The Kendall College of Arts & Sciences’ Department of Media & Communication recently inducted alumnus Justin Hathaway (B.A. ’98) inducted into The University of Tulsa’s Communication Hall of Fame.
Hathaway became deeply involved in media production as a UTulsa undergraduate. He joined student-led media group TUTV, working as a director, sports anchor and reporter in addition to serving as an assistant sports editor for student newspaper, The Collegian, and radio host for The Underground. “When I was looking at schools, most of them said, ‘You can do the student paper as an upperclassman’ or ‘We have a radio station, but maybe as a senior,’” Hathaway reminisced. “At UTulsa, you could come in and it was all open for you: The Collegian, TUTV and more.”
Hathaway’s career began in 1996 when he took a high school sports statistician role at the Tulsa World on the recommendation of a professor. “They hired me pretty much off the bat,” Hathaway said. “I still don’t think I’ve interviewed formally.”
He expanded to covering multiple sports, copy editing and page design, leading him to work for the newspaper full-time after commencement. “I was working 2,530 hours a week downtown at the newsroom during my last two years of school,” he joked. “When I graduated, not only did I have this great education, but I had two years of experience with a major metro newspaper.”
Since his time at the Tulsa World, Hathaway has worked across newsrooms, league offices and major networks. He spent six years with NBC Sports Bay Area and California, where he eventually rose from senior director of digital to vice president of content. He helped modernize the network’s digital operation, overseeing all content, including the production of more than 640 live events and 1,300 studio shows annually.
Through his efforts, three separate content groups were unified into a single team that led projects such as “The Choice,” a long-from NFL draft prospect series, and “Race in America: A Candid Conversation,” a social justice program that was adopted across NBC Sports Regional Networks, MSNBC, NBC News and local affiliates.
Hathaway helped shape the digital era at NFL Media, building a 24-hour breaking news operation for NFL.com and oversaw the coverage of major league events, including multiple Super Bowls, drafts and scouting combines. He was awarded a Sports Emmy Award in 2013 for his work as an associate producer of “JFK: The Untold NFL History of That Day in Dallas,” a multimedia project reflecting on the NFL’s decision to continue to play following the assassination of President Kennedy.
In 2024, Hathaway joined Marquee Sports Network, a Chicago-based regional sports network for the Chicago Cubs, as vice president of content. There, he oversees a multiplatform strategy across live events, studio programming, streaming, digital and social media. “There are so many platforms that populate content, and all of them are so different,” said Hathaway. “You really have to customize the content for the audience.” By unifying these platforms under a single vision, Hathaway has driven record audience growth and direct-to-consumer initiatives that have positioned Marquee as a leader in the regional sports network landscape.
“Justin Hathaway is the real deal. He models both the dynamic changes in digital media industries as well as the character and competence to mentor the rising generation of UTulsa students,” said Ben Peters, chair of Media & Communication. “His career reminds us how student-led media communities like TUTV Media Lab and The Collegian have been launching real-world careers since the 1950s. Justin represents the best of UTulsa sports media, and we are delighted to feature him properly in the Communication Hall of Fame.”
