SPORTS INFORMATION DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNER CAMAL PETRO

Loyola University (La.)

The 2022 recipient of the NAIA Sports Information Director of the Year is Camal Petro of Loyola University of New Orleans (La.). A graduate of Ole Miss in 2013, Petro has quickly made his mark on the NAIA. During Hurricane Ida, after just one volleyball match, the team had to evacuate to Montgomery, Ala., and away from New Orleans for two weeks. His work publicizing Loyola’s determination and unwavering resilience, with so much going on around the team and in the south, garnered attention from ABC’s Good Morning America which produced a feature about the team.

Petro’s work was also on display during the men’s basketball season as the Wolfpack captured the red banner in Kansas City. His constant contact with media in a saturated sports market in New Orleans helped the team to break through with multiple stories and interviews, both inside and outside the market.

In addition to all the excellent coverage of his teams, Petro was also critical in the negotiation of a radio deal to have all home men’s and women’s basketball games broadcast on Catholic Community Radio.

“Camal came to us without any previous experience in sports information,” said Brett Simpson, Loyola (La.) Director of Athletics. “He was able to leverage his previous experience as a sports journalist and adapt to the role of generating publicity. Like much of the University Sports Complex, Camal’s office sustained significant damage in the hurricane (Ida) and was displaced across campus the entire academic year. There were many times that Camal took the “show on the road” to facilities across New Orleans. He and his team did so flawlessly. He did so without any complaint, only a willingness to provide our student-athletes and staff with a first-class experience.”