Media Relations Office to be Named in Honor of Jim Streeter

Click Here to Give to the Streeter Media Center Fund.

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- Nearly four decades of commitment to Eastern Michigan University and its student-athletes will be honored Friday, March 6, as the Athletic Media Relations Office will be renamed in honor of Jim Streeter. In addition, Streeter will also be honored at halftime of that night's men's basketball game against the University of Toledo.

An icon of the media relations world, Streeter at the time of his retirement in 2012 was the longest tenured Division I sports information director in the state and the dean of Mid-American Conference Sports Information Directors (SID). A native of Albion, Mich., Streeter worked for 39 years in the EMU Athletic Media Relations Office, with 37 of them as the director.

"Jim has been an invaluable component of EMU Athletics for more than 40 years," EMU Vice President and Director of Athletics Heather Lyke said. "He has tremendous passion for this University and positively impacted the lives of hundreds of our student-athletes through his tenure. All of his contributions are greatly appreciated by Eastern Michigan and now we have the opportunity to honor him by naming the office he led for so many years after him."

The Athletic Media Relations Office at Eastern Michigan has been in operation since 1960 when Bob Briner was named the first full-time director. Prior to Briner's appointment, the daily duties of the then-Sports Information Office were handled by student employees. There have only been four directors in the history of the office. John Fountain followed Briner in 1966. Streeter was named to the SID position in 1975 and served for 37 years before handing over the office to Greg Steiner in October of 2012.

The room dedication was made possible by private donations to the James L. Streeter Media Center Fund. To contribute to the fund, go to EMUEagles.com/give/jimstreeterfund as all money raised with go back to the Athletic Media Relations Office for technology and other upgrades to better help with the publicity efforts of Eastern Michigan Athletics.

A 2004 inductee into the EMU Athletics Hall of Fame, the 67-year-old Streeter earned a bachelor's degree from EMU in Dec. 1973, with a major in physical education and minors in journalism and history. He was sports editor of the student newspaper, The Eastern Echo, for two years.

After serving a two-year stint as a sportswriter for The Ypsilanti Press, Streeter joined EMU as an assistant sports information director in 1974. He was named SID in August 1975.

In addition to his daily duties of overseeing the publicity of Eastern Michigan's 21 varsity sports, Streeter was instrumental in the development and maintenance of the athletics department's archives that include game programs, game video, statistics, news releases, publications and other items dating back to the foundation of the athletics programs.

A member of the College of Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), Streeter was a member of the publications committee for four years. He was the secretary of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters and Writers Association (DSBWA) from 1990-94 after serving as vice president for one year. Additionally, in 2007 he received the honor of "Best of the Best" from the DSBWA.

In 2013, Streeter was selected a Distinguished Alumni Award recipient at the 52nd Annual Eastern Michigan University Alumni Awards while also being granted emeritus staff by the EMU Board of Regents.

Streeter was selected as one of nine Media Marshals for the 2004 Ryder Cup Golf competition at Oakland Hills Country Club. In addition, he was part of the media relations staff at the 2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Regional and the 2009 Final Four in Detroit, Mich.

A native of Albion, Mich., Streeter graduated from Albion High School in 1966. He earned two varsity letters in baseball and two in basketball at Albion High. He served as president of the Varsity Club his senior year and vice-president of the junior and senior classes.

Streeter and his wife, Mary, live in Ypsilanti and have three sons: Andrew, twins Michael and David, two granddaughters, Isabel and Annaliese and one grandson, Avery.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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