B.J.Sohn

B.J. Sohn, UNF's new sports information director, has been a victim of circumstances throughout his employment career. As even he'll admit, they have mostly all been fortuitous circumstances.

Landing a sports job in Jacksonville, or as close to here as possible, has been a goal of Sohn's for some time. Before accepting the position at UNF, Sohn, whose given name is William but who has been known as B.J. for as long as he can remember, had been to Jacksonville several times visiting friends and relatives who live in Jacksonville Beach. He's also been to UNF before to look up an old friend, Keli Coughlin, from his days as the assistant director for athletic media relations at the University of Michigan. Coughlin, the daughter of Jaguars' coach Tom Coughlin, is the head athletic trainer at UNF. It was Keli Coughlin whom Sohn contacted after learning of the UNF sports information director opening. Sohn asked her to fill him in on the job. "I KNEW she really enjoys UNF and that says a lot for this University,"Sohn, 33, said. "It's a terrific school with wonderful people and impressive facilities. It's a special place which has an athletic program that is continually growing."

Sohn, who's from Champaign, Ill., said he has known since high school he wanted to work in sports information. Sohn graduated from Southern Illinois University in 1990 with a bachelor's degree in journalism. In addition to the University of Michigan, Sohn has worked in the sports information departments at the University of Georgia and Northwestern University. He was the media services coordinator for the NBA's San Antonio Spurs before being named UNF's sports information director Nov. 20.

"B.J. Sohn brings a wealth of collegiate and professional experience to the SID's office," said UNF Athletic Director Dr. Richard Gropper. "His presence provides the potential for continued growth in an area of critical importance to UNF athletics."