ESPN’s Rece Davis to Host 48th Annual Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon
6/20/2019 6:28:00 AM | Football
ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference announced today that Rece Davis, host of ESPN's College GameDay Built by The Home Depot and other prominent college football studio programs, will serve as emcee of the 2019 Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon, which will be held Friday, July 19, in the International Ballroom at the Hilton Chicago.
Davis will be joined at the Kickoff Luncheon by each of the Big Ten's 14 head coaches and 42 of the conference's top returning students. Davis will sit down with the coaches in small groups to discuss the upcoming season and also interview special guests.
Davis, who joined ESPN in 1995, was named the host of College GameDay in February 2015, helping lead the show to three Sport Emmy Awards. In addition, he is the primary host of the network's College Football Playoff programming and on-site coverage for both the CFP and the NCAA Men's Final Four. He also remains the host of ESPN's College GameDay basketball road show and does play-by-play for the network's college football and basketball games.
ESPN's Laura Rutledge will serve as the sideline reporter for the Kickoff Luncheon, interviewing groups of students throughout the event. Rutledge joined ESPN in 2014 as a reporter and now works some of the network's most high-profile events, including the College Football Playoff and marquee games each week of the season. She has expanded her portfolio at the network over the past year to include co-hosting Get Up!, regular stints as a SportsCenter anchor and a red carpet host at the Home Depot College Football Awards and the ESPYs.
The 48th annual Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon begins at 10 a.m. CT with an autograph session with the head coaches. Around 10:50 a.m. CT, fans can get group pictures of all 14 coaches and all 42 students in attendance. The luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. CT and will feature highlight videos, group interviews conducted by Davis and Rutledge with coaches, students and special guests and much more, including door prizes highlighted by a free trip to the 2019 Big Ten Football Championship Game and the 2020 Rose Bowl Game.
The Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon annually attracts some of the most talented names in college sports. The event has drawn legendary coaches as well as each of the conference's Heisman Trophy winners since 1970. In all, more than 1,000 of the conference's finest standouts and more than 80 head coaches have celebrated the start of a new college football season at the Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon with more than 56,000 supporters. For more information, go to www.bigten.org/KOL.
Davis will be joined at the Kickoff Luncheon by each of the Big Ten's 14 head coaches and 42 of the conference's top returning students. Davis will sit down with the coaches in small groups to discuss the upcoming season and also interview special guests.
Davis, who joined ESPN in 1995, was named the host of College GameDay in February 2015, helping lead the show to three Sport Emmy Awards. In addition, he is the primary host of the network's College Football Playoff programming and on-site coverage for both the CFP and the NCAA Men's Final Four. He also remains the host of ESPN's College GameDay basketball road show and does play-by-play for the network's college football and basketball games.
ESPN's Laura Rutledge will serve as the sideline reporter for the Kickoff Luncheon, interviewing groups of students throughout the event. Rutledge joined ESPN in 2014 as a reporter and now works some of the network's most high-profile events, including the College Football Playoff and marquee games each week of the season. She has expanded her portfolio at the network over the past year to include co-hosting Get Up!, regular stints as a SportsCenter anchor and a red carpet host at the Home Depot College Football Awards and the ESPYs.
The 48th annual Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon begins at 10 a.m. CT with an autograph session with the head coaches. Around 10:50 a.m. CT, fans can get group pictures of all 14 coaches and all 42 students in attendance. The luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. CT and will feature highlight videos, group interviews conducted by Davis and Rutledge with coaches, students and special guests and much more, including door prizes highlighted by a free trip to the 2019 Big Ten Football Championship Game and the 2020 Rose Bowl Game.
The Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon annually attracts some of the most talented names in college sports. The event has drawn legendary coaches as well as each of the conference's Heisman Trophy winners since 1970. In all, more than 1,000 of the conference's finest standouts and more than 80 head coaches have celebrated the start of a new college football season at the Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon with more than 56,000 supporters. For more information, go to www.bigten.org/KOL.
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