Suzy Kolber

Suzanne Lisa "Suzy" Kolber was a trailblazer for female journalists working in sports television. She was born in Philadelphia. She attended the University of Miami and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in telecommunications in 1986. One of her early jobs was producing the late-afternoon sportscast at Miami's WTVJ-TV, where she won a Sports Emmy in 1988. Starting in 1989 she worked as a freelance producer for WPLG-TV in the city and for other companies. In December 1991 she began her tenure as a weekend sports anchor at WPEC-TV in West Palm Beach, Fla., a position she held until getting her first big break when she joined ESPN in 1993. Kolber was part of the launch of ESPN2, serving as a co-host of its nightly news show upon its October 1 debut. She later worked as an anchor on the network's signature "SportsCenter" (1979-) program, a reporter on "College GameDay" (1987-) and co-host of X-Games coverage in 1995 and 1996. She left ESPN for rival Fox Sports in November 1996 to anchor "Fox Sports News" (1996-2002) on the fledgling Fox Sports Net and serve as a sideline reporter for the NFL on Fox, in addition to other assignments. She returned to ESPN in 1999, hosting "NFL Matchup" (1993-) and contributing to the "Monday Night Countdown" (1993-) pregame show. During NFL off-seasons, she again anchored "SportsCenter" and hosted the network's coverage of major tennis tournaments and the X Games. Kolber has also covered other sports, including horse racing's Triple Crown and NASCAR. Beginning in 2001 she was a sideline reporter for ESPN's "Sunday Night Football" (ESPN/NBC, 1986-) broadcasts, continuing in the role on a new night when ESPN took over the "Monday Night Football" (ABC/ESPN, 1970-) rights in 2006. She ended her time on the sidelines in 2011 but continued to appear on ESPN's various studio shows, with a focus on the NFL. Among those assignments was hosting "NFL Insiders" (2013-2017). Kolber rejoined "Monday Night Countdown" as a co-host along with longtime host Chris Berman in 2015 and in 2017 was promoted to solo host of the program following Berman's semiretirement from the network. Other career highlights include working as a sideline reporter for ABC's coverage of Super Bowl XL on Feb. 5, 2006, a broadcast that was watched by more than 90 million viewers. Industry publication Sports Business Daily in 2004 named Kolber as one of the 10 favorite sports TV personalities of the previous decade, and in 2006 she was the first female recipient of the Maxwell Football Club's Sports Broadcaster of the Year award. Kolber married longtime beau Eric Brady in 2008 and they have one daughter.