Celebrating Edson's Hall of Fame Career in Athletics

Mentor. Advocate. Teacher. Ally. Friend. These are just a few words that hundreds of people who have had the pleasure to work with Sue Cornelius Edson would use to describe her.

In September 1990, Sue Cornelius, a recent Syracuse graduate returned to her alma mater to work in the sports information office. Thirty-four years later, Sue will walk out of the athletics facility for the last time as an employee. She is joining the Falk College of Sport faculty to teach in the sport management program and will develop and lead a student experiential program for first-, second- and third-year students to gain hands on experience in sports-related organizations in the community, to set them up for their senior Capstone experience.

"I am grateful to have had the opportunity to love what I do every day for the past 34 years and with the unwavering support of Thomas, Tracey and Rob, and the fortune to work with amazing colleagues and friends in the Syracuse Athletic Communications office and the athletics department, communications student assistants, student-athletes, coaches and professional colleagues on our campus and across the country. So many wonderful people, including Larry Kimball and Jake Crouthamel, who hired me three months after I graduated from Syracuse, and Doris Soladay, Barb Henderson and Kathy Bilbrough, who were amazing role models and mentors," Edson said. "The opportunity to join the Falk College of Sport faculty to begin a second professional Orange journey doing what I am equally as passionate about is a gift. While I will miss the storytelling and promoting Orange student-athletes, I am grateful for this new opportunity to work with students in a different capacity and to attend Syracuse games as a fan."

Gallery: (8-16-2024) Celebrating Sue Edson

While a student at Syracuse, Sue worked at the school newspaper, The Daily Orange, as both the assistant sports editor as well as the editor-in-chief. After graduation, when Larry Kimball invited Sue back to campus to become part of the Sports Information staff, she didn't hesitate. When Larry retired in 1997, director of athletics Jake Crouthamel hired Sue as sports information director, following in the footsteps of Larry, Val Pinchbeck and Arnie Burdick.

One of the core principles Larry instilled in Sue from her early years in the sports information office was that it is always about the people. From the student-athletes of the various sports she had the pleasure to work with to the colleagues and lifelong friends she has made across the country, Sue's focus has always surrounded the people that make her job so special.

Sue has dedicated her life's work to supporting the University that has given her so much and will continue to do so in a new capacity. She met her late husband, Rob Edson, while the two were undergraduate students at Syracuse. Rob was a college athletics administrator at Syracuse and the Director of Athletics at nearby Onondaga Community College at the time of his passing. The two raised their children, Thomas and Tracey, on the campus of Syracuse University and the Edson's have been a staple around Syracuse Athletics facilities spanning the last four decades. Thomas earned his Master's degree from Newhouse in 2022 while Tracey finished her undergraduate studies this past May with a bachelor's degree in sport management from Falk.

Sue has earned countless honors, including induction into the CSC Hall of Fame in 2012. She also received the ECAC-SIDA Irving T. Marsh Award, which is bestowed upon exemplary individuals who have exhibited excellence in the field of athletic communications and the Bob Kenworthy Award. The Kenworthy Award is presented to an exceptional person who through their actions shows the same respect for the profession, SID's, the media and community as Bob Kenworthy, a longtime Gettysburg SID, did during his long and successful career.

But if you ask Sue about her Hall of Fame career at Syracuse, she will say it's not about what she's accomplished but what the student-athletes and staff around her accomplished while having the opportunity to tell their stories. Sue has been at Syracuse for for numerous football bowl games, NCAA tournaments, rivalry wins over Georgetown or UConn, BIG EAST and ACC Championships, multiple Final Fours, the first women's national championship in school history, the women's rowing team's first ever trip to the Henley Royal Regatta, ice hockey winning the CHA Championship at home – the list goes on.

She has been a fixture on the sidelines at Syracuse events and a friendly face for fans, family and alumni for decades. When former athletes come back to visit, you can guarantee they will pop into the communications office to say 'hi' to Sue and capture one of her legendary hugs.

Sue has worked with almost every sport Syracuse has offered throughout her tenure. When she was named the director of the office in 1997, she was one of just a handful of women across the country leading an office and handling the primary communications responsibilities for a Division I football program. Sue is a mentor and role model to so many and has paved the way for future communications professionals across the country.

The family Sue has created within the Syracuse Athletic Communications Office (SUAC) is unlike any other. She has mentored over 300 students who worked in the communications office under Sue's leadership. Many have gone on to work in the college or professional ranks. Some have even started their own businesses.

Sue's mentorship extends beyond the athletic department. She has hosted dinners at her house for the WISE (Women in Sports and Events) group on campus, spoken to various student media groups on campus and has served on several committees during her tenure.

Outside of Syracuse, she served on the ECAC Executive Board of Directors for eight years, including president in 2002-03. Somehow, she still found time to serve as a coach for Thomas' and Tracey's youth softball and basketball teams and serve as a leader for a Junior Girl Scout troop in Syracuse. Sue currently is a member of the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors and previously was a member of the Women's Fund of Central New York Leadership Council.

Sue's impact and legacy in athletics will be remembered for years as very few have had the commitment and passion she has for the student-athletes, coaches and staff that grace the halls of the Lally Athletics Complex.

Her last day in athletics will be August 16.

"Sue Cornelius Edson's impact and legacy within Syracuse Athletics is unmatched. Through her unwavering dedicated service to Syracuse University and thousands of student-athletes, coaches and staff over the last 34 years, Sue has displayed great loyalty, passion, commitment and integrity. Her commitment to our student-athletes and her contributions to Syracuse Athletics will be greatly missed. Our loss in athletics will be a bountiful gain for Falk College and the thousands of Sports Management students she will work with."
-John Wildhack
Syracuse University Director of Athletics

"Sue Edson is one of the greatest professionals in our industry. Her work in publicizing and promoting Syracuse University and its student-athletes is unparalleled. Her impact goes well beyond Syracuse as she has been a leader in sports communications at both the regional and national levels. Thankfully, she will continue to educate young professionals in her new role as a professor of practice at Falk College."
-Larry Dougherty
Former Senior Associate Athletics Director at Temple University

"I cannot explain the impact Sue has not only had on my career, but my life. She has been the most incredible mentor and role model and I feel so fortunate that I was able to learn the ropes of communications from the best in the business and continue to learn from her to this day. So often in my career when faced with a challenge, I think to myself 'What would Sue do?' and go with a decision from there. Sue is an absolute trailblazer in the sports communications industry and her legacy lives on through so many of us who, thanks to her guidance, passion and leadership, have chosen to follow in her footsteps and are working as communications professionals."
-Jordyn White
Director, Community & Corporate Communications for the Cleveland Browns

"Sue Edson has served Syracuse University with excellence in athletic communications on the local, regional and national levels. She is also incredibly respected among her peers in athletic communications on all of those levels. Sue loves Syracuse University. I am fortunate to be her friend and colleague."
-John Paquette
Senior Associate Commissioner, Sports Media Relations at The Big East Conference

"We were incredibly fortunate to work directly with Sue Edson for the past four years. Her love for Syracuse University, Syracuse Athletics and Syracuse Women's Rowing runs deep. Sue truly Bleeds Orange and we could see it in the excitement and energy that she brought to all of her interactions with our athletes and coaches. She is fully connected to our team and I will always enjoy the special memory of Sue celebrating with the team by jumping into the water after we captured the 2024 ACC Team Championship! We will miss spending time with Sue on our team bus rides, at our team meals and at the race course but we are happy to know that she will not be far away. Sue is Forever Orange and forever a part of the Women's Rowing Team."
-Luke McGee
Head Coach, Syracuse Women's Rowing

"For decades, Sue has been one of the mainstays of the Syracuse athletic department, guiding student-athletes and students with helpful advice that I'm sure they carry with them to this day. I certainly do as a former co-worker. In an ever-changing profession, she was always able to stay at the forefront by learning and adapting to the new ways. If it's possible, her personal interest in others and her work ethic has surpassed even her Hall of Fame status. What a wonderful gift to Syracuse that more students will be able to learn from her experiences!"
-Courtney Archer
Director of Events for the National Football Foundation

"Sue is not only a trailblazer for women in athletics, but also a talented and respected professional who has done outstanding work in promoting the stories of the Orange. Her relationships with student-athletes and staff, with the media, and with the Syracuse fans and alumni are among the best in the nation. The professionals she has mentored and trained will continue that legacy of excellence."
-Shelly Poe
Assistant AD/Communications – Football at Auburn University

"Sue has been an incredible mentor and advocate during her time with Syracuse Athletics, and her departure is both bittersweet and exciting. When I arrived at Syracuse, the rowing team's Instagram account was in dire need of a complete overhaul. Sue took it upon herself to revamp not just our account but all the sports accounts she managed. Her relentless efforts to elevate the visibility of 'smaller sports' and her commitment to traveling with rowing across the US showcased her unwavering support. Beyond her professional achievements, Sue profoundly impacted everyone she worked with, including me. She always took the time to get to know the athletes on the teams she worked with, fostering genuine connections that went beyond the surface. She was the first one into the office and the last one out, always working tirelessly. I admired that, despite her extensive experience and long hours, she never shied away from tackling even the smallest tasks herself. She set a high standard for how I aspire to conduct myself in the sports industry after college, making it a pleasure to have her as my boss for my Capstone project. As she transitions to becoming a professor at Falk College, I have no doubt she will bring the same passion and excellence to her new role. The students at Falk College are incredibly fortunate to learn from her, just as I have been."
-Haley Uliaz
Former SUAC intern and student-athlete (women's rowing, ice hockey)

Sue Edson celebrates the 2024 ACC Women's Rowing Championship

Syracuse University Athletics

Celebrating Edson's Hall of Fame Career in Athletics

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