GALESBURG, IL - Knox College Interim Director of Athletics Adam Hertz yesterday announced the hiring of Rick Bender as the Prairie Fire's Assistant Director of Athletics for Communications and Marketing.
A veteran with nearly 25 years directing athletics communications offices, Bender spent the past 16 years at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, first as the Director of Varsity of Athletics Communications before earning a promotion in 2022 to Senior Associate Athletics Director for Varsity Athletics Communications. He oversaw the communications efforts for the Big Green's 35 Division I varsity sports, including the DartmouthSports.com web site, video streaming and media relations. He served as the contact for football, men's basketball, baseball, men's and women's golf, and skiing.
"We are thrilled to have Rick join the Knox Athletics family," Hertz stated. "His successful career as a college athlete and tenure in athletics communications at some of the preeminent institutions in the country give him the quality expertise that we expect from our team. He takes a holistic approach when it comes to working with the department and understands athletics as a part of the educational experience."
Bender's story, "
The Curious Son of Sidd Finch," won the District I award for story with a video in the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest in 2019. The following year, Bender, along with two of his staff members, received the national award for the best Special Event Program, University Division, for the
Dartmouth football game program at Yankee Stadium. In 2023, he was honored with the
25-Year Award from the CSC for a quarter century in the profession, and in June won the District I Award in the Social Justice/Diversity category for his story on the
Big Green's first black women's golfer in 40 years.
Hired as an assistant sports information director in the fall of 1996 at Davidson College, Bender was promoted to the director's position after three years, from which he managed the communications efforts for the Wildcats' 21 Division I varsity sports. During his eight years as the director, he served as the Co-Media Coordinator for the 1999 and 2000 Men's College Cup, as well as the Media Coordinator for the 2005 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament First- and Second-Round games in Charlotte, North Carolina.
"As an Illinois native, I am thrilled to be back in my home state with an opportunity to work at another prestigious liberal arts college," Bender said. "I look forward to promoting all aspects of the Prairie Fire student-athletes and staff, both on and off the field of competition."
A 1993 graduate of Davidson with a degree in mathematics, Bender was a three-time all-conference shortstop for the Wildcats' baseball team and was inducted into the
Davidson Athletics Hall of Fame in January 2024. He spent
four summers playing independent professional baseball in the Frontier and Texas-Louisiana Leagues for the Portsmouth (Ohio) Explorers, Beaumont (Texas) Bullfrogs and Alexandria (Louisiana) Aces. Bender also served as an assistant coach at his alma mater for three years before moving into the sports information department.
Bender, born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois, and his wife of 26 years, Mitze, have a son, Jake (20), dog Gus, and two cats, Uhtred and Rosa.
