Gayle Gardner
Encyclopedia
Gayle Gardner is an American
sportscaster
who has worked for ESPN
and NBC Sports
beginning in 1987 until 1993.
because she hired herself. She got her second job as a sportscaster because a guy died. "It was not because everybody was sitting around saying, 'We've got to get this woman on air,' " she says.
She did not come by her love of sports in any explicable way. "Reincarnation
?" she suggests, shrugging. She grew up in Brooklyn
, the daughter of a liquor salesman and a housewife
, and she led a double life: She cut out paper dolls while watching Y.A. Tittle quarterback
of the New York Giants
. "It was this closet thing, this other interest I didn't tell anyone about," Gardner says.
She has held just about every job in the business, both in front of and behind the camera, having started as a talk show
and documentary
producer
in Boston
and then having worked in New York City
, Detroit and Baltimore
, where she got the daily sports anchor job on WJZ-TV
in 1983 when her predecessor, Randy Blair, died of a heart attack. ESPN
called in 1983, NBC Sports
in 1987.
in 1983, Gardner served as a SportsCenter
anchor for three years (always wearing her signature bright red lipstick).
In 2004 (to celebrate the 25th anniversary of SportsCenter), Gardner returned to anchor a special "old school" edition of SportsCenter alongside Stuart Scott
.
and Ahmad Rashad
in 1988
), Major League Baseball: An Inside Look
(Gardner by the way, was on hand at Toronto
's SkyDome to host the pregame coverage of NBC's final edition of the Major League Baseball Game of the Week
(Blue Jays
-Orioles
) on September 30, 1989), NBC
's 1988
and 1992 Summer Olympics
coverage, NBC's tennis coverage (i.e. the French Open and Wimbeldon
), and NBC's "Prudential
Sports Updates".
game when she called the action of a game between the Colorado Rockies
and the Cincinnati Reds
.
Gardner later worked on the Food Network
before writing a screenplay. She spent three years on the Food Network. Then a series of misfortunes struck.
was nearly severed when a taxi
in which she was riding was involved in an accident
and she was thrown against a partition between the driver's compartment and the passenger's.
Then she had a fall in which she suffered a torn rotator cuff. In still another incident, she developed internal bleeding
that required four operations.
Altogether, she has been unable to work for many years. Gardner says, "It's grimmer than I'm telling you," she said. "I was a wreck."
She says she has been encouraged by NBC Sports president Dick Ebersol
telling her she will be considered for a future Olympics assignment. "For a person who needs to get back into the job market, this SportsCenter
role is a good thing," she said. "I'm rusty, but I hope something comes of it."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sportscaster
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
who has worked for ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and NBC Sports
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC television network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NHL, MLS, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others...
beginning in 1987 until 1993.
Biography
Gardner got her first job as a sportscasterSportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
because she hired herself. She got her second job as a sportscaster because a guy died. "It was not because everybody was sitting around saying, 'We've got to get this woman on air,' " she says.
She did not come by her love of sports in any explicable way. "Reincarnation
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
?" she suggests, shrugging. She grew up in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, the daughter of a liquor salesman and a housewife
Housewife
Housewife is a term used to describe a married woman with household responsibilities who is not employed outside the home. Merriam Webster describes a housewife as a married woman who is in charge of her household...
, and she led a double life: She cut out paper dolls while watching Y.A. Tittle quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
of the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. "It was this closet thing, this other interest I didn't tell anyone about," Gardner says.
She has held just about every job in the business, both in front of and behind the camera, having started as a talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
and documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and then having worked in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Detroit and Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, where she got the daily sports anchor job on WJZ-TV
WJZ-TV
WJZ-TV, channel 13, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Baltimore, Maryland. WJZ-TV's studios and offices are located on Television Hill in the Woodberry section of Baltimore, adjacent to the transmission tower it shares with four other Baltimore...
in 1983 when her predecessor, Randy Blair, died of a heart attack. ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
called in 1983, NBC Sports
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC television network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NHL, MLS, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others...
in 1987.
ESPN
After being aired hired by ESPNESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
in 1983, Gardner served as a SportsCenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
anchor for three years (always wearing her signature bright red lipstick).
In 2004 (to celebrate the 25th anniversary of SportsCenter), Gardner returned to anchor a special "old school" edition of SportsCenter alongside Stuart Scott
Stuart Scott
Stuart Scott is a sportscaster and anchor on ESPN's SportsCenter.-Early life and career:Scott attended Richard J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and went to college at the University of North Carolina. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity...
.
NBC Sports
As previously mentioned, Gardner worked for NBC from 1987-1993. Among the assignments that she undertook included anchoring NBC's New Year's Day college football bowl game coverage, NFL Live! (Gardner joined the show alongside Bob CostasBob Costas
Robert Quinlan "Bob" Costas is an American sportscaster, on the air for the NBC network since the early 1980s.-Early life:...
and Ahmad Rashad
Ahmad Rashad
Ahmad Rashād is an American sportscaster and former professional football player. An All-American running back and wide receiver from Oregon known as Bobby Moore, Rashad was the fourth overall pick in the 1972 NFL Draft, drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals...
in 1988
1988 NFL season
The 1988 NFL season was the 69th regular season of the National Football League. The Cardinals relocated from St. Louis, Missouri to the Phoenix, Arizona area becoming the Phoenix Cardinals but remained in the NFC East division....
), Major League Baseball: An Inside Look
Major League Baseball: An Inside Look
Major League Baseball: An Inside Look was a pregame show for NBC's Game of the Week telecasts. It featured one-on-one interviews with the players, and other on-going news and notes relating to Major League Baseball...
(Gardner by the way, was on hand at Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
's SkyDome to host the pregame coverage of NBC's final edition of the Major League Baseball Game of the Week
Major League Baseball Game of the Week
The Major League Baseball Game of the Week is the de facto title for over-the-air, nationally televised coverage of regular season Major League Baseball games...
(Blue Jays
1989 Toronto Blue Jays season
The Toronto Blue Jays season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Blue Jays finishing first in the American League East with a record of 89 wins and 73 losses...
-Orioles
1989 Baltimore Orioles season
The Baltimore Orioles season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Orioles finishing 2nd in the American League East with a record of 87 wins and 75 losses. The team was known as the Comeback Kids as they rebounded from the 54 wins and 107 losses of the 1988 season...
) on September 30, 1989), NBC
Olympics on NBC
NBC Sports' coverage of the Olympic Games consists of broadcasts on the various networks of NBC Universal in the United States, including the NBC broadcast network, Spanish language network Telemundo, and many of the company's cable networks....
's 1988
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
and 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
coverage, NBC's tennis coverage (i.e. the French Open and Wimbeldon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
), and NBC's "Prudential
Prudential Financial
The Prudential Insurance Company of America , also known as Prudential Financial, Inc., is a Fortune Global 500 and Fortune 500 company whose subsidiaries provide insurance, investment management, and other financial products and services to both retail and institutional customers throughout the...
Sports Updates".
Other notable assignments
On August 3, 1993, Gardner became the first woman to do televised play-by-play of a baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
game when she called the action of a game between the Colorado Rockies
1993 Colorado Rockies season
The Colorado Rockies' 1993 season was the first for the Rockies. They played in the National League West. Don Baylor was their manager. They played home games at Mile High Stadium...
and the Cincinnati Reds
1993 Cincinnati Reds season
The 1993 Cincinnati Reds season was a season in American baseball. It consisted of the Cincinnati Reds attempting to win the National League West.-Offseason:...
.
Gardner later worked on the Food Network
Food Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
before writing a screenplay. She spent three years on the Food Network. Then a series of misfortunes struck.
Personal life
Her lower lipLower lip
The lower lip covers the anterior body of the mandible.It is lowered by the Depressor labii inferioris muscle....
was nearly severed when a taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
in which she was riding was involved in an accident
Accident
An accident or mishap is an unforeseen and unplanned event or circumstance, often with lack of intention or necessity. It implies a generally negative outcome which may have been avoided or prevented had circumstances leading up to the accident been recognized, and acted upon, prior to its...
and she was thrown against a partition between the driver's compartment and the passenger's.
Then she had a fall in which she suffered a torn rotator cuff. In still another incident, she developed internal bleeding
Internal bleeding
Internal bleeding is bleeding occurring inside the body. It can be a serious medical emergency depending on where it occurs , and can potentially cause death and cardiac arrest if proper medical treatment is not received quickly....
that required four operations.
Altogether, she has been unable to work for many years. Gardner says, "It's grimmer than I'm telling you," she said. "I was a wreck."
She says she has been encouraged by NBC Sports president Dick Ebersol
Dick Ebersol
Duncan "Dick" Ebersol is an American television executive and a senior adviser for . He had previously been the chairman of NBC Sports, producing large scale television events such as the Olympic Games and National Football League broadcasts....
telling her she will be considered for a future Olympics assignment. "For a person who needs to get back into the job market, this SportsCenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
role is a good thing," she said. "I'm rusty, but I hope something comes of it."