Oct. 6, 2005
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State athletic director Jeff Schemmel announced the promotion of two members of the athletic department staff. Associate athletic director Steve Schnall will oversee additional areas of responsibility within the department and Mike May has been named assistant athletic director for media relations.
Schnall, an associate athletic director in his 10th year at San Diego State, will oversee event management, facilities operations, media relations, and information technology. He previously oversaw the department's marketing and promotions, ticketing and the band and cheerleaders.
"We are thrilled that Steve has accepted this promotion, and can use his great experience and expertise in the media area, and his many organizational and detail-related skill sets in the critical area of event management and facilities," Schemmel said.
Schnall has an extensive background in sales, marketing and sports broadcasting. His first two jobs in San Diego included account work at radio stations in KFMB-FM and KCBQ-AM-FM. He began his professional career as an account executive and sports anchor at WTKO-AM in Ithaca, N.Y.
From 1989-95, Schnall was the director of athletic sales and marketing at Cornell University. During his stay with the Big Red, the department saw an increase from just five to 80 sponsors. He helped start the Cornell Sports Network and served as a television and radio play-by-play announcer for a number of Big Red sports.
Schnall was a television sports anchor and reporter at WSTM-TV, an NBC affiliate out of Syracuse, N.Y., for six years after a three-year stint at KFBB-TV in Great Falls, Mont., where he was the sports director and anchor for all weekday newscasts.
May, in his sixth year in the San Diego State athletic department, served first as an assistant then as an associate director of the media relations office. He is responsible for the day-to-day media operations for the 18 intercollegiate sports at the University. Since 2000, May has served as the media contact for the Aztec men's basketball program, assisted with the football program, in addition to being the media contact for several other SDSU sports.
Prior to his arrival in San Diego, May served as media relations director at Virginia Commonwealth. At VCU, May oversaw the day-to-day publicity for 16 sports and served as media coordinator for several NCAA events including the 2001 NCAA Women's Basketball Division I East Regional Championship.
He also worked as an assistant media relations director and publications coordinator at Notre Dame and an assistant media relations director at Nevada.