PARK RIDGE, Ill. — The Big Ten Conference announced today that the Big Ten Network (BTN) and ESPNU will air coverage of the opening session of the 2011 Big Ten Football Media Days Thursday.

The media days and luncheon will take place at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place and McCormick Place in Chicago.

BTN will present nearly five hours of live coverage of Big Ten football media days on Thursday, airing the press conferences for all 12 coaches, Big Ten supervisor of football officials Bill Carollo, BTN President Mark Silverman and Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany.

Mike Hall and Chris Martin will host the network’s coverage beginning at 11 a.m. live on BTN and www.BTN.com. Fans can also track the day’s activities by following BTN.com’s Brent Yarina on Twitter (@BTNBrentYarina). BTN will also re-air the press conferences beginning at 7:30 p.m. Thursday night.

For the sixth consecutive year, the opening session of the Big Ten Football Media Days will appear on an ESPN Network. Coverage by ESPNU will begin Thursday at 11 a.m. and will feature all 12 head coaches and Commissioner Delany either live or tape-delayed as they address the assembled media. In addition, select Big Ten coaches and players will appear live on ESPN’s Sportscenter, College Football Live or on ESPNU.

The 2011 Kickoff Luncheon will take place Friday at McCormick Place in Chicago with the annual players and coaches autograph and photo session set to begin at 11 a.m., followed by the luncheon at 12:30 a.m.

BTN will also air a 60-minute Big Ten Football Kickoff Luncheon Special at noon Saturday, Aug. 6.

Dave Revsine, Gerry DiNardo and Howard Griffith will be joined by all 12 Big Ten coaches.

Tickets for the Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon are still available and can be purchased by contacting Sue Immekus at (847) 696-1010 or simmekus@bigten.org.

The Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon is annually attracts by some of the most interesting and talented names in college sports. The event has drawn legendary coaches as well as each of the conference’s Heisman Trophy winners since 1970.

Several of those coaches and players have been honored as namesakes on the Big Ten’s 18 new trophies that will be awarded to teams, coaches and student-athletes beginning with the coming season.

In all, nearly 800 of the conference’s finest players, more than 50 head coaches and over 45,000 supporters have made the Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon a yearly stop in their preseason college football schedules.