On Wednesday night’s “Big Ten Football & Beyond,” our crew discussed player safety, with an emphasis on Daydrion Taylor’s vicious hit on Bob Stephenson 15 years ago. The play ended both players’ careers, and BTN analyst and sideline reporter Jon Jansen, who played in the 1997 Michigan-Penn State game, joined the panel to give his thoughts on the hit and its aftermath. Watch the video here.

The subject of concussions and head injuries has become a white-hot topic at every level of football, and the Big Ten is doing its part to better understand the issues and make things more safe. On this Saturday’s “Big Ten Football Pregame Show,” at 11 a.m. ET, our TV crew explores this topic by observing the 15th anniversary of the Daydrion Taylor-Bob Stephenson collision in a 1997 game between Penn State and Michigan.

The date was Nov. 8, 1997, otherwise known as the day Daydrion Taylor and Bob Stephenson’s lives forever changed. In the first quarter of a Michigan-Penn State game at Beaver Stadium, Taylor, a Michigan safety, delivered a bone-crushing hit on Stephenson, a Penn State tight end, near the sideline. The collision was so fierce it ended both players’ careers.

When Michigan State beat Wisconsin on a long, last-second touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins to Keith Nichol last fall, the eyes of the rest of the conference were on that game. In a feature story that ran on our pregame TV show this morning, BTN talked to a number of Big Ten names who recall watching that incredible play on TV. We’ve posted the whole video here.

Dara McIntosh, Kara Lentz, and Michelle McMahon appear on Friday’s “The Big Ten Women’s Sports Report” at 2:30 p.m. ET and bring you a profile on current Indiana women’s soccer coach Mick Lyon and his wife Elizabeth. Both suffer from multiple sclerosis but continue to fight it and have a positive outlook on life. (Update: Watch the feature in this post.) Also Friday, Big Ten volleyball and field hockey highlights, analysis and breakdowns as well as a look at the latest “Midnight Madness” events for women’s basketball.

On last week’s episode of “The Big Ten Women’s Sports Report” we showed you the first part of a two-part series on former Iowa women’s athletic director Dr. Christine Grant and how Title IX changed the landscape of women’s athletics.

Michigan’s Holly Hein tore her ACL in 2010, then in 2011 just as she was about to return to the soccer field, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and missed the season, but has undergone successful treatment and returned to the field this fall.

The Northwestern women’s soccer team has befriended Hallie Munro, who is suffering from a number of illnesses. On August 31st, Hallie attended her first NU women’s soccer game and spent time with the girls who have helped her in a time of need.

In 2009, the Big Ten Network brought you the inspiring story of Michigan State offensive lineman Arthur Ray Jr. – a blue-chip recruit from Chicago’s legendary Mt. Carmel High School who in 2007 was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his left leg just weeks after signing with MSU.

In the latest Big Ten player profile from the Big Ten Network, we meet Ohio State Buckeyes softball shortstop Alicia Herron, who lost her mother Janet Herron a year ago to gastric cancer. Herron’s mother was Alicia’s biggest fan attending every game and practice during her high school career. “She was really proud of us having a focus on something,” Alicia Herron said.

First-year Nebraska baseball coach Darin Erstad is as polished and decorated as college coaches come. Let’s list a handful of the accolades: No. 1 pick in the 1995 MLB First-Year Player Draft; 2002 MLB champion; two-time MLB All-Star; three-time Gold Glove winner; .339 lifetime hitter in playoffs. And the list goes on. So, why did Erstad, a two-sport star during his time at Nebraska, decide to start coaching college baseball? “It’s in the blood,” Erstad told BTN.Watch our feature with the former Husker now.

Former Illinois defensive end Whitney Mercilus didn’t have to wait long to hear his name called during the 2012 NFL Draft. With the 26th pick of Thursday night’s first round, the Houston Texans selected Mercilus, the first of four Illinois players taken in the opening 48 picks. Check out all the Big Ten draft picks and see who inked free-agent contracts. BTN cameras were at Mercilus’ family draft watching party in Akron, Ohio, to capture the nerves and jubilation of the memorable night. Watch the behind-the-scenes feature now.

New Michigan State quarterback Andrew Maxwell missed Saturday’s Green-White game due to a sprained right knee, but Mark Dantonio and company know what they have in their junior signal-caller. Maxwell, who spent the past two seasons as Kirk Cousins’ backup, is a sharp product who understands the game and his role — just like his predecessor. In nine game career games, Maxwell has completed 29 of 51 passes (57 percent) for 294 yards and one touchdown.

When you hear “Dream Team,” you think Magic, Bird and Jordan, and rightfully so. But there’s a current Dream Team in the Big Ten. The seniors on the Purdue baseball team gave themselves the nickname, and they break their huddles with the phrase. All this from a team that is trying to win its first Big Ten title since 1909. Leading the Big Ten by two games (standings) and ranked for the first time since 2001, the Boilers and their 14 seniors are on the right path. Watch our feature on the Dream Team now and catch an entertaining YouTube video of theirs in this post. Also, watch all of our Big Ten features.

When a tornado touched down in Harrisburg, Ill., on Feb. 29, it ripped through much of the city and left seven people dead. However, the destruction was deemed too small for federal assistance. Good thing for Harrisburg,  the Illinois baseball team has a proud native, Reid Roper, who wanted to lend a helping hand. Roper, with the help of his coaches and teammates, delivered 32,000 pounds of food and supplies to Harrisburg and presented a $10,319 check to the mayor during its spring trip to Carbondale in mid-March. Watch the entire touching feature now.