Fred W. Sington III has served as Associate Athletic Director for Strategic Communications at Alabama State University since July 7, 2022. where he oversees all aspects of athletic communications, media relations, digital content, branding, broadcasting, and strategic messaging for the Hornets' 18-sport NCAA Division I athletics program.
A veteran athletics communications professional with more than 30 years of experience, Sington is a member of Alabama State's senior athletics leadership team and serves as the department's primary spokesperson. Since joining Alabama State in 2022, he has directed comprehensive communications strategies, expanded the department's digital and social media presence, redesigned the official athletics website, and help launch the Hornets Sports Network, the department's live-streaming platform that generated significant revenue during its inaugural year.
In addition to overseeing athletic communications, Sington has played an integral role in fundraising initiatives, sponsorship development, event planning, and alumni engagement efforts. He has helped coordinate major department events, including Hall of Fame celebrations, championship recognition ceremonies, team reunions, and donor outreach programs. His work has also included managing media operations for nationally televised broadcasts, coordinating interviews with local and national media outlets, and serving as an NFL liaison during professional draft processes.
Prior to Alabama State, Sington spent eight years at Delta State University as Assistant Director of Athletic Communications and Marketing, where he contributed to marketing and fundraising campaigns that generated more than $2 million in support for athletics programs. He served as the media contact for multiple sports, directed branding and social media initiatives, coordinated conference and NCAA championship events, and provided play-by-play broadcasting for baseball.
Sington previously served as Delta State's Sports Information Director from 1998-2003, overseeing communications for 12 varsity sports while also teaching sports writing and newspaper design courses. Throughout his career, he has held communications leadership positions at Jacksonville State University, Birmingham-Southern College, the University of Louisiana Monroe, and the University of West Alabama.
During his first tenure with DSU, Sington was host media coordinator for several Gulf South Conference and NCAA Baseball and Basketball Regionals and ran a successful publicity campaign for 2000 C-Spire Conerly Trophy winner Josh Bright during DSU's run to the NCAA Division II Football National title. He also served on the school's Strategic Planning Committee, hosted the Statesmen Insider Weekly Television Show, and served two seasons as an assistant football coach in charge of kickers and punters.
Before his first stop in the Delta, Sington was the Director of Sports Information at Gulf South Conference member the University of West Alabama from 1995-98. Beyond the daily media relation duties at UWA, Sington handled the radio play-by-play for all basketball road games and was the host of Tiger Talk, a weekly radio call-in show.
His extensive background also includes work as an independent media specialist for major television networks, including ESPN, Fox Sports South, CBS College Sports, and CSS, serving in numerous production roles for live sporting events across the Southeast. He also owned and published Crimson Nation Illustrated, a monthly publication covering University of Alabama athletics.
Throughout his distinguished career, Sington has been actively involved with the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA), the Alabama Sports Writers Association, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, and numerous conference and institutional Hall of Fame committees. His experience includes service at NCAA championships, conference tournaments, bowl games, Olympic competition venues, and national collegiate championship events.
Sington was a member of the Troy University (then Troy State) 1987 NCAA Division II National Championship football team, graduating with a B.S. degree in Journalism/Public Relations in 1992. He later earned a master's in Health and Human Performance (Sports Management) from Delta State in July 2021.
Sington is the grandson of Fred Sington Sr. and Nancy Sington and the son of Fred Sington Jr.,and Joyce Sington.
After an outstanding prep career, Fred Sington Sr., attended the University of Alabama, where he lettered in football and baseball and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. He was an All-American tackle in 1929 and 1930. A member of the football team’s 1930 National Championship team, he was the only person named to both the All-Century Football Team and All-Century Baseball Team at Alabama. He went into professional baseball with the Atlanta Crackers in 1931 and also played for the Washington Senators from 1934-1937 and the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1938. He was an SEC football official from 1935-1955. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1955.
Fred Sington Jr., (1935-2017) played football for Ramsey High School in Birmingham, graduating in 1953 and receiving a scholarship to the University of Alabama the same year.
His football years at Alabama were interrupted in 1954 by an injury and in 1956-57 when he joined the Navy. He returned in 1958, playing for Paul "Bear" Bryant" during his first two years of his legendary tenure. During his last season he kicked two game-winning field goals.
From 1965 until 1986, Sington was the co-owner of Fred Sington Sporting Goods, and he also led Consolidated National Life Insurance Co. Sington was involved in both community and government groups in Etowah County. Friends on Facebook referred to him as "Mr. Gadsden," and Mayor Sherman Guyton called him "an icon for the city of Gadsden."
Sington received a law degree at Cornell University and practiced law in Arizona before returning to Gadsden to work in his family's chain of sporting goods stores. He went to work in Gadsden City Hall, as an administrative assistant to Mayor Steve Means, and was later appointed to the city's airport board.
Sington also appeared on local radio stations in Gadsden, broadcasting high school football games for nearly 50 years.
