Former Hoosier, Long-Time Benefactor Terry Tallen to Start Podcast Series

Terry Tallen, the former Indiana football captain who's had a successful career as a commercial real estate developer and philanthropist, is launching a podcast series called ''Tallen Time.'' The 25-episode first season will focus on sports, business, philanthropy and mentoring, and many of the stories are Indiana-based.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — It was a Tuesday night in September of 2021 and Terry Tallen and Micah McFadden laughed and smiled through one Indiana football story after another. Tallen, a former Indiana captain on the 1979 Holiday Bowl champion team, was sitting in on the ‘’Mike & Micah’’ podcast live at Yogi’s Bar & Grill in downtown Bloomington, and he was having a blast with McFadden — the middle linebacker who was the Hoosiers’ modern-day star a year ago — and Hoosiers fans young and old that were in attendance for the show.

When the podcast, hosted by Sports Illustrated Indiana publisher Tom Brew, was over, Tallen — a longtime commercial real estate developer and philanthropist who’s an IU Kelley School of Business graduate — couldn’t wipe the grin off of his face. He enjoyed the night, and loved spending time with McFadden, who was the recipient last season of the Indiana football scholarship that Tallen sponsored. It was an entertaining night. 

“That was so much fun,’’ Tallen said. “It was great, just telling stories like that.’’ 

So not long afterward, Tallen had an idea. He’s seen a lot in the four decades since graduating from Indiana, and he loves his school. He’s had a wildly successful business career, and gives back often to several causes that matter to him, including many charities and non-profits, and Indiana football. 

Tallen donated $2 million in 2019 and helped build the Terry Tallen Football Complex at Memorial Stadium. The Indiana football program, which lagged far behind in facilities forever, now can compete with anyone in the country after the massive improvements to the locker room, weight room and meeting facilities that Tallen made possible. 

Tallen thought that would be a good podcast story. In a matter of days, he had a long list of stories he wanted to tell. So he got together with Brew, and an idea was formed. 

The “Tallen Time’’ podcast. 

The first podcast airs on Thursday, Aug. 11, and will be launched on the new
TallenTime.com website, and also a new YouTube channel. 

The first season of podcasts includes 25 episodes, with release dates at Noon ET on Thursday for each episode. The first episode is a behind-the-scenes tour of the Terry Tallen Football Complex at Indiana, and a hilarious visit with Mark Deal, Tallen's former IU teammate and the current Indiana assistant athletic director for alumni relations.

The second episode is the first-ever podcast with former Indiana coach Lee Corso, the popular analyst on ESPN's College Gameday show every Saturday morning during the college football season. That podcast airs on Thursday, Aug. 18.

The Tallen Time podcasts will focus on sports, business, philanthropy and mentoring. Several shows will feature non-profits and charities that matter a lot to Tallen, and during the podcasts — and afterward on TallenTime.com — viewers will be able to make direct donations to the charities. 

There will also be several podcasts that focus on businesses that are doing great things in the community. And, of course, there will be several sports stories as well, and many of the podcasts will overlap dramatically under all of the topics. 

All of the podcasts at TallenTime.com can be shared by everyone. 

“It’s been a lot of fun to start filming these podcasts, and I’m very excited to share these stories with the community,’’ Tallen said. “Tom Brew is one of the best journalists I’ve ever known, and he is a great interviewer and story teller. It’s an honor to do these podcasts together with Tom. I think people are really going to enjoy this series of Tallen Time podcasts.” 

Former Indiana football captain and long-time entrepreneur and philanthropist Terry Tallen (left) and HoosiersNow.com publisher Tom Brew will host 254 podcasts this year. 

Brew, a longtime journalist who has worked at some of America’s finest newspapers during his four-decade media career, is also an Indiana graduate, and was in the same class at Tallen. He will host most of the episodes, and video director Haley Jordan will host the others. 

Businesses and nonprofits can get involved in the series as well, both through advertising, sponsorships and podcast spotlights. 

For podcast ideas, you can reach out to host Tom Brew at tombrew@hilltop30.com or Becky Rigel, director of marketing and donor relations for Tallen Brew Media Partners LLC, for advertising and sponsorship opportunities. To reach Becky, email her at beckyrigel@hilltop30.com.

Related stories on Terry Tallen

• TALLEN WINS LAUREL PIN: Indiana University honored former football captain Terry Tallen with the prestigious Laurel Pin Conferral Award on Saturday night for all of his philanthropic donations to the university. His former coach Lee Corso, current Indiana head coach Tom Allen, and former IU athletic director Fred Glass all spoke about Tallen, who is the gift that keeps on giving. CLICK HERE