When Jonathan David “J.D.” Campbell graduated from Kansas Newman College in 1986, he could not have imagined the path that lay ahead. Nearly four decades later, the Las Vegas native has been recognized with the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Lifetime Achievement Award, capping a distinguished 37-year career that took him from the halls of his Wichita alma mater to the storied basketball court at Indiana University.
Campbell, who earned his communications degree from Newman and was an All-American baseball player for the Jets in 1985, has spent his career informing and shaping how the public sees college athletics.
As Senior Assistant Athletic Director for Men’s Basketball Communications and Special Projects at Indiana, he spent 16 years at the helm of one of college basketball’s most prestigious programs before his retirement in 2023. During his tenure, Campbell working alongside coaches Kelvin Sampson, Tom Crean, Archie Miller and Mike Woodson.
The CSC Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes individuals who have served at least 25 years in athletics communications and have made a lasting impact on the profession, according to the organization. Campbell exceeded that threshold by more than a decade. He is one of 16 individuals that will be honored during the organization’s annual convention in Las Vegas this June.
“I am extremely fortunate that throughout my life people believed in me as a person, an athlete and finally as a professional,” said Campbell. “Former KNC Director of College Relations Pete Moore, got me involved and I knew this was a career path I wanted to pursue. Baseball Coach Paul Sanagorski encouraged me to do as much as I could to help bring recognition to our team and the entire athletic department.”
Campbell’s time with the Hoosiers coincided with some of the program’s brightest basketball moments in recent memory. The biggest was managing the national media demand that occurred when Hall of Fame Coach Bob Knight returned to Assembly Hall in 2020 after a 20-year estrangement with the University. Indiana captured Big Ten Championships in 2013 and 2016 under Coach Crean, made three Sweet Sixteen appearances and spent much of the 2012-13 season ranked as the top team in the nation. Behind every press conference, every media guide and every player profile was Campbell and his sports information communication team.
Yet perhaps Campbell’s greatest legacy extends beyond any single institution. More than 30 of his students, interns and assistants have gone on to active careers in college athletics communications, many now directing their own programs. Forty of the students he taught as an instructor at IU currently work throughout the sports industry, a testament to his commitment to developing the next generation of professionals who want a career working at all levels of athletics.
A Newman Family Legacy
Newman University holds a special place in Campbell and his family. J.D. met his wife, Kerri, at Newman, and the couple will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary in August. Their Newman connection spans two generations.
The couple has two sons: Jon, a police officer in South Bend, Indiana, and CJ, who graduated from Newman in 2018. CJ, who also played baseball for the Jets like his father, has followed in his dad’s footsteps in the sports communications field. After working for the University of Cincinnati, University of Nebraska and Ohio State football programs, CJ was recently hired as graphic design coordinator for the NFL’s Detroit Lions. When reflecting on his path, CJ has credited Newman with more than just his career preparation. “My parents met in Merlini Hall at Newman in 1983,” he said. “The fact that I was also able to attend there for four years was incredible.“
When asked what Newman has meant to him, J.D. has summed it up simply: “It’s given me most everything in my life.”
Giving Back to Newman
Campbell’s connection to Newman extended beyond his years as a student and his family ties. In 2022, he returned to his alma mater for a short time to teach online courses in Newman’s sports media and promotion program, sharing his decades of experience with a new generation of Jets.
“I taught for eight years at Indiana University and thought this would be a good change for me at this time in my career,” Campbell said of the teaching position. His favorite part of teaching was developing relationships with his students. His advice to them reflects the philosophy that guided his own career: “You can go anywhere if you do things the right way.”
Campbell’s Career Path
Before Bloomington, Campbell built his reputation through positions at Bowling Green State University, where he served as Assistant Athletic Director for Communications and was first sports information director (SID) for Hall of Fame coach Urban Meyer. He also oversaw the Falcons licensing program from 2000-07. Prior to that, he held roles in sports information, marketing or promotions at Emporia State, Northern Kentucky and Johnson County Community College, where he launched his career in 1986, the same year he graduated from Newman. Campbell earned a master’s degree in sports administration from Xavier in 1994.
Mark Potter ’86. Potter retired as
Jets’ basketball coach in 2018
Campbell’s athletic achievements at Newman, he hit .434 in two seasons, foreshadowed his competitive drive. Before transferring to Kansas Newman, he led Taft College to the California Junior College State Championship Tournament in 1983 and was named Nevada American Legion Baseball Player of the Year in 1982 and was the first player in school history who suited up for the Jets and grew up on the west coast.
“The group of players who were together in the early and mid 1980’s at KNC are still very close and our friendships endure to this day,” said Campbell. “We reach out to each other, follow our milestones and because so many of the guys who played here came from Indiana, I ran into teammates many times when the Hoosiers played.”
