IU Hoosier Hysteria this Friday night
ESPN’s Courtney Cronin and NFL Network’s Rhett Lewis will serve as co-emcees for Hoosier Hysteria Presented by Smithville, which gets underway Oct. 7 at 7pm at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Cronin and Lewis are both Indiana University graduates who have enjoyed tremendous successes on a national level in broadcasting. Cronin is a 2012 IU graduate who joined ESPN in 2017. A national award-winning journalist, Cronin started with ESPN as its Minnesota Vikings reporter before assuming the same role covering the Chicago Bears in 2022. In addition to those responsibilities, she is also a national host on ESPN Radio and makes regular appearances on ESPN television programs, including SportsCenter, First Take and Around the Horn.
“I couldn’t be more excited to return to my beloved alma mater to help kickoff the 2022-23 men’s and women’s basketball season,” Cronin said. “I spent four years covering Hoosier Hysteria as a student journalist and am honored to be the emcee for this year’s event. Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall is one of the most iconic arenas in sports and holds a lot of my favorite memories from my time at Indiana University. I cannot wait to be a part of the best environment in college basketball on Oct. 7.”Lewis, meanwhile, joined the NFL Network in 2014 and is the host of the network’s show, Path to the Draft. Prior to joining the NFL Network, Lewis worked as a sports anchor and reporter for television networks in Boston, New Orleans and Lubbock, Texas. In addition to his NFL Network responsibilities, Lewis is also a member of the IU Radio Network’s IU Football broadcast team alongside Don Fischer. A former IU Football player for Gerry DiNardo and Terry Hoeppner, Lewis earned his Bachelor’s degree from IU in 2005 and his Master’s in 2006.
“It’s been an incredible experience to be back around the Indiana Football program as the color analyst on radio broadcasts and going back to when I was playing for IU, I remember the atmosphere around campus on a football weekend when Hoosier Hysteria was added to the schedule,” Lewis said. “I’m so excited to now get to be a part of Hoosier Hysteria on Friday night celebrating another great year of Hoosier Basketball and then call Hoosier Football Homecoming on Saturday. What a weekend for the Glory of old IU!”
The Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall doors will open next Friday at 6pm, one hour in advance of the start of Hoosier Hysteria Presented by Smithville. While admission is free to the annual basketball season tip-off event, fans are encouraged to bring a canned food item to donate to the Hoosier Hills Food Bank. This is traditionally one of the organization’s most successful donation events of the year, bringing in as much as 12,000 pounds of food to support those in need in Monroe, Brown, Lawrence, Orange, Owen and Martin counties.
Community Invited to Celebrate Launch of Hoosier Networks Fiber-Network Project
Hoosier Networks, LLC the fiber network utility provider established by Meridiam, plans to break ground on the transformational $50-million-plus network this month bringing high-speed internet access to all of Bloomington. GigabitNow will deliver fiber-based broadband services when construction is completed to the first residents at the end of January 2023. GigabitNow will offer service of at least 1 gigabit per second symmetrical speed (equal upload and download) everywhere the Hoosier Network network reaches. The cost-of-service rates with the initial ISP will be competitive locally and regionally. Eligible low-income residents may qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Plan (ACP) to get a symmetrical 250 megabits per second (Mbps) plan at reduced or no cost to them. The City and Hoosier Networks will together provide the “drop” connection to qualifying households
In celebration, the Citry of Bloomington will hold a groundbreaking ceremony at the new commercial space, south of the Parking Services Offices at 206 S. Walnut at the new 4th Street Garage, today at 3pm. Parking is available in the garage.
Indiana Department of Veteran Affairs seeks sponsors
IDVA is now taking applications for their Event Sponsorship Program. The IDVA Event Sponsorship Program (ESP) is dedicated to providing sponsorship dollars for veteran-oriented events across the state. The ESP will provide up to $499 in sponsorship money for an event the applicant is hosting. The goal is to provide funds to ensure a local non-profit can host their event or to enable them to enhance their event. The organization must have an established plan, committee and mission, one that focuses on bringing services, resources, and/or benefits to Indiana’s veteran community.
IDVA will provide our resources to help advertise your event and would like to have the opportunity to attend the event to promote state and federal veteran benefits and the statewide network of County Veteran Service Officers (CVSO). Any non-profit can apply for the ESP. The specific event associated with the application must be honoring or celebrating the Indiana veteran community.
Please complete the application form and submit it at least (60) days prior to your event. (*Only one application for the full amount of $499 per fiscal year, per organization will be considered. Current fiscal year is July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023.)
This Week in Hoosier History
1959 – Evangelist Billy Graham was in Indianapolis for a 26-day crusade at the State Fair Coliseum. He was welcomed to the city by Governor Harold Handley and Mayor Charles Boswell. Graham preached a different sermon each day and was accompanied by a large choir representing many local churches.
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