Mark Engel, who has served as the Detroit Titans Sports Information Director for more than a quarter of a century, announced his retirement today, effective Sept. 3.
He will continue on as head coach of UDM's highly-successful men's golf team, which he has guided to six Horizon League Championships, the most recent in 2010. Engel was named Horizon League Coach of the Year in 2010, receiving that honor for the fourth time in his 20-year tenure.
“Mark has been a loyal member of the Titan family for many years,” UDM Athletic Director Keri Gaither noted. “Although he won't be here on a daily basis in Sports Information, it is terrific that he will be able to remain on the staff as the Titan golf coach. His role in the success of the Titan golf teams has been invaluable. He has built a solid program with a strong Horizon League Championship history combined with outstanding academic success and we are looking forward to continuing that tradition.”
Engel arrived at the University in July of 1983 as Sports Information Director after having worked as Managing Editor of Basketball Weekly. He was later promoted to Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information, his current post. He was recently honored at the annual CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) Workshop in San Francisco for his longevity and contributions to the field.
“There are a lot of long days that go into being an SID, but I'm lucky that I also racked up many great memories at UDM to go along with the hours. I've been fortunate to work with a lot of wonderful student-athletes, coaches and staff members along with some great colleagues at other schools and members of the media who have covered the Titans,” Engel said.
“I'd like to thank all of the people who have worked with me in Sports Information over the years. So many of them have moved on in the profession after leaving our school, advancing from internships to full-time assistants' jobs, or assistants becoming directors, and I hope that I was always able to give them a few things to take with them. I'm looking forward to staying connected to the program by continuing on with our golf team.”
In addition to his public relations duties on behalf of the Titans, Engel has contributed to the media relations efforts for a number of NCAA basketball and golf championships during his career, including as media coordinator as UDM hosted three successful NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Midwest Regionals as well as the 2009 Final Four. He has also served on two CoSIDA committees (Publications Contest and Publications Contest Publicity) and has won numerous writing contests sponsored by the organization during his career.
In 2005, Engel received the Kathy Best Award from the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association. The honor recognizes the "quality and tireless work performed by Detroit-area media professionals in sports-related public and media relations." He has also served for a number of years on the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame Election committee.
His experience outside of college athletics includes working as both a media relations assistant and reporter at such golf events as the U.S. Open, PGA Championship, U.S. Senior Open, U.S. Women's Open and the Ryder Cup.
-Detroit Titans-
