Recently retired Temple sports communications pro Larry Dougherty to receive PSWA Lifetime Achievement Award
By Jim DeLorenzo
Jim DeLorenzo Public Relations
For every star athlete on the court or on the field, there’s a hidden “star” working behind the scenes to get those stories told.
Over the past 40 years, one of those hidden stars has been Larry Dougherty, an exemplar of hard work, good humor and great storytelling. He’s the college sports information director and media relations guru who started his career as a student at Saint Joseph’s University and capped it with a long tenure at Temple University.
His tremendous career will be celebrated by the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association with a lifetime achievement award at the organization’s 119th Banquet on January 17, 2024. Click here for tickets and more info about other honorees and guests, such as Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola (Humanitarian), members of the 1974 Stanley Cup-winning Flyers (Living Legend Team), former Eagles standout Vince Papale (Living Legend), Philly native and IBF Welterweight champion Jaron Ennis (Pro Athlete of the Year).
A quiet and considerate Philly sports legend, Dougherty announced his retirement from his post as Senior Associate Athletics Director for Strategic Communications with the Owls in August. He stayed on through the end of the Fall 2023 semester, offering his wisdom when asked, sharing his spirit always, and continuing to serve as a role model and mentor for countless people he encountered in his professional life.
Most people don’t really know what the job Dougherty devoted his life to is – sometimes, the very media members, athletes, coaches and staff don’t know it, either. Writing, editing, photography, design, strategy, execution, networking, teaching, mentoring, coaching, cheerleading, campaigning – a partial list of the daily tasks a college sports information director does behind the scenes.
Dougherty learned from one of the best examples, his late father, Andy Dougherty, who did the same work in his extensive career on Hawk Hill from 1972 to 1983. Larry got his start working alongside his father while an undergrad at Saint Joseph’s in the early 1980s. He earned both his bachelor’s (1982) and executive MBA (1994) degrees from Saint Joseph’s.
His professional path took him first to Nicholls State University (Louisiana) for one year as the SID with the Colonels and continued with two years as Information Director for the East Coast Conference. He returned to Hawk Hill in 1987 and served 15 years in the SID office, the last eight as the school’s assistant athletic director for media relations.
Dougherty just celebrated his 20th year at Temple and 12th as Senior Associate Athletic Director for Strategic Communications after serving the previous four years as Associate Athletic Director. In his position, Dougherty oversaw the athletic communications of the University’s 19-sport Division I-A athletic program.
“I have been blessed to have been in this profession for so long,” Dougherty said to Kerith Gabriel at the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I learned this craft from my father, and always dreamed of following in his footsteps. Along the way, I was fortunate to be mentored by Temple legend Al Shrier. I was proud to take the baton from him and lead Temple’s athletic communications department for the past two decades. I’ve shared so many memories with colleagues, coaches and student-athletes, and I’ll cherish those forever.”
But there’s so much to Dougherty’s story that goes untold, including his embrace of other storytelling technologies and techniques over his career, the awards for his work and his service, including the coveted Arch Ward Award from the College Sport Communicators (formerly the College Sports Information Directors Association) in 2023. The award is presented annually to a member who has made outstanding contributions to the field of college athletics communications, and who by his activities, has brought dignity and prestige to the profession.
The Philadelphia Sports Writers Association is proud to recognize a peerless representative of Temple, Saint Joseph’s, college sports and media relations in Philadelphia and beyond.