Feature Stories
Tara Dreyer
Multimedia Communication/ Sports Information Specialist/Master of Sport Management
United States
I come from a unique sports background; the granddaughter of one of the winningest baseball coaches in NJCAA history, Leroy Dreyer, and the daughter of the 1969 University of Texas football champion, Jim Dreyer, who went on to have a successful career in professional baseball scouting for many years. My childhood and early adult years were spent at the diamond with my father as we often traveled hours a day, from city to city, stadium to stadium, as I took in everything I could about the sport of baseball and the culture surrounding sports. Eventually my passion led me to The University of Texas at Austin where I received a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, a Master of Education in Kinesiology with a sports management concentration, wrote for the award-winning Daily Texan, and worked for the Texas Longhorns baseball, cheer, and pom programs.
I recently spent four years as the sports information specialist at Blinn College where I provided extensive coverage of Blinn College's 12 athletic programs on BuccaneerSports.com and the Blinn College Athletics social media pages. I was named the 2020-21 NJCAA Sports Information Director of the Year and produced the athletic media guide that won the 2020 Collegiate Advertising Gold Award. In addition, I served on the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Poll Committee for two years. Prior to working at Blinn College, I worked in the news industry for six years as a sports editor, news and sports writer, and sports broadcaster.
My Grandfather:
My grandfather, Leroy Dreyer, spent 36 years at Blinn College as the athletic director. He spent 27 seasons as the head baseball coach where he compiled a 653-249 (.724) record, coached five teams to the NJCAA World Series and was a 12-time Texas Junior College Coach of the Year. He was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, NJCAA Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, the NJCAA Football Hall of Fame and the Blinn College Hall of Honor. The Blinn College baseball field is named after him.
My Dad:
My dad, James Dreyer, won a national championship with the Texas Longhorns in 1969 before moving into professional baseball where he scouted for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers and San Diego Padres. He was the Scout of the Year for the Rangers in 1994 and the Padres in 1999. He won a National Championship ring with the Padres in 1998. He was inducted into the Texas Scouts Association Hall of Fame in 2016. Notable players he signed are Kevin Walker, Jeremy Fikac, Josh Barfield, Cliff Bartosh, Josh Vitek, Mike Bell, Jeff Frye, Dan Smith, Steve Dreyer, Kerry Lacy, Mark Little and Matt Whiteside.
