The Boiler blood runs deep within him. Tim Newton has 25 years of being with the black and gold, and reporting for the Learfield Purdue Sports Network. He also has 20 years as a play-by-play voice of women’s basketball. When asked if there was any difference between announcing football and basketball, Newton replied, “There’s really not that much difference, other than there are about 100 football players on each team, and just 10-15 basketball players! But the preparation still has to be extensive for both sports. I couldn’t put a pair of headsets on without feeling like I was prepared for the game and could give the listeners insight that would add to their experience.” The only thing that bothers him about being the voice of the Boilers is when the victory flag does not fly. On game day, Newton comes in three hours before kickoff to prepare for the game. When the Boilers are away from Ross-Aide Stadium, Tim travels with the team, and he usually arrives two hours early. Newton has several ways he prepares to bring Boilermaker nation play-by-play of football games. One of the ways that Newton prepares to do his duty is to prepare flip charts. They make it a lot easier for Tim to do his job. Another way he prepares is by talking to his other colleagues from the opposition. Studying paid off when the Boilers defeated the Ilini for their first conference win, which was Tim’s favorite highlight to date. Newton stated, “This has been a great group of leaders, and I think they will sow the seeds for future success in the program.” Newton had one thing to say about the Old Oaken Bucket game: It does not matter how both teams have played in the past, the bucket is for bragging rights.
The Boiler Crew: Kelly Kitchel, Pete Quinn, Tim Newton, Rob Blackman
