Cicero Resigns From SID Post

The Harvard Sports Information Office will be missing a familiar face in the 1989-90 athletic season.

Sports Information Director Frank Cicero announced this week that he will resign effective June 30, ending a four-year association with the office at 60 JFK Street.

"I want to try something different," Cicero said. "I just want to make a change."

Cicero has been Harvard's SID for the last two years, following two years as Assistant Sports Information Director.

"Sports information isn't always easy, with the long and odd hours and days you work," Cicero admitted. "I didn't know coming in four years ago that the people--the coaches, athletes and everyone I'm involved with--would be so good. I never had a negative experience with any group."

After resigning from his post as Assistant SID in the summer of 1987, Cicero was invited back one month later to replace former SID Ed Markey, who had resigned from the post.

"I think [Cicero's] done a wonderful job for us and I'm not happy about [his leaving] at all," Harvard Athletic Director and Associate Vice President for University Relations Jack Reardon said. "But when he came in, we expected him to spend just two years with us. We were very lucky to get four years--four very good years--out of him."

"I was very happy that I was invited back in '87," Cicero said. "Even though I'm from Dartmouth, I love Harvard just as much now."

Cicero, a 1985 graduate of Dartmouth, is uncertain of his future plans, but would prefer to leave the sports scene.

"If I had to choose an area of interest, I would have to say publishing," Cicero said, "but I'm going to look around the University, too. I'd like to get out of sports and its easiest to go through the University. I'm definitely planning on taking some time off, maybe one month or two, after June."

The search for Cicero's replacement will be started immediately by Reardon.

"We'll go a long way to get some-one in there who can do the job he's done," Reardon said. "Frank has done an excellent job and will be very hard to replace."

Harvard rules require Reardon to conduct a full search for a replacement, advertising both within and outside the University.

If Assistant SID Jeff Bradley is interested in the position, he is likely to be the leading candidate to succeed Cicero.

Nothing New

Reardon confirmed that there are no plans to alter the current structure of Sports Information and will encourage the new SID to maintain a similar system.

Previously, the office has been run with one SID, an assistant SID and a secretary. Later the secretary was replaced by two interns, but Cicero noted that there was too much turnover under that system.

With the hiring of Julie Rice as assistant SID last summer, the present system--one SID and two assistants--was inaugurated.

"The second assistant makes my job a whole lot better," Cicero said. "It made work in the office a lot easier and better than last year. It's been 10 times better working in the office this year and that's because of Julie."