A lifetime New Jersey native with a strong passion for his alma mater, Tim Pernetti has come full-circle in becoming one of the nation’s youngest leaders in college athletics. A former student-athlete “On the Banks”, Pernetti was named Rutgers’ sixth Director of Intercollegiate of Athletics on February 26, 2009. He will oversee 24 men’s and women’s intercollegiate teams in New Brunswick, a larger number than fielded at most of the university’s peer institutions. The Division of Intercollegiate Athletics has 212 employees and an annual budget of approximately $56 million, roughly 3 percent of the university’s total $1.8 billion budget.
Pernetti has been influential in the world of college athletics since he received a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass media from Rutgers in 1993, and a master’s degree in communication in 1995.
Prior to returning to Rutgers, Pernetti was the Executive Vice President, Content, for CBS College Sports Network. In that role, he oversaw the rights and relationship business, on-air talent, and all network programming and content on air, online and across all screens for the nation’s first company dedicated to college sports.
Pernetti helped to build the CBS College Sports Network, previously CSTV, prior to its launch in 2003, and has played a critical role in establishing it as the multi-media leader in college sports programming, content, news and information. He was a recipient of the prestigious Sports Business Journal Forty under Forty Award, and the Multichannel News 40 under 40 Award both in 2008.
Charged with developing relationships, acquiring rights and creating multi-platform original programming for the first ever 24-hour sports college sports network, Pernetti successfully navigated through a complicated web of media rights deals to come up with new ways to serve college sports fans. Pernetti worked closely with the NCAA and hundreds of schools in every major conference, securing over 2,500 hours of event programming each year and multiple NCAA Championships across 35 men’s and women’s sports. Pernetti was in charge of the CBS College Sports Network exclusive long-term agreements with the US Naval Academy, Mountain West Conference, Conference USA, and the Atlantic 10.
Further he managed company relationships with more than 30 conferences and thousands of institutions. Pernetti remains most proud of establishing a strong relationship in women’s collegiate sports including the establishment of a women’s basketball game of the week package in 2004 with the Big East Conference.
In 2006, Pernetti spearheaded a landmark multi-media partnership with the NCAA to make CBS College Sports Network the home of Division II Sports. The innovative deal effectively increased the scope and reach of NCAA Division II sports with hundreds of games now available nationally via the broadcast network and online. Pernetti’s commitment to providing greater exposure to women’s and under-served sports is evidenced by the network’s unprecedented coverage of lacrosse and volleyball, among others. He has also been at the forefront of the development and creation of the Collegiate Nationals, which crowns champions in dozens of high endurance sports, and innovative original production including CBS College Sports Network’s groundbreaking NCAA March Madness Central, NCAA March Madness Highlights on CBS College Sports, and the WIRED franchise which gives viewers an inside look at games and events through wireless microphones on coaches during game action.
Prior to joining CBS College Sports Network, Pernetti served eight years at ABC-TV and ABC Sports most recently as Director of Programming, where he was integral in acquiring, managing and developing several ABC Sports properties including college football, the Bowl Championship Series, and college basketball. For five years, Pernetti handled relationships and negotiated television rights with all of the major collegiate conferences.
As a student at Rutgers, Pernetti was a four-year letterwinner at tight end on the Rutgers football squad. He was also the color commentator for Rutgers Football on the Rutgers Football Radio Network and announced weekly NFL games nationally on Sports USA Radio.
A resident of Oakland, N.J., Pernetti is married to the former Danielle Bahto. His wife also graduated from Rutgers and was a letterwinner on the women’s lacrosse team. Danielle and Tim are the proud parents of their three children – Max, Conor and Natalie.
