INDIANAPOLIS – Butler University has tapped Learfield Sports to represent Bulldog Athletics’ multimedia rights through the 2024-25 collegiate athletic season, as announced today by Butler University Vice President/Director of Athletics Barry Collier and Learfield President/CEO Greg Brown.
Butler Athletics will initiate the relationship beginning with the 2015-16 season. This collaboration will greatly assist Butler’s ongoing efforts to provide an exceptional student-athlete experience and support the institution’s 19 NCAA Division I teams as they compete at the highest level.
Butler Sports Properties, a Learfield entity, will manage aspects of the Bulldogs’ multimedia rights, including signage, digital, corporate sponsorships, hospitality, event marketing, local television and radio play-by-play and coaches’ shows. This collaboration builds upon Butler’s existing relationships with Learfield Sports’ companies Learfield Licensing Partners and ANC, which installed a new scoreboard and digital signage inside Hinkle Fieldhouse in 2014.
“We are excited to be partnering with Learfield, a national leader in collegiate sports and multimedia rights management,” said Collier. “We look forward to working with them to create better experiences for Butler student-athletes and for Bulldog fans across the country.”
Learfield veteran Willis Cheaney—an Indiana native and former college basketball player—has been named General Manager for Butler Sports Properties and will assemble a team to work alongside Collier and the athletic administration. Cheaney previously served as a sales leader with Indiana University Sports Properties, managed the Crossroads Classic basketball tournament, and worked for three years as the director of minority recruitment, retention, and outreach at Indiana University- Bloomington. Joe Gentry, Butler’s Director of Corporate Partnership, will continue his efforts in the department on the external operations staff.
Butler joins a distinguished list of Learfield multimedia partners, including in-state peers Purdue, Indiana, Indiana State, and IPFW; as well as BIG EAST rivals Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall, and Xavier.
“We have a tremendous presence in the Midwest and four-state region surrounding Butler, which makes the Bulldog brand very attractive to us given our history and relationships,” said Brown. “We’re excited for the opportunity to represent Butler, and we look forward to putting in play our ideas for multi-platform exposure and engagement. Willis has been a great asset to our company and believe he is a great fit to lead our new Butler team.”
Butler University, located in Indianapolis, Ind., participates in intercollegiate athletics at the NCAA Division I level. Eighteen of Butler’s 19 teams compete in the BIG EAST, while the football program is a member of the Pioneer Football League. The Bulldogs have a long history of athletic success, including back-to-back trips to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship game in 2010 and 2011, and the University is home to one of the nation’s great intercollegiate basketball facilities, Hinkle Fieldhouse. For more information about Butler athletics, visit www.butlersports.com.
Learfield Sports manages the multimedia rights for nearly 100 collegiate properties and has more than four decades of developing trusted, long-term relationships with some of the most revered institutions and associations in the world of college sports. The company has prominence in all of the major conferences and titles the prestigious Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup with award co-founders NACDA and USA Today. For more information about its history, businesses and job opportunities, visit www.learfieldsports.com.