Voice of the Boilermakers Tim Newton named 2021 Indiana Sportscaster of the Year

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Tim Newton, the voice of Purdue Football and Purdue Women's Basketball, has been named the 2021 Indiana Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association (NSMA). As the top sportscaster in the state, Newton becomes the first Purdue broadcaster to earn the award since Joe McConnell in 2000.
 
Newton has called more than 1,000 Purdue football and basketball games over his illustrious career. A Boilermaker for most of his life, the Irving, New York, native has worked at Purdue for 32 years and graduated from the university in 1981 as a mass communication major.
 
"Tim Newton is a most deserving recipient of this tremendous honor," says Mike Bobinski, Purdue Vice President – Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. "His decades of outstanding work and positive presentation of all things Purdue have made him an important member of our athletics family and a welcome presence with our student-athletes, staff and fans. Tim has voiced countless memorable moments in Boilermaker history, and we look forward to many more in the years ahead."
 
The fall of 2021 was Newton's 27th football season with the Boilermaker Sports Network. He spent the first 15 years with the network as a producer and host before transitioning into the play-by-play chair as the "Voice of Purdue Football" for the past 12 seasons.
 
"Not only is Tim Newton the best sportscaster in Indiana, he's one of the best in the country," says Purdue Football head coach Jeff Brohm. "For those that can't watch us play in-person or on television, Tim brings our games to life over the radio every Saturday throughout the season. This is a very deserving honor for Tim, and we're lucky to have him as the voice of Purdue Football. Congratulations Tim!"
 
Newton is synonymous with Purdue Women's Basketball, serving as the team's radio voice for 32 seasons and counting. He has called some of the best moments in program history, which include three Final Fours (1994, 1999, 2001) and the entire 1999 national championship season.
 
"Tim Newton's impact on Purdue Women's Basketball is immeasurable," says Purdue Women's Basketball head coach Katie Gearlds. "I remember listening to him when I was a kid during the national championship runs. I worked closely with him as a student-athlete at Purdue. Now, I get to work side-by-side the best announcer in college basketball.

“In addition to Tim's unmatched ability to bring Mackey Arena or any stadium on the road into our fans' homes, he has touched the lives of countless student-athletes past and present. There isn't a better steward for our program, nor a more deserving announcer or person to receive this honor. Congratulations to Tim. We are thankful for your dedication to our program and look forward to hearing you on the air for many years to come."
 
Along with providing radio play-by-play for football and women's basketball, Newton hosts the coaches shows alongside Brohm and Gearlds, respectively. He can also be heard on Purdue Daily shows, broadcast on network affiliate stations throughout the state.
 
Newton began his career as the sports director at WASK Radio in Lafayette (1982-86) before becoming a sportswriter for the local Journal & Courier (1987-89). He became a Purdue employee in 1989 in the Purdue News Service, and then joined the staff of the Purdue Alumni Association, where he served as editor of The Purdue Alumnus magazine. He has spent the past 22 years as director of external relations and communications in the Krannert School of Management.

“Tim is an extraordinary communicator whose voice exudes excitement and excellence whether it’s heard on court, on the field, or within Krannert,” says David Hummels, the Dr. Samuel R. Allen Dean of the Krannert School of Management. “We are thrilled for our friend and colleague at this much-deserved award.”

Newton will receive his award at the National Sports Media Association annual dinner in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in June.

Newton was also recognized in 2016 with a Krannert scholarship named in his honor. The Tim Newton Management Leadership Scholarship was funded by the school’s 2014 Distinguished Alumni Award Winner John Hoffner (BSIM ’70).

"I met Tim when I served on the Krannert alumni advisory board in the 1990s and early 2000s," says Hoffner, the now-retired executive vice president and chief financial officer of Jack in the Box Inc. and a director of Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen Inc. "I was always impressed by his ability to relate and communicate with the board members. He was the go-to guy when we had questions, and I was equally impressed by his dedication to the University over such a long period of time."

The Tim Newton Management Leadership Scholarship provides scholarships for students who are juniors or seniors with a minimum GPA of 3.2/4.0 and demonstrate leadership qualities through a role in a Krannert student club, participation in an external case competition, or a role in leading a community-related, nonprofit activity.

"A good leader needs to have both a clear vision of his or her organization's goals and the ability to communicate and inspire others to reach those goals,” says Hoffner. “Tim certainly embodies those principles in all he does, and his scholarship is a most fitting legacy to help its recipients learn to 'call the shots' in their own lives."

Click here to give to the Tim Newton Management Leadership Scholarship.