A native of Rhode Island, and a MU graduate, Callahan served as sports information director at Mizzou from 1947 to 1985, establishing a national reputation for integrity. At the time of his induction, only four men in the history of college athletics had longer tenures in the field of sports information than Callahan, and he established a national record by working 377 consecutive football games. Until 1976, when he hired his first assistant, he ran a one-man shop supplemented by student workers, many of whom developed successful careers in athletic administration and sports journalism largely as a result of his tutelage. Callahan was inducted into the College Sports Information Directors of America Hall of Fame in 1972 and received CoSIDA’s highest honor – the Arch Ward Award – in 1975. He co-authored Bob Broeg’s book, “Ol’ Mizzou: A History of Missouri Football” in 1974 and edited MU’s first “slick” media guide in 1950, which featured John Kadlec on the cover. After retiring, he worked one year as a special assistant to the head football coach. He was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.
