HAMILTON, N.Y. (8/7/08) - John Gilger has been named assistant director of athletic communications.  He will serve as the primary publicity contact for the Raiders’ field hockey, men’s ice hockey, swimming & diving, as well as women’s lacrosse program.

A native of Oil City, Pa., Gilger comes to Colgate after serving two years as sports information director at Hartwick College.  During his tenure with the Hawks, he promoted a 17-sport intercollegiate athletic department, two on the NCAA Division I level and 15 that reside in the Division III ranks.   In 2007, he promoted two student-athletes who gained All-American accolades as well as Jason Boltus, the recipient of the Melberger Award, one of the most prestigious awards handed out in Division III football.

Following college, Gilger began his 15-year career in sports information with a two-year internship at Southwest Texas State in San Marcos, Texas.  Since that period, he spent a year at East Carolina to fulfill requirements of his master’s degree, as well as two years as an assistant at New Mexico State and East Tennessee State.  In July of 1999, Gilger was named the first-ever sports information director at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, where he initiated the media relations efforts from scratch and publicized a then brand new NCAA Division I athletic department.

During his career, he has had the opportunity to work at a variety of sporting events, including the 1993 World University Games in Buffalo, N.Y., where he served as an assistant venue press chief for women’s basketball.

Gilger is a 1990 graduate of the University of Denver, where he received his bachelor’s degree in mass communications and a minor in speech communications. A few years later, he returned to school and completed a master’s degree in sports administration from St. Thomas University in Miami, Fla.

Gilger, who also holds a post baccalaureate certificate in legal studies from Sullivan University (Lexington, Ky.), resides in Hamilton with his two labs – Dudley and Barkley (named after his favorite all-time basketball player).