SAN JOSE, Calif.—Longtime San José State University sports information director Lawrence Fan will be inducted, posthumously, into the San José State Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, May 6, at 2:00 p.m., in a ceremony to be held at CEFCU Stadium prior to the Spartan football spring game at 4:00 p.m.
The ceremony will last approximately one hour and is part of a ticket package which includes Brewfest. Tickets can be purchased here.
For 42 years, Fan was a mainstay in the San José State Athletics Department, publicizing all the accomplishments of the Spartan student-athletes before his unexpected passing in February of 2022. Recognized as the go-to expert on Spartan Athletics by local state and national media, Fan put the Spartan student-athletes before himself and served the Bay Area media in many capacities including arranging interviews for Spartan athletes as well as serving as the spokesperson for the department.
Fan joined the San José State Athletics Department in 1980 as the sports information director for men's athletics. When the men's and women's departments merged in 1987, he was the SID for the entire program.
- Primary contact for football, men's basketball, men's and women's water polo, men's and women's golf and almost every sport at the school
- Known for "Fan Cake" which was only served at indoor sports, most of time at men's basketball game
- Worked 501 consecutive football games during his tenure
- Coordinated the 1987 Heisman Trophy campaign for former Spartan quarterback Mike Perez
- Handled all publicity for three women's golf NCAA Championships – 1987, 1989, 1992
- Worked at the Western Intercollegiate for 41 years
- Proud member of many committees and boards including the San Jose State Sports Hall of Fame, San Jose Sports Hall of Fame, National Football Foundation Northern California Chapter
One of his proudest moments came on November 13, 2021, when he worked his 500th consecutive San José State football game. Fan was honored during the game, leaving the press box to take the accolades from all fans of the game. He was very proud of the accomplishment, so much so that he allowed a local television station to follow him around for the day for a feature story that weekend. - Link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqjTazZBu_0
Beloved by media members across the country, his upbeat personality, Spartan Athletics knowledge and work ethic were appreciated by all. Fan wanted to provide the best possible service to everyone covering the Spartans, whether they were a student reporter or national broadcaster. He would spend long hours researching nuggets about the Spartans to provide to the media to assist with their coverage.
He received five awards from College Sports Communicators (CSC), formerly CoSIDA.
- 2012 CoSIDA Hall of Fame inductee – first Chinese American to receive this honor
- 2012 CoSIDA Arch Ward Award – goes to a member who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of college sports information and by his/her activities brought dignity and prestige to the profession
- 2013 CoSIDA Trailblazer Award – goes to an individual who is a pioneer in the profession and has mentored and helped improve the level of ethnic and gender diversity
- 2017 CoSIDA President's Award – recognizes committee members within the organization for the exemplary volunteer service and leadership within the organization's committee structure in support of programs that benefit CoSIDA members
- 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award – recognizes individuals served at least 25 years in the sports information profession who retired or left the profession
Fan was also a mentor and friend to many in the sports information/media relations industry. He took the time to mentor anyone who was interested in the profession. That passion led him to start the CoSIDA Job Seekers committee in 1994 to help job seekers and those with job openings connect at conventions and later expanded to year-round coverage on the CSC website.
Posthumously, Fan received the Dr. Albert C. Yates Distinguished Service Award, presented by the Mountain West in June of 2022, just one of 14 individuals to receive the award since 1999-2000. The award is presented to an individual who has served, supported and promoted the goals and ideals of the Mountain West or a member institution; an individual who, through personal effort and dedication, has enhanced the ability of the conference and/or its member institutions to provide a positive experience for the student-athletes enrolled at any member institution.
Known for his hand-written thank you notes or a phone call to see how you were doing, he treated every student-athlete the same, whether you were the best on the team or a walk-on. Stories abound from the thousands of student-athletes from the four-plus decades about Lawrence's memory and how he knew stats and facts about each person he came into contact with at San José State.
Fan also championed every conference San José State competed for during his tenure, beginning with the PCAA/Big West, then the Western Athletic Conference and finally the Mountain West. He treated each conference staff with the utmost respect and made sure they had the information needed to give SJSU and the conference the best possible publicity.
#AllSpartans