NOTED
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
GEORGE TIEDEMANN NAMED COLIN JOSE MEDIA AWARD
RECIPIENT
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News From The Hall
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APRIL
19, 2007 (Oneonta, NY)
George Tiedemann, who has had more soccer images in Sports
Illustrated magazine than any other photographer in history,
has been named the 2007 Colin Jose Media Award recipient.
Tiedemann’s images of Americans Kyle Rote and Bob
Rigby, along with Pele and Daniel Passarella of Argentina,
graced many magazines, including SI, during the 70s and
early 80s, when soccer was not as well received as it
is today. Tiedemann will be honored at the National Soccer
Hall of Fame Induction 2007 ceremony, presented by The
Century Council’s Girl Talk: Choices and Consequences
of Underage Drinking, on Sunday, August 26 at noon.
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George
Tiedemann
Colin Jose Media Award Recipient
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Inaugural
Colin Jose Media Award recipient
Jerry Trecker noted of Tiedemann, “He
has the greatest opus of soccer photography
in the last 50 years.” Tiedemann
photographed five men’s and
three women’s World Cup Championships
and was ever-present on the sidelines
of the North American Soccer League. “His
importance cannot be overstated,” Trecker
continued. “Sports Illustrated was
the cultural icon for sports reporting
in the 70s, before the widespread
availability of cable television
and the Internet, and it was not
a soccer-friendly environment. The
strength of George’s images
and his strong support for soccer
in the editorial process at SI put
soccer on the front cover and inside
the magazine. When George arrived
to photograph an event, it confirmed
it was a big deal.”
“We
welcome George to the prestigious
roster of Colin Jose Media Award
winners,” Hall of Fame President
George Brown said. “His work
over a long period of time includes
many of the finest soccer images
in the United States. His extensive
photo exhibit documenting Pele’s
career in the NASL, including a
stunning image of Pele with his
Hall of Fame ring, has been exhibited
in the Hall of Fame.” The
same exhibition, “A Celebration
of Pele’s American Years,” sponsored
by Nikon Inc. and Eastman Kodak,
was on display during World Cup ’94
in New York City.
“I
am honored by this award and am
accepting in tribute to Bob Ehlinger,
the man who got me started in the
NASL,” Tiedemann said. “Bob
became a good friend and a encouraging
force in my professional career.
He is the one who introduced Sports
Illustrated to me. Covering the
NASL was a great opportunity for
me and it led to many wonderful
experiences, including the covering
of eight World Cups. I have been
to numerous championships, such
as the World Series, Super Bowl,
the Olympics. NBA Championships,
Stanley Cup, and the NCAA Final
Four. However, covering a World
Cup is the ultimate challenge that
makes all the others pale in comparison.”
Tiedemann,
was born in Iceland during WWII
to a U.S. Army Air Corps Sergeant,
and later moved to Libya where
he learned to play soccer and take
pictures. At the age of 17, he
returned to the United States to
finish high school. During a 4-year
stint in the Marines, Tiedemann
renewed his interest in photography
while serving in Vietnam. On completion
of his enlistment, Tiedemann began
a nine-year career as a newspaper
staff photographer. Tiedemann joined
the Philadelphia Atoms as team
photographer, which led to his
hiring as the Director of Photography
for the North American Soccer League.
That NASL experience led to a more
than 20-year career in photography
at Sports Illustrated and almost
three decades of visual U.S. soccer
history.
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The National Soccer
Hall of Fame
The Mission of the National Soccer Hall of Fame is to Celebrate the History,
Honor the Heroes, Inspire the Youth and Preserve the Legacy of Soccer in
the United States.
Located in Oneonta, NY, the National Soccer Hall of Fame opened a new 30,000
sq. ft., state-of-the-art multimedia museum in 1999. The Hall of Fame tells
the story of soccer in America through artifacts, photographs, video and
written narratives. The main VideoWall portrays some of the greatest moments
and the greatest goals in soccer history as well as live soccer action
from the World Cup, MLS, and U.S. Soccer matches. The Hall features an
extensive interactive, youth oriented Kicks Zone, including a kid-sized
indoor field, where visitors have fun kicking, heading and playing computer
trivia stations and video soccer games. Unique and rare artifacts on exhibit
range from The Dewar Cup, the oldest team trophy in U.S. Sport, to the
Women’s World Cup won by the USA in 1999, the uniforms of Pele and Mia
Hamm, Kristine Lilly’s golden shoes, NASL championship rings and MLS championship
trophies. That and so much more are all at the National Soccer Hall of
Fame. In addition to the interactive Museum, the National Soccer Hall of
Fame’s 61-acre complex boasts the Kicks Hall of Fame Museum Store, a research
library, four world-class soccer fields and office/meeting facilities.
The Century Council
The Century Council’s mission is to promote responsible decision-making
regarding drinking or non-drinking of beverage alcohol and to discourage
all forms of irresponsible consumption through education, communications,
research, law enforcement, and other programs. Recognizing nearly fifteen
years of progress, America’s leading distillers have promoted The Council’s
mission by investing over $160 million in its programs to fight drunk driving
and underage drinking. For more information about Girl Talk or The Century
Council, please visit www.grltlk.org or www.centurycouncil.org.
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