UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The first person hired as an on-air talent for the Big Ten Network — the man who has become the face and voice of BTN since its inception in 2007 — will visit Penn State and participate in a free public discussion in mid-April.
Dave Revsine will be featured as the latest guest in the ongoing “Conversation Series” conducted by the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism. His session will begin at 6 p.m. April 17 in Freeman Auditorium in the HUB-Robeson Center.
Revsine is the host for BTN’s pregame, halftime and postgame coverage of men’s basketball and football, including its Emmy Award-winning football pregame show. Hired from ESPN, where he spent more than a decade as an anchor and play-by-play man, Revsine has reported from numerous Rose Bowls, Final Fours and national championship football games. He was named one of the top sportscasters of the decade by Sports Illustrated in 2009.
Revsine is also an accomplished writer. His work has appeared in The New York Times and in 2014 he authored his first book, “The Opening Kickoff: The Tumultuous Birth of a Football Nation” (Lyons Press), which examined the growth and impact of college football. Revsine has also served as a columnist for espn.com and btn.com.
He lives in Oak Park, Illinois, with his wife, Michele, and their three daughters.
John Affleck, the Knight Chair in Sports Journalism and Society and director of the Curley Center, will moderate the session. In addition to his questions, there will be ample time for a question-and-answer session with those in attendance.
“We’re excited for Dave’s visit,” Affleck said. “He brings not only a great depth of knowledge about sports broadcasting but also about the history of sports, in particular, college football. He’s an engaging guy, and I expect a great conversation.”
Previous participants in the Curley Center’s conversation series include John Branch, Bob Costas, John Feinstein, Joe Posnanski, Marc Spears and Tom Verducci.
The John Curley Center for Sports Journalism explores issues and trends in sports journalism through instruction, outreach, programming and research. It was established in 2003 and named to honor John Curley, the first editor of USA Today, in 2006. Curley’s more than five decades of newspaper experience included work as a reporter, editor, publisher and, ultimately, president, CEO and chairman of the Gannett Co. After retiring, Curley taught in the College of Communications at Penn State and was a founding co-director of the center. He and his wife have been consistent supporters of Penn State academics and athletics.
The Curley Center’s undergraduate curricular emphasis includes courses in sports writing, sports broadcasting, sports information, sports, media and society, and sports and public policy, which is cross-listed with the Penn State Dickinson School of Law. Along with core courses, the Curley Center places an emphasis on internships and hands-on experience with broadcast, multimedia and print outlets as well as with league, sport and team publicity and sports information operations.
The quality of students as well as the reputation of the program have produced many one-of-a-kind experiences and opportunities. For example, partnerships with news organizations have led to opportunities covering the Penn State baseball team’s historic visit to Cuba, Penn State football in Ireland, the Olympics, the Final Four and much more.