Heath Nielsen Hometown: Highland, Utah Position: Associate A.D. for Communications Alma Mater: Utah State, 1994

Heath Nielsen, Baylor's associate athletics director for communications, is in his 14th year at Baylor and is directly responsible for all communications strategies for BU's 19-sport athletics department, including media relations, new media/online services, Sic `em Sports Productions video operations as well as publications.

He serves as the primary media contact for the Bears football program and is the play-by-play broadcaster for Baylor soccer as well as a substitute color analyst on men's basketball radio broadcasts.

Nielsen orchestrated the acclaimed Heisman Trophy publicity campaign for Robert Griffin III in 2011 and was publicist for the 2002 Big 12 Men's Basketball All-Star Tour of Scandinavia. He has received numerous awards for his publications, including his 1996 MSU baseball media guide that was judged "Best in the Nation" and has worked more than 51 NCAA championship events. He is a member of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), the Football Writers Association of America, and the United States Basketball Writers Association.

He spent six years as Baylor's assistant AD of communications and six years as director of athletic media relations before assuming his current title in 2012. Nielsen came to Baylor in 2000 from New Mexico State, where he spent two years as assistant athletics director for media relations. At NMSU, Nielsen was responsible for the communications operation of a 15-sport Division I FBS athletic program.

Prior to New Mexico State, Nielsen spent four and a half years as assistant director of athletic media relations at Mississippi State. At MSU, his duties involved serving as media contact for the football, baseball and soccer programs. Nielsen is a 1994 graduate of Utah State with a B.A. degree in journalism and a minor in Spanish. He spent three years as a student assistant in USU's sports information office.

A native of Highland, Utah, Nielsen is married to the former Deena Thurston of Logan, Utah. They are the parents of three sons, H, Kye and Sayer.