One Manns Show

Lights flickered off in the office. Seated, Kevin Manns lifted his left hand for proof then rested it on the armchair covered in masking tape for reinforcement.
“Yeah, even the lights sometimes just go off,” Manns said.
The director of sports information at Southern worked as a source of light came through his door and illuminated his facial structure from the hallway. Manns turned to his computer, which seemed to run off the energy of hamsters racing on a turn wheel inside. He continued to work on a game roster. Sure, the job may not entail palatial digs, but Manns said he enjoys his work. With the aid of two other people — an assistant and a full-time secretary throughout the week, he’s responsible for the information of 16 sports.
Starting at 8:30 a.m. work can last until 10-11 p.m. Labor entails fielding interview requests for young athletes and coaches. Sometimes, the mouthpiece ensures players in front of television cameras wearing SU apparel instead of Sean Jean. He has to multitask by being in charge of giving instructions to press for games as well as finding official score keepers, time clock operators and stats crews. Frequently traveling with teams, Manns said he’s visited 35-40 states.
When news prints in the papers, if the word is bad, the responsibility of the school’s image mostly falls on his back. So, most importantly he strives for squeaky-clean press coverage.
Manns, 38, started working in sports information 13 years ago. He got a foot in the door at Winston-Salem State, where he’d watch his brother play football.
“This is my way of staying around athletics,” Manns said.
While at Winston-Salem he worked with SU football coach Pete Richardson.
“He’s going to put himself in a position to do a quality job,” Richardson said. “He’s a plus for your program because he’s going to keep you updated in his experience.”
Manns reminisces about one of his best moments on the job. He worked with Craig Hodges, a player for the Chicago Bulls during their first three championships in the early ’90s.
“My friends would ask all the time for me to get Mike’s ( Michael Jordan) autograph,” Manns said, shaking his head. “The one thing you find out when you’re doing that work is you’ll quickly lose trust.”
Sometimes people only like to go for the lights and the camera. Manns stays for all the action.