For more than 120 years THE BIG TEN has set the standard for college sports. With the cooperation of Commissioner Jim Delany and conference schools, this new coffee table-style book details the complete history of the Big Ten through compelling stories and vivid pictures.
The greatest athlete in BIG TEN history!
“By any estimation, because of the racial issues he encountered in Berlin, but also his performance in setting national records, Owens probably is the greatest athlete in the history of the Big Ten and perhaps the greatest amateur athlete of all time.”
– Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany
“As a high school student, I had a goal of attaining a college degree. The schools that I seriously considered attending were all Big Ten schools. I wanted to attend a Big Ten school because of the outstanding reputation they held for their academic and athletic programs.”
“The pursuit and attainment of academic excellence has long been the cherished goal of the Big Ten universities, and their record in producing national leaders and in preparing young people for responsible leadership has been a proud one.”
“The Big Ten is exceptional student-athletes, renowned universities and academic pursuit that knows no bounds.”
“The Big in Big Ten is genuine because of names, not numbers. It is a history of giants, an uninterrupted stream of them from start to present.”
“The Big Ten isn’t just chasing national championships. The Big Ten wants to be the Big Ten. And it does that better than anyone.”
“I knew all about Tom Harmon, I knew all about Bruce Smith, the only Heisman Trophy winner from Minnesota. When I heard about Michigan or Northwestern, I tried to imagine the games and the stadiums.”
“I always took pride in my affiliation with the Big Ten because of my belief that the Big Ten was the pre-eminent conference in the nation and was on the vanguard of progressive reform at all times.”
“People look up to the Big Ten to set the standards. They always want our referees, our coaches, our deans, our faculty representative, our presidents. Someone is always trying to recruit one of them. I think we kind of set the standards for everyone else.”
“We Big Tenners have been around longer than anyone else, before all the other Bigs, all the Easts and the Skys and the Eights.”
“The Big Ten is so respected and dominant that even when adding an 11th school (Penn State in 1990), the name stayed the same.”
Ed Sherman’s long relationship with the Big Ten began as a student reporter for the Daily Illini in the late 1970s. A graduate of the University of Illinois, he began his career at the Chicago Tribune in 1981 and remained there for 27 years in a full-time capacity. His many assignments included serving as the national college sports and Big Ten reporter. He also oversaw the Tribune’s college sports coverage during a stint as an associate sports editor.
A past president of the College Football Writers Association, Sherman covered the launch of the Big Ten Network as a sports media columnist and the business end of the conference as a reporter for Crain’s Chicago Business.
Sherman is the author of three books, including Babe Ruth’s Called Shot.
Sherman has served as an adjunct professor of journalism and sports media studies at Northwestern and the University of Illinois.
The Big Ten is a family affair for the Shermans. His wife, Ilene, and son, Matt, also are graduates from the University of Illinois. While his young son, Sam, attends the University of Texas, he remains an avid Northwestern fan.
DO YOU LIKE THE BIG TEN? WE’VE GOT THEIR HISTORY!
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HOW THE BIG TEN SET THE STANDARD IN COLLEGE SPORTS
