Oct. 8, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern's run to the 1996 Rose Bowl captivated football fans across the country. Saturday, those Big Ten champion 'Cats will take the spotlight on the Big Ten Network, as their unblemished run through conference play is featured on 'The Greatest Seasons: 1995 Football.'
The special will air at 3 p.m. CT Saturday and includes interviews and sound bites from several of the central figures of NU's first Rose Bowl appearance in nearly 50 years: Darnell Autry, Gary Barnett and Pat Fitzgerald. Barnett was the consensus National Coach of the Year in 1995, while Fitzgerald claimed both the Bronko Nagurski and Chuck Bednarik Awards.
In 1995, the Big Ten was particularly stacked with exceptional coaches and talented teams. Five Big Ten squads finished in both major national polls, setting a new conference record. The Big Ten was also loaded from an individual talent standpoint, and was recognized on a national level.
Coaches, players and journalists from around the conference will also lend their thoughts on the '95 season, including John Cooper, Bobby Hoying and Eddie George of Ohio State, Brian Griese and Lloyd Carr of Michigan, Simeon Rice from Illinois, Barry Alvarez of Wisconsin, Keith Jackson, Brent Musburger, Dave Revsine and more.
Beyond Barnett and Fitzgerald, the Big Ten claimed a trophy case full of awards following the '95 season. Eddie George, the Ohio State running back, won the Heisman Trophy, Walter Camp Award, the Maxwell Award and the Doak Walker Award. The Big Ten also captured the Dick Butkus Award (Illinois linebacker Kevin Hardy), the Vince Lombardi Award (Ohio State offensive tackle Orlando Pace), and the Fred Biletnikoff Award (Ohio State wide receiver Terry Glenn).
'The Greatest Season: 1995 Football' is one of two new specials debuting on the Big Ten Network this week. Following the Big Ten Conference's announcement Tuesday of its new post-season bowl lineups for the 2010-13 seasons, the Big Ten Network will present a half-hour football special at 10 p.m. CT after 'Big Ten Football: Breakdown.' Hosted by Dave Revsine, the show takes a look at the new bowl lineups and their impact on the conference. Guests will include Commissioner Jim Delany and selected Big Ten coaches, athletic directors and bowl representatives.
About the Big Ten Network: The Big Ten Network is the first nationally distributed network dedicated to covering one of the premier collegiate conferences in the country. With approximately 350 live events, and nearly all of them in HD, the network is the ultimate destination for Big Ten fans and alumni across the country, allowing them to see their favorite teams, regardless of where they live. The network operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, showcasing a wide array of classic-to-current sports and televising more Olympic sporting events and women's sports than has ever been aired on any other network. Original programming highlights activities and accomplishments of some of the nation's finest universities. Each year, the network offers between 35 and 40 football games, 105 regular season men's basketball games; 55 women's basketball games; dozens of Big Ten Championship events; Big Ten Tonight, a nightly studio show; coaches' shows; and classic games. Available to all cable and satellite providers nationwide and in Canada, the network currently has agreements with more than 300 affiliates, including AT&T U-Verse, Atlantic Broadband, Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Cox (Cleveland, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas), DirecTV, DISH Network, Insight, Mediacom, Shaw Cable and Shaw Direct (Canada), Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS. For updated information on the Big Ten Network, go to www.BigTenNetwork.com.