CHICAGO – The Big Ten Network will kick off its coverage of the 2009 Big Ten football season with extensive television and internet coverage of Big Ten Media Days from the Hyatt Regency in downtown Chicago.

The Big Ten Network will offer four hours of live televised coverage on Monday, July 27, including the full press conferences for all 11 head coaches and Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany. Mike Hall and Chris Martin will anchor the network’s coverage from the Big Ten Network studios beginning at 11 AM ET.

Monday’s live coverage will extend to www.BigTenNetwork.com, where video of every coach’s press conference as well as Delany’s press conference will be posted as the day unfolds. Also, the website will feature live chats, Twitter and Facebook updates, photo galleries, blog updates and frequent video reports and interviews.

The 38th annual Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 28, and will be hosted by the Big Ten Network’s Dave Revsine. The network will premiere a 60-minute Kickoff Luncheon Special at 11 AM ET on Saturday, Aug. 1, featuring remarks from all Big Ten head coaches. Minnesota wide receiver Eric Decker will speak on behalf of the attending players. More than 1,700 Big Ten fans are scheduled to attend the sold-out event.

Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald begins Monday’s live press conference sessions at 11 AM ET. The Wildcats are coming off an impressive 9-4 season that culminated in an appearance in the Alamo Bowl. Northwestern opens its 2009 season on the network on Sept. 5 against Towson. Illinois head coach Ron Zook follows at 11:15 AM ET. His Fighting Illini are considered to have one of the Big Ten’s top offenses with returning wide receiver Arrelious Benn and quarterback Juice Williams. The Illini’s first game on the network this year is Sept. 12 against Illinois State.

At 11:30 AM ET, Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema will conduct his media session. Last year, Bielema became just the eighth coach in Big Ten history to lead his team to a bowl game in each of his first three years. The Badgers open their 2009 campaign on the network on Sept. 5, playing Northern Illinois. Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez will address the media at 11:45 AM ET. The Wolverines enter their second season using the spread offense. The Wolverines make their first Big Ten Network appearance of the season against Eastern Michigan on Sept. 19.

After a 15-minute break, the press conferences will resume at 12:15 PM ET with Purdue coach Danny Hope. The league’s only new head coach, Hope is no stranger to the Boilermaker program or the Big Ten, having spent six seasons as an assistant at Purdue. The Boilermakers’ season opener against Toledo will air on the Big Ten Network on Sept. 5. At 12:30 PM ET, Minnesota coach Tim Brewster will field questions from the media. The Golden Gophers experienced one of the nation’s biggest turnarounds in 2008 and were ranked as high as No. 17 in the polls. They open their new stadium against Air Force on the Big Ten Network Sept. 12.

Ohio State’s Jim Tressel follows at 12:45 PM ET. The Buckeyes own the longest bowl streak in the Big Ten, having reached the postseason in each of the last nine years. The Big Ten Network will have the Buckeyes’ game at Indiana in primetime on Oct. 3. After a 15-minute break, Indiana head coach Bill Lynch will be on the stage at 1:15 PM ET. The Hoosiers return 18 starters from last year’s squad. Indiana kicks off the 2009 Big Ten Network football schedule on Thursday, Sept. 3, against Eastern Kentucky.

At 1:30 PM ET, Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio will meet with the media. Dantonio’s 16 wins in his first two seasons are the most in Spartan history. Michigan State hosts Montana State in its season opener on the Big Ten Network. Penn State head coach Joe Paterno will address the media at 1:45 PM ET. Paterno enters his 44th season as the leader of the Nittany Lions’ football program, which has made an astounding 35 bowl appearances during the Paterno era. Each of Penn State’s first three games will air on the Big Ten Network.

At 2 PM ET, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz will be the last coach to visit with the media. The Hawkeyes finished the 2008 season on a high note, winning six of its final seven games, including the Outback Bowl, and are considered in contention to win a Big Ten title in 2009. The Hawkeyes will host in-state foe Northern Iowa in the season opener for both teams on Sept. 5.

The network’s coverage of Big Ten Media Days concludes with Commissioner James E. Delany’s press conference at 2:30 p.m. ET. Delany will address the media with an opening statement and conduct a question-and-answer session.

Press Conference Schedule (live on Big Ten Network):
All times Eastern

11 AM – Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern)
11:15 AM – Ron Zook (Illinois)
11:30 AM – Bret Bielema (Wisconsin)
11:45 AM – Rich Rodriguez (Michigan)
12:15 PM – Danny Hope (Purdue)
12:30 PM – Tim Brewster (Minnesota)
12:45 PM – Jim Tressel (Ohio State)
1:15 PM – Bill Lynch (Indiana)
1:30 PM – Mark Dantonio (Michigan State)
1:45 PM – Joe Paterno (Penn State)
2 PM – Kirk Ferentz (Iowa)
2:30 PM – James E. Delany (Big Ten)

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 250 affiliates, including AT&T U-Verse, Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Cox (Cleveland), 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.