Pray Recognized by NBA

Feb. 12, 2003

Visit Hurricane Headquarter! Coral Gables, FLA (www.hurricanesports.com) — – Mark Pray, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications at the University of Miami, received the Splaver/McHugh “Tribute to Excellence Award” at the NBA All-Star game last weekend.

The award is presented annually by the NBA PR Directors Association to a current or former NBA PR Director who has “demonstrated an outstanding level of performance and service during his/her NBA career.

Pray oversees the athletic department’s sports media relations efforts, as well as serving as the primary liaison with the department’s broadcast partners.

Pray came to Miami in May, 2001, after serving four years as Director of Media Relations for the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) and most recently as Director of Communications Projects for the NBA. In 1988, Pray was named as the first Director of Media Relations for the Miami Heat, a position he held until being promoted to Vice President for Communications in 1995. In his capacity as Vice President for Communications, Pray oversaw the Heat’s media relations, community relations and broadcast departments.

Pray received an undergraduate degree in journalism from Kansas State and a master’s degree in sports administration from Ohio University.