06/28/2016

Awards Aplenty For Fighting Irish Media

Notre Dame athletics media production group earned 19 honors for professional excellence during 2015-16 academic year.

Bernadette Cafarelli has been a member of the Notre Dame Athletics Department staff since September 1994 and was promoted to her current post as assistant athletics director in October 2007. She currently serves as the Athletics Communications Associate Director for the Fighting Irish men’s basketball team.

Cafarelli oversees the day-to-day operation of the media relations office and staff, as well as publicity material for Notre Dame’s Olympic sports teams. She works primarily with the Fighting Irish men’s basketball team, and serves as editor of both the football game program and the athletic department’s annual report.

Cafarelli joined the Irish sports information department as an assistant director in September 1994 following seven years as assistant director of marketing, promotions and media relations at Providence College. She was promoted to associate sports information director at Notre Dame in August 1999, and later was named sports information director in August 2003.

At Providence, Cafarelli served as the primary contact for 16 sports and was chief editor of the Friars’ women’s basketball media guide.

In addition, she assisted with daily operations of the PC men’s basketball team. Cafarelli also coordinated gameday operations for all home events at Providence and served as tournament director of the 1993 BIG EAST Conference Women’s Basketball Championship. She also was the office liaison for all BIG EAST and NCAA events hosted at Providence. In addition, Cafarelli served as assistant media coordinator for the 1989 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship and 1992 NCAA East Regional Hockey Tournament that were hosted by Providence. Prior to her position at Providence, Cafarelli spent three years as assistant sports information director at the College of William and Mary.

She has been a member of the Academic All-America Committee since June 1988 and currently serves as the organization’s national co-chair. In 2000, Cafarelli received the Lester Jordan Award from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) for outstanding contributions to the Academic All-America program.

Cafarelli also is a member of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four Media Relations Committee. From 2010-13, she served a three-year term on the BIG EAST Academic Affairs Committee. Cafarelli also serves on CoSIDA’s University Division Management Advisory Committee as the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)-SIDA representative for Independent schools.

Cafarelli participated in the Sports Management Institute in 1998-99.

In June 2013, she was inducted into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame.

Born March 3, 1961, the Schenectady, N.Y., native received her bachelor’s degree in American studies from Notre Dame in 1983. During that time, she spent two years as a student assistant in the University’s sports information office. Following graduation, Cafarelli attended Ohio University where she received her master’s degree in sports administration in 1984.

Bernadette CafarelliBernadette Cafarelli

Position:
Assistant Athletics Director
Department:
Athletic Communications (Fighting Irish Media)