WEST POINT, N.Y. — The Football Writers Association of America announced today that Army has been named one of 11 recipients of its annual Super 11 Award for the 2024 season. The award honors football programs and sports information departments that exemplify excellence in media relations.
Army athletic communications, led by primary football contact Eric Szczepinski and assisted by secondary contact Conor McCorry, spearheaded efforts during a historic and media-rich season for the Black Knights. The team won a program-record 12 games, captured the American Athletic Conference championship in its inaugural season as a league member, earned a spot in the College Football Playoff rankings for the first time, and saw quarterback Bryson Daily finish sixth in Heisman Trophy voting.
The full press release by the FWAA can be viewed here
The Army communications team facilitated extensive national media coverage, coordinating interviews and features with ESPN's "College GameDay," ESPN's "SportsCenter," "The Pat McAfee Show," Fox's "Big Noon Kickoff," "The Jim Rome Show," "The Dan Patrick Show," CBS, CBS Sports, CNN, FOX, NBC, Sports Illustrated, ESPN.com, The Athletic and numerous local outlets.
"It is an absolute honor, and I am extremely grateful for Army to be recognized among the best departments in the nation," said Eric Szczepinski, assistant athletics director for football/athletic communications. "This award is not about me, but is a testament to all the hard-working support staff members who help make the Army football season special. This recognition also reflects the leadership and vision of Head Coach Jeff Monken, who truly values the media's role in promoting Army football as a national brand."
Szczepinski also acknowledged the contributions of several individuals who helped ensure the communications operation ran smoothly throughout the season: Reagan Bednar, J Banzet, Grace Campbell, Dean Darling, Rich DeMarco, Matt Faulkner, Jen Guzman, Zachary Hoover, Clayton Kendrick-Holmes, Conor McCorry, Beau Rochler, Austin Pert, Brett Rorie, Mady Salvani, Michael Tornillo, James Vernon, Danny Wild and the entire gameday stats crew. He also extended thanks to the media who covered the team throughout the season for their passion and commitment to telling the story of Army's cadet-athletes and a truly remarkable year.
This award marks the first time Army's football communications department has been honored as part of the 'Super 11'.
In January of 2009, the FWAA released the first Super 11 Awards – a concept supported by the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA). The FWAA has now awarded at least one Super 11 Award to 82 different FBS programs.
2024 FWAA Super 11 Honorees
(with all-time award count in parenthesis)
Army (1)
California (3)
Clemson (12)
Iowa (3)
Navy (8)
Nebraska (11)
Pittsburgh (7)
South Carolina (3)
Tennessee (3)
Texas Tech (2)
West Virginia (3)
2024 Super 11 Coach of the Year
Ryan Day, Ohio State
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