SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Slippery Rock University and its Athletics Department mourn the passing of former sports information director and longtime Rock Athletics Hall of Fame committee member Bob McComas, who passed away earlier this week.
 
McComas was the second full-time sports information director in Slippery Rock history, following his mentor John Carpenter when he took over in July of 2000. He served the University for 14 years until departing at the end of the 2013-14 academic year, when he accepted a position as the Pennsylvania state administrator of the Lions Club in Harrisburg.
 
A 1982 graduate of Slippery Rock with a master's degree in recreation, McComas previously served as a graduate assistant in the Sports Information Office under Carpenter from 1980-82 before embarking on a career in journalism.
 
He served as sports information director at Drexel University for three years and then worked as a sports writer and assistant sports editor at The Bradenton Herald in Bradenton, Florida for 15 years before coming back to Slippery Rock in 2000 when Carpenter retired.
 
"I am saddened by the news of Bob's passing," said Carpenter, who served as the sports information director at SRU for more than 30 years and is still a member of the Hall of Fame committee. "Bob truly adopted SRU as his school and SRU likewise adopted him. Even though he was gone from the SRU community for a time as a sports writer in Bradenton, Florida, and in more recent years in Harrisburg with the Lions Club, Bob remained devoted to his adopted Alma Mater. He followed the successes of The Rock athletic teams religiously. I know his Rock family will grieve his passing."
 
McComas, affectionately known by many on campus as "Bobby Mac," was a decorated member of the Lions Club and was passionate about service. He spent four years on the cabinet and three years as president of the Slippery Rock Lions Club before accepting the state administrator job for the Lions of Pennsylvania. In that role, he oversaw more than 21,000 Lions Club members throughout the Commonwealth and worked to uphold the policies and procedures set forth by Lions Club International, the largest service organization in the world.
 
In his tenure with the local Lions Club here in Slippery Rock, which included serving as president for the 50th anniversary celebration, McComas doubled the organization's membership. He was honored with three citations from the Lions Club International for his local efforts.
 
In addition to his work with the Slippery Rock Lions Club, McComas also served four years as a membership chairman for the five-county district, three years as the district's campus club coordinator, two years as the northern Butler County zone chairman and one year each as the district newsletter editor and public relations chairman. He was also one of the founding fathers of the Slippery Rock University Campus Lions Club.
 
McComas followed in his father's footsteps with his service to the Lions Club, as his father, G.E., received a Life Membership from his local Lions Club and served as a District Governor in charge of six counties in Ohio.
 
A native of Wooster, Ohio and a 1981 graduate of the University of Akron, McComas guided the sports information office at Slippery Rock through some of the steepest changes in the profession's history with major technology and internet advancements hitting collegiate athletics in the early 2000s. He signed the first vendor contract for the official athletics website to be hosted by a third-party when he partnered with SIDEARM Sports, which at the time went by Internet Consulting Services (ICS). That deal has paid significant dividends as Slippery Rock has continued its partnership with SIDEARM for nearly two decades and the Athletics website has received numerous honors as one of the best in the nation.
 
In addition to his efforts in covering Slippery Rock Athletics, McComas was also heavily active in the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and the Division II Sports Information Directors Association (D2SIDA), serving as a regional representative on the national board. He also served 10 years as the Division II representative for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) board of directors and served seven years as the coordinator of the Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year award.

He was recognized with 10 CoSIDA awards for excellence in publications during his tenure as The Rock's sports information director.
 
McComas had the chance to mentor countless undergraduate students and graduate assistants during his tenure at Slippery Rock, many of which went into professional careers in athletics. He often spoke about that being among his favorite elements of working at SRU.
 
"Bob cared very deeply about the success of not just the student-athletes here at Slippery Rock, but of all the students at SRU and especially those that worked in the Sports Information Office," said Jon Holtz, director of athletic communication. "He also cared deeply about the sports information profession and cherished his relationships with his colleagues across the country, who I know will be heartbroken by this news. He will be missed by many former students, sports information colleagues, coaches and administrators."
 
The Slippery Rock Athletics Hall of Fame committee plans to recognize McComas during the annual Hall of Fame celebration in October. 

A Lions Service of Remembrance and Celebration of Life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, August 27 at St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 4200 Londonderry Road, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, preceded by a visitation beginning at 10 a.m. Lion/Pastor James Person will be officiating. Burial will be at a later date in Manasota Memorial Park, Bradenton, Florida.

In lieu of flowers, his family requests donations be made in Bob's memory to Four Diamonds, PA Lions Care for the Kids, Penn State Children's Hospital, 1249 Cocoa Ave., Suite 115, PO Box 852, Hershey, PA 17033-0852.
 


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