One dedicated Dragon: MSUM sports information director of 40 years to retire
By: Eric Peterson, INFORUM
The Larry Scott era will soon be over at Minnesota State Moorhead.
The school’s longtime sports information director is set to officially retire at the end of June after 40 years on the job.
“I’m convinced that I owe MSU Moorhead much more than they would ever owe me,” said Scott, who is 63 years old.
Scott, who was inducted into the College Sports Information Directors Association Hall of Fame in 1991, said he hasn’t missed a day of work in that time and has attended the last 427 Dragons football games.
“So the emotions that come with that are sad to see him go … he’s been a great representative of the athletic department,” said MSUM Athletic Director Doug Peters. “He bleeds Dragon red. The guy is a walking history book of Dragon athletics.”
Scott said the budget cuts facing the university played a role in the timing of his retirement, but that only accelerated his decision a year or two.
“I knew that time was coming,” Scott said.
Scott said he accepted an early retirement incentive package offered through the school and his union.
Scott informed Peters of his decision in early May.
“I firmly believe he is going to be a Dragon for life and he is going to be around,” Peters said. “He is not going to disappear on us.”
Scott said he plans to stay active with the athletic department and the school in a limited role in the coming years.
“I won’t have to go cold turkey for too long,” said Scott, who lives near his Alex Nemzek Hall office. “It would be very difficult for me to close the door, get in the car and take off somewhere.”
Scott said he was hired as the first full-time SID for the Dragons in 1969 after President Roland Dille created the position and offered it to him.
Scott was ready to take an assistant SID job at the University of Minnesota that summer.
“My heart was still here so I thought, ‘Well, maybe I’ll stay with the Dragons a little while and then head down the road,’ ” Scott said. “That was kind of neat. It was kind of like a laboratory experiment. I got to learn on the job.”
Peters said the athletic department will have to work through its budget issues as it figures out how to replace Scott.
“It makes it a little more complicated,” Peters said. “We are just trying to figure out how to best move forward and how to replace such a legend.”