Holly Rowe
Encyclopedia
Holly Rowe is a sports telecaster currently working for the sports television network, ESPN
. Rowe is best known as a sideline reporter for college football
games which are telecast on ESPN.
Before working full time as a college football sideline reporter, she served as a part-time sideline reporter in certain ESPN broadcasts during the course of 1997
. (Prior to that, with ABC Sports, in both 1995
and 1996
.)
With ESPN, Rowe has also been a part of broadcasting women's college basketball
games, and women’s college volleyball
. (both since 1998
; generally in the play-by play capacity as opposed to her college football sideline duties) Other broadcasts that Rowe has been a part of with her time at ESPN include play-by-play for Women's World Cup
matches, coverage of the Running of the Bulls, coverage of swimming
, and broadcasts of track & field events.
Being one of a minority of females in the sports broadcasting industry, Rowe has been profiled by other media and news organizations.
, during a game between Notre Dame
and Purdue
that Franklin was calling, sideline reporter Holly Rowe spoke admiringly of Purdue
defensive coordinator Brock Spack
for using all three of their remaining timeouts on defense despite trailing by four touchdowns near the end of the game. Rowe was quoted as saying, "If the coaches are giving up, what does that say to the players?" Franklin responded to Rowe's question, "Holly, it's not giving up. It's 49-21, sweetheart."
In response to the incident, Mo Davenport, who was senior coordinating producer for college football stated, "It was an inappropriate comment, and we've communicated that to Ron. There's never a reason to say something so mean-spirited. Ron apologized. We dealt with it internally."
have seen Rowe as a broadcaster since she started in 1993
. Rowe has served in the role of an analyst for the WNBA’s Utah Starzz
in recent years as well. The Blue & White Sports Network in Provo, Utah
is the network which syndicates several Western Athletic Conference
(WAC) sporting events, and still employs Rowe in many of their broadcasts, as they have since 1993. (especially of BYU
women sporting events) In addition, she has held a position on the team at CBS
which produces the men's Final Four
. (a position held since 1991)
degree in 1991 from the University of Utah
. Right after college (1991–1992), she was an intern at CBS Sports
,
Rowe was a delegate from the state of Utah
at the National Republican Convention
in 1988.
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....
. Rowe is best known as a sideline reporter for college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
games which are telecast on ESPN.
History with ESPN
Rowe has been with ESPN since August 1998 in the capacity of a full time college football sideline reporter. In that capacity, she has been a part of numerous regular season games and post-season bowls.Before working full time as a college football sideline reporter, she served as a part-time sideline reporter in certain ESPN broadcasts during the course of 1997
1997 in sports
1997 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Luc Alphand, France** Women's overall season champion: Pernilla Wiberg, Sweden-American football:...
. (Prior to that, with ABC Sports, in both 1995
1995 in sports
1995 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Alberto Tomba, Italy** Women's overall season champion: Vreni Schneider, Switzerland-American football:...
and 1996
1996 in sports
1996 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Lasse Kjus, Norway** Women's overall season champion: Katja Seizinger, Germany-American football:...
.)
With ESPN, Rowe has also been a part of broadcasting women's college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
games, and women’s college volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
. (both since 1998
1998 in sports
1998 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Hermann Maier, Austria** Women's overall season champion: Katja Seizinger, Germany-American football:...
; generally in the play-by play capacity as opposed to her college football sideline duties) Other broadcasts that Rowe has been a part of with her time at ESPN include play-by-play for Women's World Cup
FIFA Women's World Cup
The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the...
matches, coverage of the Running of the Bulls, coverage of swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, and broadcasts of track & field events.
Being one of a minority of females in the sports broadcasting industry, Rowe has been profiled by other media and news organizations.
Ron Franklin incident
On October 1, 2005, according to the Chicago TribuneChicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, during a game between Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
and Purdue
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
that Franklin was calling, sideline reporter Holly Rowe spoke admiringly of Purdue
Purdue Boilermakers
Boilermakers is the official nickname for the intercollegiate athletic teams of Purdue University. As is common with athletic nicknames, it is also used as colloquial designation of Purdue's students and alumni at large....
defensive coordinator Brock Spack
Brock Spack
Brock Spack is the head coach of Illinois State University football. He was appointed to the position in December 2008. Previously, he was the defensive coordinator at Purdue University under Joe Tiller.-References:...
for using all three of their remaining timeouts on defense despite trailing by four touchdowns near the end of the game. Rowe was quoted as saying, "If the coaches are giving up, what does that say to the players?" Franklin responded to Rowe's question, "Holly, it's not giving up. It's 49-21, sweetheart."
In response to the incident, Mo Davenport, who was senior coordinating producer for college football stated, "It was an inappropriate comment, and we've communicated that to Ron. There's never a reason to say something so mean-spirited. Ron apologized. We dealt with it internally."
Other work
Before and during her time with ESPN, Rowe has worked with several other broadcast organizations. Women's college basketball games broadcast by Fox SportsFox Sports (USA)
Fox Sports is a division of the Fox Broadcasting Company . It was formed in 1994 with Fox's acquisition of broadcast rights to National Football League games...
have seen Rowe as a broadcaster since she started in 1993
1993 in sports
1993 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Marc Girardelli, Luxembourg** Women's overall season champion: Anita Wachter, Austria-American football:...
. Rowe has served in the role of an analyst for the WNBA’s Utah Starzz
Utah Starzz
The Utah Starzz were a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They began play in the 1997 WNBA season as one of the league's eight original teams. The Starzz relocated, in 2003, to San Antonio, Texas where the team became the San Antonio Silver Stars...
in recent years as well. The Blue & White Sports Network in Provo, Utah
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
is the network which syndicates several Western Athletic Conference
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
(WAC) sporting events, and still employs Rowe in many of their broadcasts, as they have since 1993. (especially of BYU
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
women sporting events) In addition, she has held a position on the team at CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
which produces the men's Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
. (a position held since 1991)
Before becoming a sportscaster
Before Rowe gained a wider audience as a sportscaster, she was employed as a sportswriter for the newspapers, the Daily Utah Chronicle and the Davis County Clipper. While still in college, she was the anchor for her campus TV station, broadcasting news. She earned a broadcast journalismJournalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
degree in 1991 from the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
. Right after college (1991–1992), she was an intern at CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
,
Rowe was a delegate from the state of Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
at the National Republican Convention
National Republican Convention
The National Republican Convention was a Nigerian political party established by the government of General Ibrahim Babangida and ultimately disbanded by the incoming military regime of General Sani Abacha in 1993.-Alignment:...
in 1988.