Newman University has hired a new sports information director, David Rung.
Rung is replacing the former Newman SID, Tim Hanson, who held the position for four years. Hanson left Newman to accept the SID position at Rogers State University in Claremore, Okla.
Rung, who started on Nov. 30, is originally from Harrisburg, Penn. He received his bachelor’s degree in journalism at Pennsylvania State University. After graduating, Rung worked in the journalism field for a little over four years.
Rung worked for two different newspapers during this time and was the assistant sports editor for one, but said he had more interest in the sports information field.
“I took a class on sports information my last semester of undergrad and it showed me what it was and I really liked the idea of promoting sports and working for a college to do those things,” Rung said. “I like to write about sports. That’s why I enjoyed working for newspapers. But there’s a lot of other stuff to do with sports information. There’s something new every day, as cliché as that sounds.”
Rung said he went back to school after his journalism career and accepted a position as sports information graduate assistant at Arkansas Tech University. Rung was there for a year and a half working on a master’s degree in liberal arts and communication before accepting the position with Newman.
Rung said the new position gives him freedom to implement some of his own ideas.
“It’s exciting to be in charge a little bit,” he said. “I was an assistant editor of a newspaper with a pretty small staff before, so it’s exciting to be in this position now.”
Rung said the path that led him to this position has been different, but that he’s enjoyed it.
“It’s interesting to kind of come around full circle. I’ve gone from being a full-time employee, to a student and grad assistant, and come back to being a full-time employee again,” he said.
Rung, who will be the primary media contact for all of the university’s 16 athletic programs, said he’s always been drawn to sports.
“I’ve always loved sports ever since I was a kid,” he said. “It didn’t just need to be football or basketball or something big like that. I love all kinds of sports.”
