FLORENCE, SC – Francis Marion University Associate Athletic Director for Communication Services Michael G. Hawkins received an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree at the University's Spring Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 9.
Hawkins will retire from FMU in June after over forty years of service to the university. He served as sports information director and news writer for 21 years prior to accepting his current post and moving to the athletics department in 2006. Hawkins earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics from Francis Marion University in 1985.
He is a longtime member of the College Sports Communicators, and currently serves on the Advocacy Committee. He has taken part in multiple CoSIDA Fitness Challenges, and received a 25-year award from CoSIDA at the organization's 2018 national convention in Washington, D.C.
Hawkins was a participant in the inaugural Diversity and Inclusion Fellowship Class (2022) presented by CoSIDA and the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics.
He currently serves as the chairman of the Sports Information Director committee within the NCAA Division II Conference Carolinas. He previously served a two-year term as chairman of the Peach Belt Conference SIDs Committee (2018-20).
Francis Marion was honored with the inaugural Peach Belt Conference SID Office of the Year award for the 2013-14 school year, and again garnered that award for the 2019-20 year.
During his time at Francis Marion, he has worked at numerous Peach Belt Conference and NCAA championship events. In the fall of 2013, he worked at the NCAA Division II men's and women's soccer national championships.
He served as a member of the statistical crew at the 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1992 NAIA Men's Basketball National Tournaments in Kansas City, Mo., and was director of information for women's basketball for NAIA District Six in the late 1980s.
The Porterville, Calif., native is a product of Florence's Wilson High School. During his time as an undergraduate at Francis Marion, he served as student SID from 1981 to 1985.
In 2012, he was honored by Francis Marion University by having the pressbox at the new Griffin Athletic Complex named after him. He was inducted into the Florence Area Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017.
Michael Hawkins
