Nov. 3, 2022

This paid piece is sponsored by Dakota State University.

When Nick Huntimer graduated from Dakota State University in 2005, he could have taken several career paths, but a passion for sports led him to the field of sports information.

Now the sports information director, or SID, at DSU, he said it’s a great career choice for anyone “as long you love sports, have a passion for sports and competition.”

Huntimer has always loved sports, so much so that as a fourth grader he transferred from the South Dakota School for the Deaf back home to Oldham-Ramona.

“The sports opportunities weren’t there at SDSD, so a few of us decided to mainstream with public schools in our hometown to grab those sports-playing opportunities,” he said.

Being deaf hasn’t stopped him from grabbing any opportunities on the field, in the classroom or on the job.

“Deaf people can do anything that hearing people do, except hear,” he said. “We have talents and skills in sports that all athletes have. We all have the same goals to win games and motivate ourselves to achieve our goals.”

After high school, he earned a degree at Dakota State in business education, with middle school math, coaching and K-12 technology endorsements. A work-study position in the athletics department led him to the sports information director position, a full-time job he has held since 2006.

Participating in sports, earning a bachelor’s degree and internships in athletics departments are all on the list of recommendations to enter the SID field, according to Indeed.com. Also on the list is joining a professional organization.

Huntimer has done that too, with College Sports Communicators, formerly CoSIDA.

“I’m currently a committee member with the diversity and inclusion committee, which meets monthly in a virtual format,” Huntimer said.

“Hopefully, one of these days, I could become a committee member or some type of position with the national organization levels in the sports information field.”

He’s already on the path to that, having served as SID for the North Star Athletic Association. He has been named the SID of the Year three times in the past 10 years, first in 2013-14 and then back-to-back honors in 2020-21 and 2021-22.

But for Huntimer, his passion for sports goes beyond his job.

“I really have a strong passion for sports at both high school and college levels,” which is why he also officiates high school volleyball, basketball and softball. He also gets out on the softball field as an athlete with some of his classmates from SDSD.

“During our college years, we got back together for the summer, and we played softball together in a league down in Sioux Falls with the deaf team.”

They saw ups and downs like any team but kept playing together. They have won Midwest region tournaments and the National Softball Association of the Deaf tournament. They have been in the national tournament championship game seven times in the past nine years, including the first outright national tournament champion in 2021 in Kansas City, Missouri.

“We have the talent and skills, we all love the competition, and we hang out together as a team,” he said. “That’s how we have a strong bond together as a team, building a dynasty.”

This relationship-building takes place through athletics, Huntimer said, building lifelong friendships.

“I see student-athletes gain opportunities to learn, compete and succeed by participating in college sports. In addition, I can see the student-athletes develop their work ethic, character values, leadership skills, supporting each other,” he said.

His love of sports is evident in his work as DSU’s sports information director, but he also is able to include his passion for his alma mater.

“It’s like working together as a family here at Dakota State with the coaches and students. I really love the small-school environment and gradually see the growing university that Dakota State is right now, with the new athletics complex, along with the sports additions,” Huntimer said.

He can list several favorite moments in Dakota State sports: football dominating the SDIC during the 1970s, softball dominance in the early 1980s, recent successes with the cross country and track programs and the women’s basketball dynasty.

“I have loved to see the rich traditions each sport has had over the years, winning conferences or advancing to the NAIA national tournaments,” he said.

“It’s been amazing to see how Dakota State University has grown throughout the years, and there will be many more favorite moments in coming years at Dakota State for sure.”