CoSIDA Honors Charles Bloom with 2022 Arch Ward Award
Recognized for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Athletic Communications
Charles Bloom has been selected as the 2022 recipient of the Arch Ward Award, presented annually to a current CoSIDA member who has made outstanding contributions to the field of college sports information, and who by his or her activities, has brought dignity and prestige to the profession. The award is voted on by the CoSIDA Special Awards Committee.
Bloom, a CoSIDA Hall of Fame member (2011), is the Executive Associate Athletics Director/Chief of Staff for the University of South Carolina Athletics Department. In his current role, Bloom is a Senior Advisor to Athletics Director Ray Tanner and the Chief Communications Officer for Gamecock athletics.
He served as President of CoSIDA in 2007-08.
Bloom serves as the sport administrator for softball and oversees media relations, ticket office, Gamecock Productions and the campus SEC Network operations. Bloom was named Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs at Carolina in October 2012.
Before taking the post at Carolina, Bloom spent 17 years as director of the Southeastern Conference office’s media and public relations efforts, and the last 10 years as Associate Commissioner. As chief spokesperson for the SEC, he supervised the media and public relations operations for the SEC’s 21 sports, directly overseeing football, and was the administrator for baseball in the SEC office
In addition, Bloom oversaw the editorial content and planning for the SECDigitalNetwork.com website and started the SEC office’s presence in social media. Bloom assisted with the creation of the Bowl Championship Series, including its formula for ranking teams and also developing its media relations policies and procedures.
Bloom, a native of Emporia, Va., came to the Southeastern Conference from East Carolina University where he served as Sports Information Director/Assistant Athletics Director from 1988-95. He also was an associate SID at Ole Miss from 1987-88 and an assistant SID at LSU from 1985-87.
A 1985 graduate of the University of South Carolina, Bloom served as an undergraduate and graduate assistant in the Gamecock SID office.
Bloom is currently a member of the Football Writers Association of America, the United States Basketball Writers Association, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (past president), Public Relations Society of America, and past president of the Alabama Public Relations Society of America chapter. Since 2013, Bloom is the University of South Carolina’s chairperson for the United Way of the Midlands campus-wide campaign and is the current community chair for the Loaned Staff Program of United Way, a similar position also held while in the Birmingham community.
