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Former colleagues remember the legacy of former sports information director and retired historian Bill Steinman.
Current Columbia Fencing Coach, Michael Frank
It’s an honor to write for Bill after writing so well for Columbia’s teams. Bill’s death hits many in the Columbia Rowing community hard. He loved his job and especially highlighted the achievements of student athletes. Bill had an encyclopedic knowledge of Columbia Athletics for decades. He was a source of positive attitudes around sport at this university and in our city.
Current Columbia Rowing Director Scott Alwin
Columbia has lost a true icon with the death of former Sports Information Director Bill Steinman. I remember sitting down for hours and talking to Bill about Columbia and sports trivia. We both had decent memories and could walk back and forth for days when we were alone. Bill’s passion for Columbia and his attention to detail and nuance were hallmarks of his writing style, but beyond his writing skills, he was a fascinating person if ever he could be turned off from the sport. Few people may have noticed, but he had this great passion for trains and train journeys. When traveling with Columbia teams, he often found and visited the local railroad museum. Every summer he planned a major train journey, during which he would follow the historical routes of all major railroad companies. He drove transcontinental routes, but often found routes that no one would ever think of, but that had special meaning to him because of the engine used or the type of car and cufflinks used. We really lost a wonderful member of the Columbia family. For those of us who knew him, he was a gem!
Jim Bolster, current Columbia Men’s Swimming Head Coach
Bill was a Hofstra graduate but quickly became a loyal Colombian. We had a problem with his predecessor as deputy director of Sports Information, so I really checked his credentials before I offered him the job. Everyone I spoke to just praised Bill, so I hired him – one of the best decisions I’ve made.
He was particularly good at working with reporters from Spectator and WKCR and building longstanding relationships with some of them. When I left after almost 20 years, Bill was a natural choice to replace me.
He was especially proud of his brother Jim Steinman, a songwriter who composed chart top hits for Celine Dion and Bonnie Tyler, but was best known for the great music for Meat Loaf’s popular “Bat Out of Hell” recordings, the passed away last spring.
Kevin DeMarrais’ 64CC
Columbia Sports Information Director 1965-84
My first memory of Bill Steinman was formatting Columbia Football stats on his “word processor” typewriter in his old office on the 4th floor of Dodge. A tedious process, but he had to make sure each column was perfectly aligned. These were “statistics”.
In the past 30+ years I’ve grown from a student journalist seeking information from Bill; a public address announcer hired by Bill; a valued colleague of Bill … and finally, the person who produced the video for Bill’s induction into the Columbia University Athletics Hall of Fame. I was really one of the lucky ones.
A great man and a kind man – he has been adored by generations of Spectator writers and WKCR broadcasters and all of his colleagues in the city and the Ivy League. Few people have had his work ethic which, when combined with his incredible moral compass, made him someone anyone can look up to. All of us who knew him are better for the experience. May his memory be a blessing to all.
Alex Oberweger ’92CC’ 01BUS
Columbia’s Associate Athletics Director, Strategic Communications
When I first came to Columbia in the fall of 1979, I was a student trainee in the Columbia Sports Information Office. It was one of the happiest breaks in my life to work with (and learn from) two people who are now in the Columbia Athletics Hall of Fame – Kevin DeMarrais and Bill Steinman. They have been my friends for over 40 years.
Bill Steinman was a gentle, great teacher, generous with his time, and a walking encyclopedia of Columbian history. He was a born storyteller. He was well respected by the media and Columbia athletes and coaches – generations of Lions knew and respected his advice, and he was proud to play a role in their Morningside Heights experience.
He loved Columbia most of all. He was proud to be part of the Columbia family. It was HIS family.
Ed Barbini ’83CC’ 84JRN
When I think of Bill, I think of his warmth, kindness, coaching and caring for other people. He loved Colombia. He loved Columbia Athletics (and always had a positive attitude regardless of the records on the field). His decades of service and contributions will be unmatched and have an unmatched positive impact on others, including the deeply positive ones he had on me. I met Bill in the fall of 1979 when he hired me as an intern in the sports information office. I’ve been the beneficiary of Bill’s mentorship and over 40 years of friendship that I’m really grateful for. Both were fundamental to my entire professional career.
David Newman ’83CC
EVP, Chief Marketing, Content & Communications Officer
New York Mets
Even in 1978 when I first met Bill, everyone was calling him Stats. (He was always proud to receive a letter once while working for Hofstra that was simply addressed to “Stats; Hofstra University”.)
I was a high school junior without going to Levien Gym without a ticket I paid for. Even so, Bill (who wasn’t the guy who smuggled me in, even though he knew who was doing it) put me at the goalscorer’s table to run the minutes of play for newbies in basketball. From then on, whatever I did with Columbia (and later professional) sports – on a basketball statistics team, behind a microphone, in front of a television camera, with a reporter’s notebook, in a press box – Bill either gave me that Job, encouraged me to be there, or used goodwill to persuade someone else to give me a chance.
I’m not the only person who showed this kindness to Bill. He was widely loved for his giving nature.
There are some people in life who you owe a debt that can never be repaid because of the opportunities these people have created for you. Bill was and remains one of those people for me.
Jordan Speechman ’83CC’ 86LAW
Deputy Chairman
JP Morgan Asset & Wealth Management
For those who would like to share more testimonials and pay tribute to the life of Bill Steinman, please email Mike Kowalsky at [email protected] and they will be added to this page.
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