Len DeLuca

Senior Vice President, Programming & Acquisitions

Len DeLuca was named ESPN senior vice president, programming and acquisitions in October 2005, becoming the senior executive responsible for managing the activities of sports programming on ABC, in addition to continuing his duties for ESPN.  DeLuca’s ESPN duties include overseeing the company’s Major League Baseball, Little League World Series, tennis, and horse racing relationships.  DeLuca joined ESPN in 1996 as senior vice president, programming development after 16 years at CBS Sports.   

DeLuca had been named senior vice president, programming strategy at ESPN in February 2001. In that position, he was part of the negotiation team for the eight-year extension through 2013 of Major League Baseball’s lead cable package for ESPN, acquisition of the Belmont Stakes for ABC and ESPN through 2010, the Breeders Cup World Thoroughbred Championships through 2013, the World Figure Skating Championship through 2008, two Tennis Grand Slam agreements, including Wimbledon through 2007 and Australian Open through 2011.

In October, 2004 DeLuca added the responsibility of overseeing the commercial operations unit, 16 months after taking responsibility for the newly-formed programming integration unit that formats, coordinates and integrates all domestic and international networks.  In 2001 he was part of the team which extended ESPN’s relationship with the entire NCAA Women’s Basketball tournament, NCAA Men’s and Women’s College World Series, and 18 other NCAA championships through 2013. 

DeLuca has also served as a consultant to the ESPN college unit, ESPNU, and to the ESPN Original Entertainment (EOE) unit, which created ESPN movies A Season on the Brink, The Junction Boys, and “3” as well as the dramatic series PLAYMAKERS and TILT.  He was one of the original EOE members in January 2000 when it focused on developing original, proprietary content, including early programs ESPN’s 2 Minute Drill, ESPN The Magazine’s The Life series,and two highly acclaimed specials, The Season and Remembering Marshall: 30 Years Later.  He was part of the college team negotiation unit that extended the ESPN relationship with the NFL, Big Ten and Southeastern Conferences in the late 90’s.

DeLuca served as CBS Sports’ vice president, programming from November 1994-May 1996, responsible for managing acquisitions, scheduling and strategic planning for college football and basketball -- including the Bowl Alliance and CBS’ extension of its exclusive coverage of the entire men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament in 1989 and 1994, auto racing, figure skating and other specials.  He joined CBS Sports in 1979 as manager, editorial services, and held several director-level positions until being promoted to vice president, program planning in 1989, responsible for all collegiate and professional basketball and football properties and CBS’ NCAA relationships.

DeLuca has been honored by the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in Kingston, Rhode Island, which named him the winner of the 2004 “Pathfinder Award,” and by the All American Football Foundation which named him “Outstanding Television Executive” in 2004. He was named College Sports Magazine’s “Most Influential Person” in College Sports for the 1994-95 academic year. He was also named to his hometown Cranston, Rhode Island Hall of Fame in 1990.

Prior to joining CBS Sports, DeLuca, a member of the Massachusetts Bar, was an associate with a Boston litigation law firm, White, Inker, Aronson, P.C. (1977-79). He was also a news and sportswriter for WEEI-CBS Newsradio in Boston (1974-76) and co-creator of the Boston College Sports radio network where he was basketball play-by-play commentator (1972-79).

DeLuca was graduated from Boston College magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts double major in political science and economics in 1974, and from Boston College Law School with a juris doctor in 1977.