University of Connecticut Athletics
Tim Tolokan Named To CSC Hall Of Fame
1/16/2024 4:11:00 PM | General
Tim Tolokan, who served UConn Athletics for 38 years as the associate athletic director for communications, the associate athletic director for licensing and traditions, and as special assistant to the director of athletics, has been named to the College Sports Communicators Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
Tolokan, now retired, will be inducted along with five other 2024 Hall of Fame inductees, on June 10, 2024, in ceremonies during a special CSC Celebrations Award night at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. Each of the six 2024 CoSIDA 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.
The rest of the Hall of Fame class includes former CSC Board of Directors member Amy Yakola, current CSC staff member Will Roleson, longtime Division III member and leader Lisa Champagne, as well as current member John Bianco and late publicist Beano Cook. The CSC was formerly known as the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Tolokan, who came to UConn Athletics in 1980 after serving as sports editor of the Norwich (Ct.) Bulletin, is credited with bringing UConn Athletic Communications into the modern era as an innovator within the electronic age. He was extraordinary at serving both the school's numerous coaching staffs and a large media following within the state and nationally as UConn made its name on the national stage. He mentored hundreds of interns, student assistants and student-athletes, many of whom continue to work in college and professional athletics and as national media leaders.
Kyle Muncy was one of those UConn student-athletes, who went on to succeed Tolokan as the sports information director of UConn men's basketball and currently serves as UConn's director of brand partnership and trademark management.Â
"I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this honor than Tim," Muncy said. "He was an incredible mentor to me and so many others and is a massive reason that UConn is known today as The Basketball Capital of the World. The media coverage that Tim managed on behalf of UConn was unprecedented and we all were fortunate to have him showing us the way and letting everyone know what we were building in Storrs, Connecticut. I am so happy for him to receive this well-deserved recognition."
Mike Enright was a student-intern under Tolokan in UConn's office of athletic communications and went on to become the sports information director at Boston College, Notre Dame and UConn.
"Tim's induction into the CSC Hall of Fame is a testament to the impact he had on the athletic communications profession at UConn and nationally," Enright said. "Tim brought UConn into the modern age of sports information. He directed the office when national championships, and thus national media attention, became the norm in Storrs. For years, he was a familiar face at the NCAA Final Four as part of the media relations team.
"Tim started UConn's marketing and corporate relations efforts, which has now blossomed into a multi-million dollar source of revenue for UConn. His 'coaching tree' includes former students, interns and assistants who have made their mark at institutions, media corporations, and companies around the country. From a personal standpoint, my professional and personal life has tremendously been influenced and touched by Tim."
A member of the NCAA Men's Basketball Coordination Committee from 1984 to 2001, Tolokan received the 2000 Katha Quinn Award from the U.S. Basketball Writers of America and also received the 2000 UConn Outstanding Contribution Award (the athletic department's highest honor).
He also was one of three national representatives from college basketball on the "Content Advisory Committee" for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (Springfield, Mass.) re-opening in 2002. For his contributions and commitment to college athletics, Tolokan received the 2023 Dean of Sports Award by the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist (Connecticut).
Tolokan, also the curator of the Husky Heritage Sports Museum on the Storrs campus, retired from his full-time position in 2009, but continued to serve UConn on a part-time basis as special assistant to the athletics director until 2018, consulting on numerous projects and innovations.
