When FOX got the rights to the NFL’s NFC package, Rupert Murdoch wanted an outside perspective. He sought the help of a member of his inner circle, an Australian man named David Hill. Hill arrived in the USA in 1993, becoming the first president of Fox Sports. With sharp acumen into how they wanted to showcase it, he launched the division in 8 months. Fast forward 3 decades, he has earned several achievements. His latest one has impressed even their former commentator and now, rival ESPNS’s broadcaster, Troy Aikman.

The former Cowboys QB was the color commentator for NFL on Fox from 2001 to 2021. Then he switched allegiance to ESPN’s Monday Night Football. But when The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced the Lifetime Achievement honor to Hill at the 46th Annual Sports Emmy Awards ceremony in May, even he couldn’t hold himself back from praising his former boss.

Sharing an IG story with the announcement, the 3-time Super Bowl winner wrote, “💥🚨🏆🏅.” But Troy Aikman didn’t stop there. He added, “Congratulations David on a well-deserved honor!” Both have a great deal of mutual respect. Hill was also responsible for bringing Aikman’s partner, Joe Buck, to FOX.

Buck had high praise for the boss in a Sports Illustrated interview in 2022 after leaving ESPN. He said, “David’s the man responsible for getting me to Fox and letting me do World Series and letting me do Super Bowls, all the other stuff I’ve done there.” The FOX boss has earned many achievements in his career. In 2014, he was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. Even the NFL acknowledged his greatness by awarding him the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award.

However, the 78-year-old Hill had no idea growing up in Newcastle that he would become so big. His journey has been magical.

Troy Aikman’s former FOX boss’ humble beginnings

When the news of the Lifetime Achievement honor broke out, David Hill was on Cloud 9. He said, “Totally blown away. Even more so because it’s from my peers.” He started way back in the 1960s as a 17-year-old copyboy at the Sydney Daily Telegraph. Two years later, he started working in the Australian version of Today on Nine Network.

However, Murdoch noticed him when he became the VP (sports) of Nine. 1988 was a life-changing year for Troy Aikman’s former boss. He moved to Great Britain and helped launch Britain’s first satellite TV station, Sky Television, and Europe-wide multilingual sports channel, Eurosport. Three years later, he created Sky Sports after the Sky Television-British Sky Broadcasting merger one year prior.

His innovations in football broadcasting made it easier for the casual audience to watch the game. The concepts of the on-field first-down marker, constant score, and clock graphics forever changed the television game. Over the years, he transitioned to other popular leagues, NHL and MLB.

The award is a fitting tribute to his legacy. It would inspire other sports reporters to think outside of the box. That’s remarkable!