The AVCA Grant Burger Media Award is an honor intended to recognize members of the media who have been involved in the advancement of the sport of volleyball, whether it be through consistent coverage in all mediums (sports information, print, broadcasting, and web content), production of volleyball-specific publications or extensive radio and/or television exposure. It is named in honor of Grant Burger, the former director of sports information and associate director of the AVCA from 1988-1992, whose hard work, innovative mind, knowledge and enthusiasm took the areas of media relations and publications at the AVCA to a higher level and increased awareness of the sport of volleyball nationwide. A finalist is selected in each of the following categories: broadcast, print, web, and sports information/athletic communications. Furthermore, the sports information finalist comes from 31 different region winners from each of the three NCAA divisions as well as the NAIA.

The overall AVCA Grant Burger Media Award winner was Billy Stone, an executive producer for CBS College Sports Network. The other finalists for the award were: Parsons (sports information), John Kreger, Michigan State University (broadcast), Chad Purcell, Omaha World Herald (print), and John Tawa, PrepVolleyball.Com (web).

Parsons just finished his 11th year as the SID at his alma mater and his sixteenth season overall serving as the primary media contact for the Lady Cougars’ successful volleyball program. Prior to assuming the role as SID, he served as the assistant SID for five years handling primarily MVNU’s women’s sports - role that he began during his senior year at MVNU and continued in upon graduation in 1994.

While covering the Lady Cougars’ volleyball team, Parsons has served annually as the tournament director for the MVNU Volleyball Invitational as well as also serving as the coordinator for the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) National Tournament once. The Lady Cougars have posted an incredible 641-165 record (.795 winning percentage) during that span with all seven of the program’s conference titles and the team’s only appearance in the NAIA National Tournament in 2007. Parsons has also worked to promote MVNU head coach Paul Swanson, the NAIA’s all-time wins leader in volleyball with 885 victories, and his talented student-athletes as Swanson and two players have landed in Sports Illustrated’s "Faces in the Crowd” through Parsons’ efforts.

"Dave is an enthusiastic supporter of volleyball,” said Swanson, who has spent 25 years as the coach of the Lady Cougars. "He creatively thinks of ways to promote players, coaches, and the sport in any way he can. He is a tireless SID who has been so important to our program, our conference (the American Mideast Conference), and to the NAIA as well. I am so pleased that the AVCA is recognizing a truly outstanding SID who has made a significant contribution to the sport of volleyball.”

"I am very humbled to receive this tremendous honor,” said Parsons. "I got my start in college athletics working as a line judge for Coach Swanson’s volleyball team as a freshman in college. From there, he encouraged me to get into sports information as a senior and the rest is history. I have been privileged to cover a program that plays this great sport at a high level the right way led by a coaching legend who truly loves the sport. This award is dedicated to the great MVNU volleyball teams and players who have made my job so easy and so much fun.”

Parsons, who has won numerous awards from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and NAIA-SIDA for his media guides and feature stories, has also been active nationally as he just finished his second year as the president of NAIA-SIDA. He has also been a CoSIDA member for 16 years and has served on several CoSIDA committees as well as in several offices on the NAIA-SIDA board. He was named the Clarence "Ike” Pearson Award winner as the outstanding NAIA SID in 2008 and he was selected as the MVNU Staff Member of the Year by his campus peers in 2009.