Suzy Kolber
ESPN sportscaster and co-producer

Beginning in the fall, men across America anxiously gather around their television sets every Sunday afternoon and Monday night. For many of them, watching football is part of a sacred weekend ritual, one that should involve appropriate amounts of food, yelling at the TV, and game-day coverage. For the last of these necessities, men look to a woman. ESPN’s Suzy Kolber is one of the most recognized faces in sports reporting and arguably the country’s top female sports broadcaster. Every week, football fans look to Kolber for the latest game updates and interviews.

After graduating from the University of Miami, Kolber worked as a reporter and producer in Miami and West Palm Beach, Florida. For four years, she produced the 5:30 PM sportscast for WTVJ-TV in Miami and earned a local sports Emmy for the station in 1988. She also freelanced as a specials producer and reporter, completing projects for NFL Films and Inside Edition. In 1991, Kolber became the weekend sportscaster and weekday feature reporter for WPEC-TV in West Palm Beach.

Kolber joined ESPN2 as one of its original anchors, and when the network debuted in October 1993, all of America was introduced to Suzy Kolber. As co-host of SportsNight, she quickly became a favorite among fans and sports enthusiasts for her personality, intelligence, and passion for sports. She later moved on to anchor SportsCenter and co-hosted the X Games in 1995 and 1996. She also hosted ESPN’s Sports Figures, an educational show aimed at teaching math and physics through sports. From 1996-1999, Kolber worked for Fox Sports, where she anchored a nightly sports program and covered NFL games as well as the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. She eventually returned to ESPN and to her position as co-host of SportsCenter.

Most sports fans in America know Kolber best for her sideline reporting on NFL Sunday and Monday Night Football. For five years, she worked alongside Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, and Paul Maguire to cover Sunday Night Football. When ESPN took over coverage of the Monday night games in 2006, Kolber joined the team as its sideline reporter.

Each week, Kolber relays the latest information from the sidelines and conducts postgame interviews with the game’s best players and coaches. Over the years, she has become as much a staple on Monday Night Football as Hank William Jr’s opening theme song. When Hank asks, “Are you ready for some football?” Suzy Kolber answers yes, week in and week out.

In 2003, she received national attention when, during a sideline interview, an obviously intoxicated Joe Namath repeatedly expressed his desire to kiss her. The incident received extensive media coverage, and Namath later wrote about the episode in his book, Namath, which chronicles both his career in the NFL and his battle with alcoholism.

But every football fan knows that Kolber isn’t just another cheerleader to be kissed. Unlike most of the other women featured on the sidelines during Monday Night Football, Kolber brings something to the game each week. She is the link between the players and the announcers, and she provides an up-close perspective on the dynamics of the game. Several years ago, Kolber again received some unwanted attention when 60 Minutes’ Andy Rooney opined that “a woman has no business being down there trying to make some comment about a football game.” Kolber responded confidently to Rooney. “He has a right to say what he wants,” she said, “but from my standpoint, it’s not a reflection of me. I clearly know what I’m talking about.” Thousands of devoted fans would agree.

In fact, Kolber’s presence has become so much a part of Monday Night Football that it seems no game – whether real or virtual – can take place without her. The 1995 version of ESPN Extreme Games videogame featured Kolber as an announcer and sideline reporter. She also narrates the broadcast on ESPN NFL Football video game for X-Box and Playstation 2. She is also a spokesperson for Chevrolet and Pepsi, and her commercials regularly air during Monday night games.

Kolber keeps busy during the NFL off-season too. She continues to anchor SportsCenter and acts as a studio host for ESPN’s coverage of Wimbledon and the French Open. Kolber also regularly contributes to NFL Live, ESPN’s year-round broadcast about professional football. In 2006, she became the first female recipient of the Maxwell Club Sports Broadcaster of the Year Award. Sports Business Daily also named her one of the 10 favorite sports TV personalities of the past decade.

Kolber has distinguished herself as one of the top sports reporters in a male-dominated industry. She is well-respected for her passion and intelligence, and for these qualities, Suzy Kolber is this month’s Woman on Top.