Why Indianapolis Colts Media Relations Staff Deservedly Received PFWA’s Pete Rozelle Award

For the second consecutive day, the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) honored the Indianapolis Colts.

One day after Colts GM Chris Ballard received the Jack Horrigan Award for how he helps writers do their jobs, the team’s public relations staff received the Pete Rozelle Award, given annually to the team’s media relations representatives who strive for excellence in building productive relationships.

The Colts PR staff was lauded for access for local and national media especially in the wake of the sudden retirement of quarterback Andrew Luck before the start of the 2019 season.

It’s the second time the Colts have won the Rozelle Award, in its 31st year, the other honor in 1996.

During the 2019 season, the Colts’ PR staff consisted of Steve Campbell (vice president of communications), Matt Conti (director of football communications), Christian Edwards (assistant director of communications), and Pamela Humphrey (communications coordinator). The Colts were also assisted by interns Hayden Clark and Kaila Lewis.

“This shouldn’t be surprising. Steve Campbell, Matt Conti, and the entire Colts PR staff, which also features Christian Edwards, Pam Humphrey and interns Hayden Clark and Kaila Lewis, have been one of the top PR staffs in the NFL for a number of years,” said Mike Wells, PFWA Indianapolis chapter vice president, who covers the Colts for ESPN.com

“They were put to the test before the regular season even started when Andrew Luck delivered arguably one of the biggest stories of the year when he announced his retirement. The news broke in the second half of a preseason game the night before the presser was originally scheduled. But just like the demeanor of general manager Chris Ballard and coach Frank Reich, the Colts PR staff didn’t get rattled. They put together a press conference that night at Lucas Oil Stadium that featured Luck, Reich, Ballard, and owner Jim Irsay. It ran so smoothly that you would have thought it was scheduled for that night.

“The Colts keep everything running by schedule from transcripts, having key players, Reich and the coordinators available at the same time on a regular basis. They also did their best to try to pull off unique interview requests,” said Wells. “Not every team in the NFL can say they give that type of access to the media. The Colts can, and that’s why they’re the best at what they do.”

The other 2020 nominees for the Rozelle Award were the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Pete Rozelle Award is named for the NFL commissioner from 1960-89, who started his distinguished career in sports PR roles as a student at both Compton (Calif.) Junior College and the University of San Francisco. After two more years as USF’s assistant athletic director after graduation, he broke into the NFL as the PR director of the Los Angeles Rams from 1952-55. Rozelle used his PR principles as commissioner to build relationships with the media during a period of unprecedented growth and challenge for the league.

ABOUT THE PFWA: In its 57th season in 2020, the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA) is the official voice of pro football writers, promoting and fighting for access to NFL personnel to best serve the public. The PFWA is made up of accredited writers who cover the NFL and the 32 teams daily. Bob Glauber, the national football columnist for Newsday, is the organization’s president for the 2018-20 seasons and the organization’s 29th president. The Athletic’s Lindsay Jones is the PFWA’s first vice-president, The Athletic’s Dan Pompei is the PFWA’s second vice-president and The Athletic’s Mike Sando is the PFWA secretary-treasurer. At-large members include ESPN.com’s Jeff Legwold, ProFootballtalk.com’s Charean Williams, Sports Illustrated’s Jenny Vrentas and USA Today’s Mike Jones. Follow the PFWA at ProFootballWriters.org and on Twitter at @PFWAwriters.

PETE ROZELLE AWARD WINNERS (Year indicates when award was presented for previous season): 1990 – Denver Broncos; 1991 – Pittsburgh Steelers; 1992 – Seattle Seahawks; 1993 – Miami Dolphins; 1994 – Houston Oilers; 1995 – New York Giants; 1996 – Colts; 1997 – St. Louis Rams; 1998 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers; 1999 – Miami Dolphins; 2000 – Tennessee Titans; 2001 – New York Giants; 2002 – Philadelphia Eagles; 2003 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers; 2004 – Houston Texans; 2005 – Philadelphia Eagles; 2006 – Cincinnati Bengals; 2007 – Houston Texans; 2008 – Seattle Seahawks; 2009 – Arizona Cardinals; 2010 – Houston Texans; 2011 – Baltimore Ravens; 2012 – Houston Texans; 2013 – Baltimore Ravens; 2014 – Denver Broncos; 2015 – Pittsburgh Steelers; 2016 – Denver Broncos; 2017 – Baltimore Ravens & Houston Texans; 2018 – Minnesota Vikings; 2019 – Los Angeles Rams; 2020 – Colts.

(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)