Football Radio Network

The Purdue Sports Network football radio crew is made up of (left to right): Rob Blackman (side reporter), Tim Newton (pregame/halftime/postgame anchor and producer), Gary Kline (enginner), Joe McConnell (play-by-play), Pete Quinn (color commentator) and Tom Mauch (spotter).

The Purdue Sports Network, a division of Learfield Communications, Inc. and Purdue Sports Properties, consists of 30 radio stations. WAZY (96.5 FM) in Lafayette is the flagship station. Games also can be accessed via the World Wide Web by clicking here. At home games in Ross-Ade Stadium, the broadcast team calls the action from the John R. DeCamp Radio Booth, named after the longtime voice of the Boilermakers. The pregame show begins one hour prior to kickoff.

Joe McConnell is in his 15th season as play-by-play announcer. In 2006 he was nominated for the Chris Schenkel Award, presented by the National Football Foundation to a sports broadcaster who has had a long and distinguished career broadcasting college football. McConnell's experience includes 23 seasons in the National Football League as the voice of the Denver Broncos (1969), Minnesota Vikings (1971-76 and 1985-87), Chicago Bears (1977-84), Indianapolis Colts (1992-94) and Tennessee Oilers (1997-98); seven seasons in the National Basketball Association as the voice of the Phoenix Suns (1970-72) and Indiana Pacers (1972-77); and seven seasons in Major League Baseball as the voice of the Minnesota Twins (1978-79) and Chicago White Sox (1980-84). McConnell also spent five seasons (1991-95) as lead voice for the NBA's National Game of the Week. He has broadcast three Super Bowls, the NBA and ABA championships, the NBA All-Star Game and the American League Championship Series. Additionally, McConnell has broadcast Northwestern football (1988) and Indiana State (1978-79), DePaul (1984-88), Illinois (1987-88), Notre Dame (1987-88) and Northwestern men's basketball (1989-94). He has been honored with the AP/UPI Play-by-Play Sportscaster of the Year Award five times and was the Indiana Sportscaster of the Year in 2000 and the Illinois Sportscaster of the Year in 1981. McConnell is a 1962 graduate of Franklin College. His broadcasting career began in 1962 at Purdue's campus radio station, WBAA. He served as assistant sports information director at Purdue from 1965 to 1967. McConnell and his wife, Suzi, live in Indianapolis.

Pete Quinn is in his 17th season as color commentator. He is a 1981 Purdue graduate and was selected to the Purdue All-Time Football Team in 1987. Quinn started four years at center for the Boilermakers from 1977 to 1980 and was team captain his junior and senior seasons. Quinn is senior managing director of industrial operations and senior managing director of global supply chain solutions for Cushman & Wakefield, Inc., an international commercial brokerage firm based in New York. He also is a founding partner of Summit Realty Group, a commercial real estate brokerage firm based in Indianapolis. Quinn resides in Indianapolis with his wife, Susan, and their three children: Peter, Kristen and Hannah. Pete works with several charitable organizations, including Educational CHOICE charitable trust, Hoosier Oncology Group and Catholic Youth Organization.

Tim Newton is in his 15th season as pregame/halftime/postgame anchor as well as producer. He also hosts the "Danny Hope Show" on radio. In addition to his football duties, he will embark on his 20th season as play-by-play voice of the Purdue women's basketball team with the 2009-10 campaign. Previously, Newton served as sports director at WASK radio in Lafayette from 1982 to 1986. He received the UPI state award for high school football play-by-play in 1983. A 1981 Purdue graduate, Newton is director of external relations and communications for the Krannert School of Management. He and his wife, Susan, have two children, Emily and Aaron.

Rob Blackman is in his third season as sideline reporter after spending three seasons co-hosting "Boilermaker Sports Wrap." During the men's basketball season, he serves as pregame/halftime/postgame anchor for home games and color commentator for road contests on the Purdue Sports Network. Blackman has completed 10 seasons as a broadcaster in the Arena Football League - the last four with the Columbus Destroyers - and his work as the play-by-play voice of the Indiana Firebirds in 2004 earned him the Indiana Broadcaster's Association large market top play-by-play award. In the spring, Blackman calls baseball and softball on the Big Ten Network. In addition, Blackman can be seen on the Indiana High School Athletic Association television network covering the football, basketball and baseball state finals. He is a 1993 graduate of the University of Evansville, where he earned his degree in telecommunications and was a four-year letterwinner as a wide receiver on the football team. Rob and his wife, Stephanie, have two children, Evan and Lily, and make their home in Indianapolis.

Gary Kline is in his 13th season as engineer of the football broadcasts.

2009 Radio Network Affiliates

Boilermaker Sports Wrap: "Boilermaker Sports Wrap" - hosted by Nate Barrett and Alan Karpick - airs immediately after games. Because of late kickoff times, however, the show will air at 8:15 p.m. ET before the Oregon game and at 6 p.m. ET prior to the Notre Dame game.

Danny Hope Radio Show: The "Danny Hope Show" on radio - hosted by Tim Newton - airs every Monday from Aug. 31 through Nov. 16 from 6 to 7 p.m. ET on the Purdue Sports Network. It originates from Puccini's in West Lafayette. The number to call is 888-246-2678.

Danny Hope Television Show: The "Danny Hope Show" on television - hosted by Jim Barbar - airs the weeks of Aug. 31 through Nov. 16 on the following stations: Big Ten Network (Friday at 5 p.m. ET [6:30 p.m. ET on Nov. 13] and Saturday at 5 a.m. ET); WJTS in Jasper, Ind. (Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET); and WLFI in Tippecanoe County (Saturday at 11:30 a.m. ET).

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