Paul Finebaum Reflects on the Evolution of College Football

President Jeff Stone and Rotarian Cindy Martin with Paul Finebaum and John Talty

This week, the Rotary Club of Birmingham (RCB) welcomed author, columnist, and longtime radio and television personality Paul Finebaum for a conversation on the game’s past, present, and future facilitated by CBS Sports reporter & author John Talty.

Finebaum shared insights from his decades covering sports in the Southeast. From his early days in Birmingham to his role as host of The Paul Finebaum Show on ESPN’s SEC Network, he reflected on how the sport of football — and the media surrounding it — have changed. Known for his sharp commentary and deep connection to the SEC, Finebaum spoke about the personalities, rivalries, and cultural impact that make college football so unique.

Bio for Paul Finebaum

Paul Finebaum is an American sports author, television and radio personality, and former columnist. His primary focus is sports, particularly those in the Southeast. After many years as a reporter, columnist, and sports-talk radio host in the Birmingham area, Finebaum was hired by ESPN in 2013 for its new SEC Network starting in 2014, and produces a radio show out of the network’s regional base in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is a regular on various ESPN shows from Get Up, First Take, Sportscaster and appears regularly on ESPN’s College Gameday. 

ESPN broadcaster Joe Tessitore said in a December 2018 podcast interview, “If you asked me who are the two greatest interviewers on radio and television, I would say Paul Finebaum and Howard Stern."  In the College GameDay episode of Origins, James Andrew Miller said: "Paul Finebaum knows the American Southeast like Jay-Z knows Brooklyn. And that's a big blast of wind at your back if your job is covering college football. His instincts as an interviewer rank him in the top tier of the sports world. And he is beyond mere savvy when it comes to speaking very virally.” And in March 2019, Bobby Burack writing in The Big Lead, praised his role as the preeminent voice in the game: "Finebaum's gives the most must-hear, mind-changing, make-you-stop-and-think opinions on the sport. Finebaum is one of ESPN's most valuable people." In September 2019, the New York Post ranked him No. 16 among the most influential people in college football, making him the highest-ranking on-air personality in a list dominated by conference commissioners and television moguls. In September 2019 , the Wall Street Journal revealed that author Harper Lee was a daily listener of the Finebaum show.

In a 5,000-word article, "King of the South", in the December 10, 2012 edition of the New Yorker. According to the Wiedeman, it was The New Yorker's first major piece on a college football figure in more than 10 years.[ Several months later, on February 6, 2013, The Wall Street Journal, in a profile by writer Rachel Bachman, stated: "Paul Finebaum is not only one of the nation's best-known sports-talk radio hosts. He is perhaps college football's best-known voice since TV announcer Keith Jackson retired." The Journal ended the story, referring to Finebaum as "the Oprah Winfrey of college football."   In July 2015, the college football website, Saturday Down South, ranked Finebaum No. 3 among the SEC’s most influential people, saying "Finebaum has masterfully positioned himself to be "the voice of the SEC.  At the conclusion of SEC Media Days, "Saturday Down South" also ranked the top 10 commentators and media figures, and Finebaum was ranked No. 1. "There was really little question as to who would top this list," wrote Saturday Down South. “In the midst of facilitating what can turn into a crazy sideshow, Finebaum has managed to develop one of the league's most respected voices. 

In January 2017, The Big Lead had Finebaum No. 25 on a list of The 30 Most Powerful Talents in Sports Media Today, saying: "Finebaum owns the SEC region, and when he wields his cudgel on a coach or program in scandal, it cuts deeper than just about any voice. He has his finger on the pulse of Nick Saban and Alabama, which you might as well write in the CFB playoffs every year in a Sharpie." On February 1, 2018 Jason Barrett of Barrett Sports Media, polled 35 radio executives from the nation, and listed Finebaum No. 6 in “America’s Top 20 National Sports Shows of 2017. ] In January 2019, The Big Lead ranked the 75 Most Powerful People in the Sports Media, a list ranging from Disney chairman Bob Iger and Fox chief Rupert Murdoch to LeBron James to sports talent on various network. Finebaum came in at No. 35, tied with Jay Bilas. ``Paul Finebaum and Jay Bilas are arguably the most influential voices on college football and college basketball respectively. Finebaum has a huge impact on the most important region in the sport ... They (Finebaum and Bilas) are two truly untouchable voices.”  Buddy Martin, a respected journalist, and now editor of GatorBait Magazine, conducted a poll at SEC Media Days among media members and found Finebaum to be the most influential member of the SEC media, and it was nearly unanimous. ``Nobody else was even close, Martin wrote. Alan Blinder, who covers college football for the New York Times, voted three times. 1. Paul Finebaum, 2. Paul Finebaum and 3. Paul Finebaum. Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel was even stronger:``Paul Finebaum is not only the 'Most Influential' member here - he's the `Most Influential' in all of college football.

In October 2013, the University of Tennessee presenting Finebaum with the "Accomplished Alumni Award," "which recognizes notable alumni for their success and distinction within their field."[17]

Finebaum has written several books including the New York Times best-seller, “My Conference Can Beat Your Conference, Why the SEC Still Rules College Football.’’ The book was excerpted in August, 2014 with the majority of the piece focusing on Finebaum’s relationship with Alabama’s Nick Saban. 

On June 23, 2016, Finebaum delivered the keynote at the annual meeting of the Associated Press Sports Editors annual convention in Charlotte. He gave an emotionally charged address, challenging the group to remain firm to its core principals, adding “journalism is not a reality show." In May 2018, Finebaum delivered the eulogy of his close friend SEC Commissioner Mike Slive in Birmingham, an occasion live-streamed on Al.com. Kevin Scarbinsky, the long-time columnist, said: His eulogy for dear friend Mike Slive had to be among the most personal and painful minutes Finebaum ever spent behind a microphone. Paul’s moving tribute may have been his finest hour. 

Bio for JOHN TALTY

John Talty is a senior national college sports writer for CBS Sports. He is the best-selling author of two books "The Leadership Secrets of Nick Saban: How Alabama's Coach Became the Greatest Ever" and "The Price: What It Takes to Win in College Football's Era of Chaos." Before his time at CBS Sports, John spent nearly a decade at AL.com as a writer and editor.