2024 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Jim Delany, Daring Leader and Architect of Modern College Athletics

Leading up to the 2024 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame ceremony on Dec. 17 at the New York Hilton, SVG is profiling the 10 inductees in this year’s class. For more information, CLICK HERE.

Daring. Disruptive. Different.

The 2024 college-football season has been one unlike any other: beefier power conferences, an expanded playoff system, the transfer portal, and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL).

This isn’t your father’s college sports. Heck, it isn’t even your older brother’s.

It’s undeniable that live television is a major force driving the revolutionary shifts in college sports. Although the early days of ESPN, Jefferson Pilot Sports, and the like laid the foundation for college-sports fans’ relationships with their schools, the turn of the century and the birth of the conference network took the concept into a new universe.

Daring. Disruptive. Different. Enter Jim Delany.

Delany’s storied career as commissioner of the Big Ten Conference spanned 31 transformative years. He retired in January 2020, having become one of the most influential figures in the history of collegiate athletics. From pioneering groundbreaking media ventures to expanding the conference’s footprint, his legacy is defined by bold initiatives, strategic foresight, and a steadfast commitment to the values of collegiate sports.

Delany’s crowning achievement in sports broadcasting is obvious: the 2007 launch — and continued success — of the Big Ten Network (BTN), the first successful dedicated television network for a collegiate conference. More than a financial success, BTN redefined how conferences could control their brand and showcase their institutions.

“My judgment was, if somebody could do it, we could because of our brand strength and the demographics of our conference,” Delany says. “It was great branding and a great way for Olympic sports, women’s sports, football, and basketball to get on the air. It was a success both financially and artistically.”

The network’s innovative model paved the way for similar ventures: the SEC Network launched eight years later, the ACC Network 13 years later. BTN’s success wasn’t without its challenges, requiring patience and collaboration. “We did it the old-fashioned way, “Delany notes. “We weren’t on the air for a year. It was difficult but successful.”

Says FOX Sports President/COO Mark Silverman, who was president of BTN from its inception until 2018, “The Big Ten Network was the first of its kind. Jim Delany is one of a kind. He was the leader into this new era of college football.”

Beyond television, Delany’s other lasting legacy is expansion. Under his leadership, the Big Ten Conference grew significantly, adding Penn State in 1990, Nebraska in 2011, and Maryland and Rutgers in 2014. These additions not only increased its geographical reach but also strengthened its brand and competitive profile.

These moves were ahead of their time, foreshadowing the disruptive conference consolidation that has changed today’s college landscape.

“Great leaders are able to see things that haven’t happened yet,” says current Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti. “When you can stand back and say that you were there and you created a network, very few people in our industry are going to be able to make that claim.”

During his tenure, Delany also spearheaded initiatives that improved the fan experience and modernized the game. He oversaw development of college football’s first instant-replay system, which set a precedent for fairness and transparency in the sport — and advanced the live-television product.

At the end of the day, though, although the revenue poured in, attendance ballooned, and the Big Ten brand grew, what makes Delany most proud is the culture that he helped foster inside the conference’s Chicago office.

“[It’s] the internal culture and the cohesion that we created not only in our staff but in the institutions that have allowed us to enter into some challenging initiatives,” he says, “whether that’s starting the Big Ten Network or putting together [all of our] television partners and making that work cohesively.”

Even in retirement, Delany’s influence continues to shape the Big Ten. The conference honored his contributions by naming its new state-of-the-art Big Ten Network studios after him.

“I don’t think you can overstate Jim’s legacy when it comes to the Big Ten Network,” says BTN President Francois McGillicuddy.

Delany’s peers and partners consistently hailed his ability to take calculated risks and deliver results.

“He was outstanding in terms of choosing risks that would be winners,” says Sally Mason, a former president of the University of Iowa. “Jim knew how to win. He was a winner.”

From the launch of BTN to the expansion of the Big Ten, Delany’s visionary leadership transformed the landscape of college athletics. His tenure not only elevated the Big Ten to unprecedented heights but also set a standard of excellence and innovation that continues to resonate across the world of sports.

And it forever reshaped sports broadcasting.