of candidates from around the nation.

Rodriguez joins B-W graduate Andrew Middleman ‘09, who received the award in 2008 at CoSIDA’s Workshop in Tampa, Florida. Middleman is currently finishing an internship with the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) and will begin working fulltime with the FedEx Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida in July.

“We are extremely pleased and proud for Jim and his family as he is well-deserving of this honor,” said B-W Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple. “His talent, hard-work, leadership and commitment both in the classroom and in our office is emblematic of the dedication and commitment that Fred Neusch and Dave Wohlhueter displayed throughout their long and distinguished careers in the sports information profession."

“We also are grateful to the Selection Committee as it doesn’t often occur where a school has two deserving recipients in a three-year span,” continued Ruple. “In Jim Rodriguez this year and Andrew Middleman in 2008, we have among the best and brightest lights in college athletics. We appreciate the committee’s confidence in both young men.”

Rodriguez, who carries an outstanding 4.0 grade point average and is a member of a number of academic honoraries, is the head student assistant in the B-W SID office. He assists in media relations for all 21 intercollegiate teams at the College and supervises the department’s game management crews. Amongst his many responsibilities, he operates Statcrew software, aids in website maintenance, trains fellow student-assistants, composes feature stories and press releases, and assists with athletic publication design.

In addition to his duties with the B-W SID and the MAC, Rodriguez also has volunteered with the Cleveland Browns, Cleveland State University and the 70th Annual Senior PGA Golf Championship.

“I’m very honored to be receiving the scholarship,” said Rodriguez. “I’m most proud that I’ll be the second B-W student to receive the honor in three years. Andrew (Middleman) and I receiving the award really speaks volumes about the College and the type of office Kevin (Ruple) and Nick (B-W Assistant SID Nick Minerd) run.”

“The key to the success of our student assistants really goes right back to the commitment that the College makes to young people like Jim and Andrew,” said Ruple. “Senior Vice President Dick Fletcher and Associate VP George Richard fully understand that Nick and I view our office as an extension of the classroom education that each student receives. The College provides us with valuable resources that continue to create outcomes like the CoSIDA Scholarship, internships and jobs for our students.  Jim Rodriguez is another example of the success the support creates.”

Rodriguez is the son of B-W graduates Mark ‘83 and Jackie Rodriguez ‘85 of North Olmsted. The Rodriguez family has strong ties to Baldwin-Wallace as Jim’s father Mark (currently Athletic Director at Cuyahoga Community College), his uncle Angelo ’62, and his grandfather James ’53 (former AD at Cleveland St.), are all members of the B-W Athletics Hall of Fame. His uncles Bob ’87 and Dave ’84 also were standout athletes at the College.

Jim Rodriguez is a 2007 graduate of North Olmsted High School and played four seasons on the Eagle soccer team.

FOR MORE B-W Sports Information, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.edu or Assistant SID Nick Minerd by phone at 440-826-2780 and e-mail at nminerd@bw.edu. Fans can access the latest B-W athletics information at www.bw.edu/athletics and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.