University of South Dakota Athletics

Allen Neuharth, a former editor of the Volante, had his first newspaper job at age 11 as a newspaper carrier. While at USD, Neuharth was a play-by-play man for Coyotes games on KUSD. A 1950 USD graduate, Neuharth has had a significant impact on the world we live in today. His visionary and revolutionary ideas have made him one of the most influential journalists in the world. Following his graduation from USD, he launched his first newspaper, a statewide weekly sports publication called SoDak Sports that began in 1952 and folded after two years. Neuharth worked for the Alpena Journal, as a summer intern at The Daily Republic in Mitchell and Rapid City Journal, as a reporter for The Associated Press in Sioux Falls and Pierre, and at The Miami Herald and Detroit Free Press. He later joined Gannett Co. as general manager of its two Rochester, N.Y., newspapers. Neuharth rose to become chairman and chief executive officer of Gannett and led the company to become the largest newspaper publisher in the United States. While at Gannett, he started a newspaper called Today, later renamed Florida Today, and founded USA TODAY in 1982. In terms of his impact on sports alone, the USA Today sports page revolutionized the way sports are covered, written and presented to the public. Now retired from the newspaper business, Neuharth remains active as founder and senior advisory chairman of The Freedom Forum, a nonpartisan international foundation dedicated to free press, free speech and free spirit for all people. The Freedom Forum focuses on four priorities: the Newseum, the interactive museum of news located in Arlington, Va., First Amendment issues, newsroom diversity and world press freedom. Since March 1999, Neuharth has led a 50-state tour of the U.S. with NewsCapade, the Newseum's traveling exhibit and the largest traveling museum in America. Neuharth, 76, lives in Cocoa Beach, Fla., with his wife, Dr. Rachel Fornes, a chiropractor, and their six young adopted children. He also has two grown children by a previous marriage. Neuharth continues to write a weekly column, "Plain Talk," for USA TODAY.