Two Promoted In Athletic Administration
John Heisler and Jannifer Crittendon rewarded for service.

July 25, 2001

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame director of athletics Kevin White has announced the promotion of John Heisler to associate athletic director for media relations, broadcast properties and contest scheduling and Jannifer Crittendon to assistant athletic director for student development

A South Bend, Ind., native, John Heisler has been a member of the Notre Dame sports publicity staff for 23 years. He is in his 14th year as the University’s sports information director after spending 10 previous years as a member of the sports publicity staff. He added the title of assistant athletic director in 1995. Heisler handles the day-to-day administration of the Irish Sports Information Office and also has administrative duties working with the men’s and women’s lacrosse programs, handling scheduling for men’s basketball and overseeing Notre Dame’s broadcast properties and external events including football and basketball luncheons, banquets and pep rallies.

Heisler joined the athletic department staff in April of 1978 as assistant director and was promoted to associate director in July 1982 under longtime sports information director Roger Valdiserri.

Heisler has helped edit a variety of award-winning publications in the last 23 years-including 27 judged best in the nation by College Sports Information Directors of America panels. He has worked primarily with the Notre Dame football and basketball departments since his promotion to associate director-and has produced nine top-ranked football media guides and four more in basketball.

He also has edited Irish football highlight films and coordinated production of various other Notre Dame video products and merchandise. He has done color analysis of Notre Dame basketball games on both radio and television.

Heisler spent four years working in the University of Missouri sports information office as a student, handling publicity for basketball and non-revenue sports. Following his graduation from the School of Journalism in December of 1976, he was named the first full-time assistant to Missouri sports information director Bill Callahan-then moved to Notre Dame one year later.

He helped direct research operations in Los Angeles for ABC Sports coverage of the 1984 Olympics, worked with NBC Sports as an administrator of its research operation for its coverage of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and served as network liaison with ABC Sports for its coverage of the 1987 International Summer Special Olympics at Notre Dame. He also assisted Lou Holtz in the writing of The Fighting Spirit, the best-selling story of Notre Dame’s 1988 national championship football season.

Heisler served as media coordinator for NCAA men’s basketball tournament games at Notre Dame in 1985 and 1988 and has worked at five NCAA Final Four events. He helped initiate the CoSIDA writing contest as part of his longtime involvement with the writing committee which promotes excellence in writing among CoSIDA members and currently serves as chairman on that committee.

In 1994, he received the Special Presidential Award from Notre Dame president Rev. Edward A. Malloy, C.S.C., and was awarded an honorary monogram by the Notre Dame National Monogram Club in 1991.

“John is well deserving of this promotion to our senior staff and I am pleased that we have been able to recognize all the contributions he has made as a long-standing and loyal member of the Notre Dame athletic department,” White says. “John has built a reputation among national and local media members as being one of the very best in his profession. He has assumed added administrative responsibilities during his tenure and has served well the needs of our coaches and student-athletes.”

Jannifer Crittendon is in her fourth year in the athletic department and concentrates her efforts in the Student Development program which focuses on providing a balanced Notre Dame experience for student-athletes by focusing on five key areas: academics excellence, athletics success, career preparation, community involvement and personal development.

Prior to joining the athletic department, Crittendon worked at Notre Dame as director of the Diversity Program since 1995. In that position, she was responsible for the launching and implementation of the program as she developed and coordinated initiatives, events and workshops for students, faculty and staff. Crittendon developed two diversity courses – one of which she currently teaches. In addition, she developed a student development course that will be required of all University freshman this fall.

In October of 2000, Notre Dame’s Student Development program was one of four nationally identified by the NCAA Division I-A Athletic Director’s Association as one of the best in the nation.

Crittendon served as the co-director for facilities management at Indiana University-South Bend from 1992 through 1995 and was responsible for overseeing five service-oriented departments at the school. She was the director of business services for Memorial Health System’s Women, Infants and Children’s Program in South Bend from 1989 through 1992 and worked for the Department of Defense for the city of South Bend from 1984 though 1989 as the manager of computer services and a contract management assistant.

She graduated from Indiana University-South Bend in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in business and communications and earned a master’s degree from the school in 1995 in management administration.

“Jannifer has been a tremendous asset to our athletic department and our Student Development program since she was hired,” White says. “She was instrumental in helping build the program from the ground level, and through her efforts as well as others on our staff, has developed it into one of the very best in the country to serve the needs of our student-athletes.”