Young Named Southern Athletic Association Assistant Commissioner

The Southern Athletic Association (SAA) has named Hoyt Young its first assistant commissioner effective July 1.

“I’m thrilled to fill this position with a person like Hoyt,” said Jay Gardiner, Southern Athletic Association commissioner.  “His skill-set, experience in college athletics and leadership qualities made him a natural choice.”

Young joins the SAA after working in the Oglethorpe University athletics department for the past seven years, the last three of which he served as associate athletics director for media relations.

“I’m honored to become a part of this exciting new league,” said Young. “I look forward to working with the member institutions which are among the finest liberal arts colleges the southeast has to offer.”

Spanning six states, the SAA, which begins play in the fall of 2012, includes Birmingham-Southern College in Alabama, Centre College in Kentucky, Hendrix College in Arkansas, Millsaps College in Mississippi, Oglethorpe University and Berry College in Georgia, and Rhodes College and Sewanee: The University of the South in Tennessee.

The sports information position at Oglethorpe had been vacated for some time prior to Young’s arrival, providing an opportunity to rebuild the department. After implementing live statistics and alert scores, Young created the “Petrel Sports Network” to provide live streaming audio of home contests called by student broadcasters with aspiring careers in media productions.

He oversaw the construction and launch of gopetrels.com, the school’s first sports website, and brought live streaming video on board in 2010. Young also served as media director at four NCAA Division III Championships: Women’s Tennis (2009), Women’s Golf (2010, 2011) and Men’s Golf (2012). 

Prior to his arrival at Oglethorpe, Young worked as an advertising copywriter and freelance magazine contributor.

Young graduated from the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) in 1997 with a degree in communications. He resides in Atlanta with his wife, Margaret, and two-year-old daughter, Lottie.