Hampton University Athletics

Jim Heath

A lifetime Hampton resident, Jim Heath rejoined the Hampton University department in November of 2024 after working three years at Old Dominion University.
 
At Old Dominion, he served as the Associate Director of Athletic Communications for five teams from November 2021 to November 2024. Heath handled publicity for men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s tennis and men’s basketball. The women’s tennis team won three conference titles, while the women’s soccer team and men’s tennis team won two championships during his tenure.
 
He joined the Old Dominion staff in November of 2021 after working for six years at Hampton University. While at Hampton, he served as Sports Information Secretary (2015-16), Assistant Sports Information Director (2016-17) and as the Director of Sports Information (2017-21). He helped promote the first Historically Black College and University (HBCU) to sponsor Division I Men’s Lacrosse, and a move to the Big South Conference from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
 
Heath has also worked for 20 years as the Sports Information Consultant for the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). In his role with the USCAA, he has helped with the development of the website for the association along with serving as statistician for several national championship tournaments. Heath has helped introduce the use of live stats to national tournaments, working with tournaments for publicity locally and nationally, along with serving as a first call for member schools with statistics and Sports Information needs.

A 1992 graduate of Christopher Newport University, Heath was a student Sports Information Director throughout his collegiate days. Upon graduation with an English degree, he worked for two years as the Sports Information Intern at Old Dominion University from 1991-93. At ODU, he worked with nine sports including the field hockey team that did not lose a game in his two years.

After ODU, he returned to CNU serving as its first Assistant Sports Information Director for two years before going full-time with The Daily Press in Newport News, Va. in 1995 where he worked until March of 2001.

He returned the Sports Information field at The Apprentice School, where he served as the Sports Information Director from 2000-2015 for six sports. Heath played a key role in the establishment of their first website, institute live statistics at home events and help start their social media presence on Facebook and Twitter. While there, seven teams in his tenure at the school won national championships in the USCAA.

Heath is an active member of College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and Virginia Sports Information Directors serving a pair of two-year terms as President from 2015-2019. He has served as the Sports Information Director for the Atlantic Central Football Conference (2004-2010) and the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (2002-2007). Heath was named the recipient of the Bob Moskowitz Media Award by the Peninsula Sports Club in June of 2008 and received a Milestone Award by the club in September 2021.

Heath earned his 25-year recognition award from CoSIDA in May of 2021 after finishing his 25th year in athletic communications.