Suzy Kolber
Encyclopedia
Suzanne Lisa "Suzy" Kolber (ˈkoʊlbər; born May 14, 1964, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a football
sideline reporter
, co-producer
, and sportscaster
for ESPN
. She was one of the original anchors of ESPN2
when it launched in 1993. Three years later, she left ESPN2 to join Fox Sports
, but rejoined ESPN in late 1999.
. She graduated from the University of Miami
in 1986.
from WPEC-TV in West Palm Beach, Florida
, where she was a weekend sports anchor and weekday feature reporter since December 1991. In 1991, Kolber's freelance assignments included work as a reporter/producer for Breeders' Cup
Newsfeed in Greenwich
, Connecticut
; a field producer for Inside Edition
in New York
; a sports specials producer for WCIX-TV in Miami, and a producer/director for NFL Films
. From 1989-90, she freelanced as a specials producer for WPLG-TV in Miami. In addition, she produced two magazine shows, Cowboys Special Edition in Irving, Texas
(1990–91) and Greyhound Racing America in Miami, Florida (1988–90). From 1985 to 1989, she produced the 5:30 p.m. ET sportscast at WTVJ-TV in Miami, winning a local Sports Emmy in 1988.
Kolber graduated from the University of Miami
in 1986 with a bachelor of arts
degree
in telecommunications. While an undergraduate, she worked at Dynamic Cable in Coral Gables, Florida as a sports director (1984–86). After graduation, she worked at CBS Sports
in New York
as a videotape coordinator (1986).
to X Games
and Grand Slam
tennis
events. She is most recognized as a sideline reporter on ESPN
’s Monday Night Football
with Michele Tafoya
, where she brings viewers closer to the players, coaches and game action on the field. In 2007, she was also a host for ESPN’s pre-race NASCAR Countdown program.
Kolber joined ESPN’s MNF team during its inaugural year in 2006
after five previous seasons on ESPN's Sunday Night Football
(2001
-05
). As a member of the MNF team, Kolber helped the longtime franchise became the most-watched program in cable television
history.
Kolber worked the ABC Sports broadcast of Super Bowl XL
in Detroit in 2006 with Michele Tafoya
and contributed to the network’s pre-game show. She also became the first female recipient of the Maxwell Club Sports Broadcaster of the Year Award in 2006 and was named to Sports Business Daily’s 2004 list of the 10 favorite sports TV personalities of the past 10 years.
Kolber regularly hosts ESPN’s year-round NFL Live
news and information show, and she has played a major role in ESPN’s comprehensive coverage of the annual NFL Draft
, hosting the Day 2 telecast (2004–2006) and leading analysis segments on Day 1. For the 1999
through 2003 NFL season
s, Kolber was the host of NFL Match-Up. She also previously contributed “Backstage” segments to Monday Night Countdown
.
During the NFL off-season, Kolber serves as an anchor on SportsCenter
and as an on-site and studio host for ESPN’s tennis
coverage at the French Open (since 2004
-2006
) and Wimbledon
(since 2003-2006/2009
-present). In 2000 and ’01 she hosted the X Games and Winter X Games, and she co-hosted the event again in Aspen
in 2006. She also hosted horse racing
events including all three legs of the Triple Crown
for ESPN/ESPN2
studio programs.
Kolber returned to ESPN in August 1999 after originally joining the network in 1993 as co-host for ESPN2’s SportsNight
, when the network debuted October 1 of that year. She later served as an anchor on SportsCenter, a reporter on College GameDay and co-host of the X Games in 1995 and ’96. Kolber also hosted ESPN2's SportsFigures, which uses sports celebrities and analogies to teach math and physics.
While covering the 2011 NFL Draft
, Kolber came under fire for her interview with Mark Ingram, Jr.
, who started to sob when Kolber read an e-mail from Ingram's inprisoned father. The interview was perceived by some as being manipulative.
On Tuesday September 13, 2011, the ESPN2 debut of the show NFL32 with Suzy Kolber and Chris Mortensen hit the air. With a backdrop similar to a sports bar (complete with wainscoting, sports memorabilia, and dark woodwork), the show focuses on "dissect the biggest topics of the day from all 32 NFL teams" and attributes much of its design to that of the Dan Patrick Show, a well listened to and watched national radio and television show on Direct TV's Audience network.
for Fox Sports
in November 1996, where she anchored a nightly sports news program and reported from NFL games, among other duties. She served as the lead reporter for network's coverage of the NFL on Fox
teaming up with the network's No.1 announce team of Pat Summerall
and John Madden
for one game in 1998
. She also covered horse racing. She served as studio host for the network's coverage of the NHL on Fox including both the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals
and the Playoffs
. She would eventually return to ESPN in August 1999.
with Mike Patrick
, Joe Theismann
, and Paul Maguire
, Kolber joined ESPN's Monday Night Football
crew as a sideline reporter along with Michele Tafoya
when the network took over the longtime football series from ABC Sports in 2006
. After Tafoya left ESPN for NBC Sports at the end of the 2010-2011 NFL Season, ESPN has used a rotating solo sideline reporter for the 2011-2012 NFL Season, with reporters such as Wendi Nix
, Ed Werder
and Rachel Nichols stepping into the role each week, with Kolber as a fill-in. Kolber requested to do more in studio work so she didn't have to be away from her child. The show NFL32 was created as a result of this request.
On December 20, 2003, Kolber received national attention when, covering a New York Jets
game, former Jets quarterback Joe Namath
twice stated, in a nationally televised sideline interview with Kolber, that he wanted to kiss her, and "couldn't care less about the team strugg-a-ling." Kolber responded with, "Thanks, Joe. I'll take that as a huge compliment." Namath later apologized and blamed the incident on his obvious intoxication. Soon after, Namath entered an outpatient alcoholism
treatment program. Namath chronicled the episode, including his battle with alcoholism in his book, Namath.
had mysteriously been absent from his position as lead host of NASCAR Countdown
on the ABC/ESPN network. On the week of the race on May 19, ESPN gave no reason for his absence but announced Kolber as the new host of Nextel Cup and Busch Series studio programming. She has since been replaced by Allen Bestwick
as host of NASCAR Countdown.
's video game, ESPN NFL Football for Microsoft
's Xbox
and Sony
's PlayStation 2
.
Kolber also is a national television spokesperson for Chevrolet
and Pepsi-Cola commercials.
In 1995
's ESPN Extreme Games
for PlayStation
, she has multiple video sequences hyping up the player, introducing levels, and hinting at secret areas. The re-release of the game, 1eXtreme removed all of her videos, and any reference to ESPN.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
sideline reporter
Sideline reporter
A sideline reporter, also known as a field reporter, courtside reporter , clubhouse reporter or dugout reporter , rinkside reporter or inside-the-glass reporter , on-court reporter , hole reporter , or boundary rider , is a member of the...
, co-producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
, and 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...
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....
. She was one of the original anchors of ESPN2
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
when it launched in 1993. Three years later, she left ESPN2 to join Fox Sports
Fox 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...
, but rejoined ESPN in late 1999.
Early life
She is a 1982 graduate of Pennsylvania's Upper Dublin High SchoolUpper Dublin High School
Upper Dublin High School is a four-year public high school located in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is the sole high school in the Upper Dublin School District....
. She graduated from the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
in 1986.
Career before ESPN
Kolber came to 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....
from WPEC-TV in West Palm Beach, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, where she was a weekend sports anchor and weekday feature reporter since December 1991. In 1991, Kolber's freelance assignments included work as a reporter/producer for Breeders' Cup
Breeders' Cup
The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Thoroughbred horse races, most but not all Grade I, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, it expanded to two days. The location...
Newsfeed in Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
; a field producer for Inside Edition
Inside Edition
Inside Edition is a thirty-minute American television syndicated news program, first aired on CBS on October 9, 1988. It was originally similar to the programs Hard Copy and A Current Affair, but now more closely resembles a condensed version of breakfast television, exclusively with pre-recorded...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
; a sports specials producer for WCIX-TV in Miami, and a producer/director for NFL Films
NFL Films
NFL Films is a Mount Laurel, New Jersey-based company devoted to producing commercials, television programs, feature films, and documentaries on the National Football League, as well as other unrelated major events and awards shows...
. From 1989-90, she freelanced as a specials producer for WPLG-TV in Miami. In addition, she produced two magazine shows, Cowboys Special Edition in Irving, Texas
Irving, Texas
Irving is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within Dallas County. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city population was 216,290. Irving is within the Dallas–Plano–Irving metropolitan division of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, designated...
(1990–91) and Greyhound Racing America in Miami, Florida (1988–90). From 1985 to 1989, she produced the 5:30 p.m. ET sportscast at WTVJ-TV in Miami, winning a local Sports Emmy in 1988.
Kolber graduated from the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
in 1986 with a bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in telecommunications. While an undergraduate, she worked at Dynamic Cable in Coral Gables, Florida as a sports director (1984–86). After graduation, she worked 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...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
as a videotape coordinator (1986).
ESPN
Suzy Kolber has covered a variety of assignments for ESPN from the National Football LeagueNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
to X Games
X Games
The X Games is a commercial annual sports event, controlled and arranged by US sports broadcaster ESPN, which focuses on action sports. The inaugural X Games was held in the summer of 1995 in Rhode Island....
and Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
events. She is most recognized as a sideline reporter on 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....
’s Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
with Michele Tafoya
Michele Tafoya
Michele Tafoya is an American sportscaster.-Early life and career:Tafoya received a B.A...
, where she brings viewers closer to the players, coaches and game action on the field. In 2007, she was also a host for ESPN’s pre-race NASCAR Countdown program.
Kolber joined ESPN’s MNF team during its inaugural year in 2006
2006 NFL season
The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...
after five previous seasons on ESPN's Sunday Night Football
ESPN Sunday Night Football
ESPN Sunday Night Football is the ESPN cable network's weekly television broadcasts of Sunday evening National Football League games. The first ESPN Sunday night broadcast occurred on November 8, 1987, while the last one aired on January 1, 2006....
(2001
2001 NFL season
The 2001 NFL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Football League.Following a pattern set in 1999, the first week of the season was permanently moved to the weekend following Labor Day...
-05
2005 NFL season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
). As a member of the MNF team, Kolber helped the longtime franchise became the most-watched program in cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
history.
Kolber worked the ABC Sports broadcast of Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
in Detroit in 2006 with Michele Tafoya
Michele Tafoya
Michele Tafoya is an American sportscaster.-Early life and career:Tafoya received a B.A...
and contributed to the network’s pre-game show. She also became the first female recipient of the Maxwell Club Sports Broadcaster of the Year Award in 2006 and was named to Sports Business Daily’s 2004 list of the 10 favorite sports TV personalities of the past 10 years.
Kolber regularly hosts ESPN’s year-round NFL Live
NFL Live
NFL Live is a National Football League studio show, currently airing Monday through Friday at 4:00 p.m and 12:30 a.m ET on the ESPN cable network. Formerly known as NFL 2Night, the program is the only NFL-related studio program to air during the week...
news and information show, and she has played a major role in ESPN’s comprehensive coverage of the annual NFL Draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
, hosting the Day 2 telecast (2004–2006) and leading analysis segments on Day 1. For the 1999
1999 NFL season
The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season...
through 2003 NFL season
2003 NFL season
-Milestones:The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:-Team:-Individual:-Awards:-External Links:**-References:*NFL Record and Fact Book *...
s, Kolber was the host of NFL Match-Up. She also previously contributed “Backstage” segments to Monday Night Countdown
Monday Night Countdown
Monday Night Countdown, which debuted in 1993 on ESPN, is a television program featuring analysis and news on that night's NFL match to be broadcast on ESPN...
.
During the NFL off-season, Kolber serves as an anchor on 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...
and as an on-site and studio host for ESPN’s tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
coverage at the French Open (since 2004
2004 French Open
The 2004 French Open was the 103rd edition of the tournament. Gastón Gaudio became the first men's Open Era Grand Slam title winner to save match points in the final; the last time that had happened was 70 years earlier. Gaudio also became the first Argentine man since Guillermo Vilas to win a...
-2006
2006 French Open
The 2006 French Open was held in Paris, France from May 28 to June 11, 2006. Both defending champions, Rafael Nadal and Justine Henin-Hardenne, retained their titles. It is one of the four tennis Grand Slams. This edition made history as it became the first Grand Slam tournament to start on a...
) and Wimbledon
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...
(since 2003-2006/2009
2009 Wimbledon Championships
The 2009 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, from Monday 22 June through to Sunday 5 July 2009...
-present). In 2000 and ’01 she hosted the X Games and Winter X Games, and she co-hosted the event again in Aspen
Aspen
Populus section Populus, of the Populus genus, includes the aspen trees and the white poplar Populus alba. The five typical aspens are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the north of the Northern Hemisphere, extending south at high altitudes in the mountains. The White Poplar, by...
in 2006. She also hosted horse racing
Thoroughbred Racing on ESPN
ESPN and ESPN2's coverage of Thoroughbred racing currently consists of NTRA Racing to the Kentucky Derby, The Breeders' Cup on ESPN. In addition, ESPN on ABC broadcasts a portion of the Breeders Cup. Among its regulars on its horse racing telecasts are hosts Joe Tessitore and Kenny Mayne, along...
events including all three legs of the Triple Crown
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...
for ESPN/ESPN2
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
studio programs.
Kolber returned to ESPN in August 1999 after originally joining the network in 1993 as co-host for ESPN2’s SportsNight
Sportsnight
Sportsnight was a midweek BBC television sports programme that ran from 1968 until 1997.-Sportsview:Sportsnight was a successor to Sportsview which started on 8 April 1954. Sportsview was devised by Paul Fox, later Controller of BBC1 and Peter Dimmock was the original host for a decade...
, when the network debuted October 1 of that year. She later served as an anchor on SportsCenter, a reporter on College GameDay and co-host of the X Games in 1995 and ’96. Kolber also hosted ESPN2's SportsFigures, which uses sports celebrities and analogies to teach math and physics.
While covering the 2011 NFL Draft
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players...
, Kolber came under fire for her interview with Mark Ingram, Jr.
Mark Ingram, Jr.
Mark Ingram, Jr. is a running back for the New Orleans Saints. Ingram is the son of former NFL wide receiver Mark Ingram, Sr....
, who started to sob when Kolber read an e-mail from Ingram's inprisoned father. The interview was perceived by some as being manipulative.
On Tuesday September 13, 2011, the ESPN2 debut of the show NFL32 with Suzy Kolber and Chris Mortensen hit the air. With a backdrop similar to a sports bar (complete with wainscoting, sports memorabilia, and dark woodwork), the show focuses on "dissect the biggest topics of the day from all 32 NFL teams" and attributes much of its design to that of the Dan Patrick Show, a well listened to and watched national radio and television show on Direct TV's Audience network.
Fox Sports
She left 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....
for Fox Sports
Fox 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...
in November 1996, where she anchored a nightly sports news program and reported from NFL games, among other duties. She served as the lead reporter for network's coverage of the NFL on Fox
NFL on FOX
NFL on Fox is the brand name of the Fox Broadcasting Company's coverage of the National Football League's National Football Conference games, produced by Fox Sports...
teaming up with the network's No.1 announce team of Pat Summerall
Pat Summerall
George Allen "Pat" Summerall is a former American football player and television sportscaster, having worked at CBS, Fox, and ESPN.Summerall is best known for his work with John Madden on NFL telecasts for CBS and Fox.-High school:...
and John Madden
John Madden (American football)
John Earl Madden is a former American professional football player in the National Football League, a former Super Bowl-winning head coach with the Oakland Raiders in the American Football League and later the NFL, and a former color commentator for NFL telecasts. In 2006, he was inducted into...
for one game in 1998
1998 NFL season
The 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League.The Tennessee Oilers moved their home games from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, still awaiting construction on a new stadium in Nashville.This was the first season that CBS...
. She also covered horse racing. She served as studio host for the network's coverage of the NHL on Fox including both the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals
1999 Stanley Cup Finals
The 1999 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested by the Eastern Conference champion Buffalo Sabres and the Western Conference champion Dallas Stars. It was the 106th year of the Stanley Cup. The Sabres were led by captain Michael Peca, coach Lindy Ruff and goalie Dominik Hasek. The...
and the Playoffs
1999 Stanley Cup Playoffs
The 1999 Stanley Cup playoffs, the championship of the National Hockey League , began in April, 1999, following the 1998–99 NHL season. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played best-of-7 series for conference quarterfinals, semifinals and championships, and then the...
. She would eventually return to ESPN in August 1999.
Monday Night Football
Following 5 years as a sideline reporter on Sunday Night FootballSunday Night Football
Sunday Night Football is a weekly American football game held throughout most of the season by the National Football League. Sunday night games have been played regularly since 1987 and have thus far aired on three different television outlets:...
with Mike Patrick
Mike Patrick
Mike Patrick is an American sportscaster.-Career:Patrick began his broadcasting career in the fall of 1966 at WVSC-Radio in Somerset, Pa. In 1970, he was named Sports Director at WJXT-TV in Jacksonville, Fla., where he provided play-by-play for Jacksonville Sharks' World Football League telecasts...
, Joe Theismann
Joe Theismann
Joseph Robert "Joe" Theismann is a former quarterback in the National Football League and Canadian Football League . He achieved his most enduring fame in his 12 seasons playing for the Washington Redskins, where he was a two-time Pro Bowler and quarterback of the winning team in Super Bowl XVII...
, and Paul Maguire
Paul Maguire
Paul Leo Maguire is a former American football player and current television sportscaster.-Early sports career:Maguire attended Ursuline High School in Youngstown,Ohio and was recruited to play at The Citadel by the late Al Davis who was then an assistant coach and chief recruiter...
, Kolber joined ESPN's Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
crew as a sideline reporter along with Michele Tafoya
Michele Tafoya
Michele Tafoya is an American sportscaster.-Early life and career:Tafoya received a B.A...
when the network took over the longtime football series from ABC Sports in 2006
2006 NFL season
The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...
. After Tafoya left ESPN for NBC Sports at the end of the 2010-2011 NFL Season, ESPN has used a rotating solo sideline reporter for the 2011-2012 NFL Season, with reporters such as Wendi Nix
Wendi Nix
-Professional:Wendi primarily handles coverage for NFL and College Football games featuring teams from the New England area. Prior to working for ESPN, Nix was a weekend sports anchor at WHDH in Boston and previously reported for Fox Sports Net, NESN and WPDE in South Carolina...
, Ed Werder
Ed Werder
Ed Werder is a Dallas-based bureau reporter for ESPN, primarily reporting on stories about the NFL. Since joining ESPN in 1998, Werder has become a staple in their NFL coverage, as he contributes to shows such as SportsCenter, NFL Live, Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown Ed Werder...
and Rachel Nichols stepping into the role each week, with Kolber as a fill-in. Kolber requested to do more in studio work so she didn't have to be away from her child. The show NFL32 was created as a result of this request.
The Namath incident
On December 20, 2003, Kolber received national attention when, covering a New York Jets
2003 New York Jets season
The 2003 New York Jets season was the 44th season for the team, and the 34th in the National Football League. The team tried to improve upon its 9–7 record from 2002 and defend its AFC East title. The Jets finished the season with a record of 6–10....
game, former Jets quarterback Joe Namath
Joe Namath
Joseph William "Joe" Namath , nicknamed "Broadway Joe" or "Joe Willie", is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962–1964, and professional football in the...
twice stated, in a nationally televised sideline interview with Kolber, that he wanted to kiss her, and "couldn't care less about the team strugg-a-ling." Kolber responded with, "Thanks, Joe. I'll take that as a huge compliment." Namath later apologized and blamed the incident on his obvious intoxication. Soon after, Namath entered an outpatient alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
treatment program. Namath chronicled the episode, including his battle with alcoholism in his book, Namath.
NASCAR Countdown
In the two weeks prior to Kolber's arrival, Brent MusburgerBrent Musburger
Brent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a...
had mysteriously been absent from his position as lead host of NASCAR Countdown
NASCAR Countdown
NASCAR Countdown is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series prerace show that debuted on February 17, 2007. It is a live on-site pre-race show for all Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races televised on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC...
on the ABC/ESPN network. On the week of the race on May 19, ESPN gave no reason for his absence but announced Kolber as the new host of Nextel Cup and Busch Series studio programming. She has since been replaced by Allen Bestwick
Allen Bestwick
Allen Bestwick is the host of ESPN's NASCAR pre-race show NASCAR Countdown and play-by-play announcer for the Sprint Cup Series races for the same company. He took over that position in 2011 after serving as the countdown to green host from 2008-2010 and a pit reporter for the network in 2007...
as host of NASCAR Countdown.
Endorsements
Kolber's football broadcast narrative is featured on SegaSega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
's video game, ESPN NFL Football for Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
's Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
and Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
's PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
.
Kolber also is a national television spokesperson for Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
and Pepsi-Cola commercials.
In 1995
1995 in video gaming
-Events:*May 11 – Introduction of trade magazine GameWeek *May 11-16 — The 1st annual Electronic Entertainment Expo is held in Los Angeles, California...
's ESPN Extreme Games
ESPN Extreme Games
ESPN Extreme Games was a game released for the PlayStation on September 9, 1995 as one of the launch games in the North American region. A version was released for the PC's MS-DOS operating system a short time later. The game featured all the sports included in the Summer X-Games of 1995, but it...
for PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
, she has multiple video sequences hyping up the player, introducing levels, and hinting at secret areas. The re-release of the game, 1eXtreme removed all of her videos, and any reference to ESPN.
External links
- Official biography at ESPN.com