[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 10892-10893]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO JIM HOST

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to my 
personal friend, Mr. Jim Host. Jim is a native of Ashland, KY, and has 
spent his life dedicated to business and public service within our home 
State. The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame 
recently announced that he will receive their award for Outstanding 
Contributor to Amateur Football--an honor that he is unquestionably 
deserving of and will add to his already extensive list of awards and 
accolades.
  A standout high school baseball player, Mr. Host passed on a $25,000 
offer to play professionally and instead accepted a scholarship to play 
at the University of Kentucky. Host would eventually play professional 
baseball, though only after he received his degree. As his career 
progressed, his time as a student athlete would never be too far from 
his thoughts.
  In 1969, Host entered the world of politics, becoming the youngest 
member of Governor Louie B. Nunn's cabinet at the age of 29. Two years 
later, he was the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor, though he 
lost in the general election. Never one to be deterred by

[[Page 10893]]

defeat, he focused his attention squarely on a new venture--starting 
his own business.
  Mr. Host had only $107 to his name when, in 1972, he started Jim Host 
and Associates in a small office above a barber shop in downtown 
Lexington. What he lacked in monetary assets, however, he made up for 
with an impressive arsenal of smarts and determination. With these 
tools he built Host Communications, and forever altered the landscape 
of college athletics.
  The foundation of Host Communications was the right to broadcast 
Kentucky basketball games over the radio. In its early years, Jim 
Host's company was one of several entities that had this right. 
However, Host soon obtained the exclusive rights and expanded his 
broadcast to 117 radio stations in the State. In addition to his radio 
broadcast, Host bought a publishing company and printed programs for 
Kentucky basketball and football games.
  He continued to grow his business around Kentucky athletics, and over 
time he created the first model of the consolidated multimedia rights 
companies we see today. By the time he sold Host Communications to IMG 
in 2007, Host provided the University of Kentucky, and over 20 other 
college athletic programs, with what he called the ``full-meal-deal''--
that is to say that TV deals, radio broadcasts, coaches' shows and 
their endorsements, publishing, signage, and sponsorship were all 
controlled by Host, and enabled the university to generate more revenue 
than was ever thought to be possible. Today, nearly every university 
with an athletics program follows this blueprint prepared by Jim Host.
  Host also developed a close partnership with the NCAA and is credited 
with creating the organization's first corporate sponsorship program.
  Now, at age 76, Jim hasn't slowed down at all. He still gets up at 4 
a.m. every morning and is always quick to state that he ``can't sleep 
fast enough.''
  As chairman of the Louisville Arena Authority, he was instrumental in 
the construction of the KFC Yum! Center as well as the subsequent surge 
of new business activity in the downtown area. Additionally, he 
currently serves as chairman of Volar Video.
  By way of his grit, determination, and sheer smarts, Jim Host has 
seen immense success in his business and has effected an immeasurable 
impact on the Commonwealth of Kentucky and college athletics. I ask 
that my U.S. Senate colleagues join me in recognizing Jim Host and 
congratulating him for his latest award from the National Football 
Foundation.
  The Lexington Herald-Leader recently published an article detailing 
Jim Host's latest award. I ask unanimous consent that the full article 
be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

           [From the Lexington Herald-Leader, June 12, 2014]

 Lexington Businessman Jim Host Honored by National Football Foundation

       The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame 
     has announced that sports marketing pioneer Jim Host of 
     Lexington has been named the recipient of its award for 
     Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football.
       ``Jim Host created a lasting legacy as a sports marketing 
     innovator, and his creative genius will continue for many 
     years as the bedrock of multimedia rights in college 
     athletics,'' the group's president and CEO, Steve Hatchell, 
     said in a news release. ``From humble beginnings, Jim built 
     Host Communications, essentially launching the practice of 
     marketing in college athletics. His efforts have resulted in 
     millions of dollars for colleges and universities nationwide, 
     and those numbers only continue to grow.''
       First presented in 1974, the Outstanding Contribution to 
     Amateur Football Award provides national recognition to those 
     whose efforts to support the National Football Foundation 
     have been local in nature.
       Host becomes the 38th recipient of the award.
       Born in Ashland, Host received a baseball scholarship to 
     the University of Kentucky. After running for lieutenant 
     governor in 1971, he opened Jim Host and Associates, a one-
     man operation above a barbershop in Lexington.
       Host is chairman of Volar Video, which delivers customized 
     video across television, computer and mobile platforms. Volar 
     produced the live webcasts of both the National Football 
     Foundation's 56th annual awards dinner and the group's 
     announcement of the 2014 College Football Hall of Fame class.
       Host will be honored at a dinner on Dec. 9 in New York.

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