Central Michigan University Athletics
Chippewa SID Announces Retirement
3/24/2005 12:00:00 AM | General
March 24, 2005
MOUNT PLEASANT -- Longtime Central Michigan University sports information director Fred Stabley Jr., has announced that he will be retiring in early July. Stabley has been the head SID at CMU for the last 23 years, joining the Chippewas on August 30, 1982.
"It's been a great run and now it's time to back off a bit," Stabley said. "Central Michigan University has been wonderful to me and I'm a Chippewa for life.
"I've loved every second of my time at CMU and feel privileged to have held this job for 23 years. I'm truly amazed at how far CMU Athletics has come in terms of facilities and success at the conference and national level."
Stabley has coordinated the media relations efforts for all 16 of CMU's varsity sports while directly working with the baseball, basketball and football teams over the years. In fact, he has handled football and baseball all 23 seasons.
A 1970 graduate of Michigan State University, Stabley is a part of a three-generation SID family. His father, Fred Sr., was the SID at Michigan State for 32 years and was one of the pioneers in the profession. His daughter, Amy, served as an assistant SID at Texas for five years and the SID at Oakland University for five years. She is currently an assistant to the athletics director at OU.
Fred served as the president of the College Sports Information Directors of America for the 2000-01 school year and he coordinated the press box operations for the first seven Motor City Bowls. He also worked the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta as a member of the baseball information team.
Prior to coming to CMU, Stabley was a sportswriter at the Lansing State Journal for 12 years. There he gave a young high school sophomore Earvin Johnson the nickname of "Magic."
Fred and wife Barbara have three children: Amy Jo Hirschman, Bethanie Lambie and Kyle; and five grandchildren.