The Houston Texans have the top PR staff in the National Football League, according to the Professional Football Writers of America, which bestowed the 2012 Pete Rozelle Award on the unit.
Cooper, Dimitroff |
Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff was given the 2012 Jack Horrigan Award for the league or club official most helpful to the press.
The Balitmore Ravens’ PR team and New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan won the awards last year.
The Texans’ PR team, led by senior director of communications Kevin Cooper, won the PR award for the third time in the past six seasons and fourth time overall, tops among NFL media relations teams. The unit beat out PR staffs of the Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers for the 2012 honor.
“They make you feel as if every one of their games is a home contest for you,” PFWA’s Clark Judge, NFL columnist for CBSSports.com, said in a statement. “They find you immediately when you arrive on game day, ask what you need, then respond to your requests. I always evaluate staffs by how quickly they respond, and I always, always, always get a response from these guys within minutes of my request.”
Cooper’s team includes communications manager Evan Koch, corporate comms. manager Zac Emmons, comms. coordinator Charles Hampton and intern Brett Maikowski.
Dimitroff was credited with being accommodating to media locally and nationally, including when he made himself available to the press to explain the team’s rationale before a landmark draft-day trade to get star wide receiver Julio Jones was made last season.
The PFWA said the Rozelle Award, named after the former NFL commissioner who started out in sports PR, is given to the NFL club PR staff that “consistently strives for excellence in its dealings and relationships with the media.” The Horrigan award is named for former Buffalo Bills VP of PR Jack Horrigan.
Cooper was a PR intern with the team before joining as a media relations assistant in 2003. He has led the unit for the past two seasons.