In addition to being the “Worldwide Leader in Sports,” ESPN, specifically through its long-running SportsCenter program, has helped launch the careers of some of the most beloved TV personalities of the past 40-plus years. Over the last few decades, sportscasters like Dan Patrick, Rich Eisen, Keith Olbermann, and countless others have hosted the ever-popular daily sports show.
And while some, like Chris Berman and Hannah Storm, have remained with “The Mothership” after spending years in Bristol, others have gone on to do other things. Let’s look at a few dozen of the show’s biggest names and where they ended up…
Dan Patrick
Dan Patrick, the sportscaster and not the 42nd lieutenant governor of Texas, is probably the first former SportsCenter anchor that comes to mind for people of a certain age. One of the premier hosts from 1989 until 2006, Patrick was a key figure on nightly broadcasts and those hilarious “This is SportsCenter” commercials. Since 2007, he has hosted The Dan Patrick Show, which can be streamed with a Peacock subscription.
Rich Eisen
Between 1996 and 2003, Rich Eisen was one of the most beloved SportsCenter anchors and ESPN personalities in general. Well remembered for his pairing with the late Stuart Scott, Eisen did a little bit of everything at the network until he left in 2003 and joined the NFL Network, where he has remained ever since.
Kenny Mayne
To the shock of pretty much everyone, Kenny Mayne left ESPN in 2021, bringing an end to one of the longest tenures at the network. Between 1994 and his departure nearly 30 years later, Mayne hosted thousands upon thousands of episodes of SportsCenter and numerous other programs for ESPN. Shortly after his departure, Mayne joined NBC Sports to provide coverage for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Keith Olbermann
Keith Olbermann found tremendous success as one of the main hosts of SportsCenter throughout the early to mid-1990s. Following his departure from ESPN, Olbermann landed at Fox Sports Net before eventually entering the political media with the long-running Countdown with Keith Olbermann program on MSNBC. Years after he left ESPN and SportsCenter, Olbermann returned in 2018.
Suzy Kolber
Some of us met Suzy Kolber during her time on ESPN 2’s SportsNight back in the early ‘90s, others were chastised by her on ESPN Extreme Games on PlayStation, but most will remember her from her time on SportsCenter. Kolber, along with other on-screen talent, was laid off by ESPN in June 2023 and has been fairly quiet since.
Craig Kilborn
Before taking off as a late-night talk show host, Craig Kilborn got his big break as one of the funniest SportsCenter anchors in the show’s history as part of “The Feel Good Edition” of the nightly sports program. Following his 1996 departure, Kilborn anchored The Daily Show which he then followed with hosting duties for The Late Late Show.
Trey Wingo
Trey Wingo was a staple of ESPN for nearly a quarter of a century, and during that time he hosted everything from SportsCenter to NFL Primetime to various radio programs. His time with the company came to an end in 2020, and he has since gone on to work for Pro Football Network and Caesars Sportsbook where, no surprise, he talks at length about the sport of football.
Neil Everett
Neil Everett, who had a ridiculously long run on ESPN, hosted SportsCenter on countless occasions between 1999 and his departure in 2023. Mostly remembered for his humor, wit, and ability to make a late-night West Coast edition of SportsCenter must-watch TV, he was one of the network’s best.
Robin Roberts
Robin Roberts is one of the biggest names in morning news, but did you know she got her first big break as a host of SportsCenter? Roberts, who coined the catchphrase “Go on with your bad self,” hosted the daily sports show between 1990 and 2005. After that, she moved on to ABC where she has hosted Good Morning America ever since.
Charley Steiner
From his “Francis Scott Off-Key” to the Y2K “This is SportsCenter” commercial, and so much in between, Charley Steiner had so many great moments as a SportsCenter host back in the day. These days, Steiner can be heard calling Los Angeles Dodgers radio broadcasts.
Tim Brando
Shreveport, Louisiana, native Tim Brando anchored SportsCenter from 1986 to 1994 after which he took on a major role with CBS Sports hosting everything from college basketball to the NFL.
Sage Steele
From 2007 to 2023, Sage Steele was one of the hardest-working and most visible SportsCenter anchors. Known for hosting the midday telecast, as well as taking the show on the road for major sporting events throughout the year, Steele played a major role in the show’s success throughout the early 21st century. She is currently working for Bill Maher’s Club Random Studios podcast network.
Bob Ley
Few people could say they were at ESPN as long as Bob Ley, who was with the network from 1979 to 2019. For much of that time, Ley served as one of the most popular SportsCenter anchors, often working with Charley Steiner. Despite the occasional interview and feature story for various platforms, Ley seems to be enjoying his retirement.
Greg Gumbel
Before he became one of the biggest names in sports broadcasting, Greg Gumbel hosted SportsCenter way back in the 1980s. After his relatively short tenure, Gumble joined the CBS Sports family, where he has spent the better part of the past four decades years calling NFL and NCAA games and various studio shows.
Mike Tiricio
Mike Tirico is now one of the main voices of NBC Sports, but long ago, he was a young SportsCenter anchor looking to make a name for himself. And after several decades with ESPN, he did just that, going as far as hosting Monday Night Football. Now, Tiricio heads up everything from NFL games to Olympics coverage for the Peacock network.
Chris Myers
Chris Myers has been with Fox Sports for years, so long in fact, that some may not even be aware he was a longtime SportsCenter anchor. For over 25 years now, Myers has covered everything from NASCAR to MLB and Boxing to the NFL, and everything in between.
Jack Edwards
If you watched ESPN between the years of 1991 and 2003, there’s a good chance you have a few memories of Jack Edwards’ work on SportsCenter. Since then, he has primarily worked for NESN covering Boston Bruins games.
Chris Fowler
Chris Fowler, who is the main play-by-play voice for ABC Sports’ Saturday Night Football and various other college sports programs for ESPN, has been with the network since 1986. Though he doesn’t host the show any longer, Fowler was a mainstay of SportsCenter during his early years.
Dana Jacobson
Dana Jacobson was with ESPN from 2002 to 2012, and during that time, she hosted shows like Cold Pizza (before it became First Take) and SportsCenter. Ever since her departure, Jacobson has been a prominent figure of the CBS Sports brand, and more recently, a CBS News host and correspondent.
Mike Greenberg
Mike Greenberg, one-half of the former long-running ESPN radio show Mike & Mike with Mike Gollic (a show that was also simulcast on ESPN 2 until the program ended in 2017), has been part of the Bristol-based sports network since 1996. Though he’s still with ESPN and continues to host Get Up, “Greeny” hasn’t served as a regular anchor for SportsCenter for well over half a decade.
Brian Kenny
For the better part of 14 years, Brian Kenny was one of the most in-demand SportsCenter anchors at ESPN and was known for offering his opinion whenever asked (and not asked). During that time, Kenny covered everything from boxing to baseball, which would explain his next gig. In 2011, Kenny joined the MLB Network, where he has remained ever since.
Peter Gammons
Though much of his time at ESPN was spent covering the MLB for Baseball Tonight, Peter Gammons appeared on SportsCenter more times than anyone can count, including the landmark Alex Rodrigeuz interview after the controversial sports figure admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs. Since 2009, Gammons has been with the MLB Network, where he continues to serve as an on-air analyst and interviewer.
Sarah Walsh
For much of the 2010s, Sarah Walsh served as one of the most well-known SportsCenter anchors and ESPN personalities in general. Since her 2017 departure, Walsh has worked for Fox Sports and more recently, the NFL Network.
Lisa Kerney
Between 2014 and 2018, there was a good chance you could turn on SportsCenter and find Lisa Kerney breaking down the day’s biggest sports stories. After her time with ESPN came to a close, Kerney moved on to host various programs for FanDuel’s TVG, which is now known simply as FanDuel TV.
Jemele Hill
Before leaving ESPN in 2018, Jemele Hill hosted the 6 p.m. SportsCenter, or SC6, alongside Michael Smith, in addition to several other roles dating back to 2006. In the years since her departure, Hill has worked for The Atlantic and launched various podcasts, including Jemele Hill is Unbothered and Way Day in the Hole.
Michael Kim
Michael Kim was another longtime SportsCenter anchor who was with ESPN throughout the 1990s and the first couple of decades of the 21st century. Most of his broadcasts were on ESPNEWS as well as for morning programs like Mike and Mike in the Morning and First Take. Kim has been with the Stadium sports network since he departed from ESPN.
Michael Smith
After joining ESPN.com as a writer back in the early 2000s, Michael Smith worked his way up the ranks and eventually became a SportsCenter anchor, famously hosting SC6 with Jemele Hill. Since his 2019 departure, Smith has kept busy in a manner of ways, the most recent being the Peacock sports show, Brother From Another.
Gayle Gardner
Gayle Gardner, who is considered a trailblazer when it comes to female sports anchors, started with ESPN back in 1983 when she primarily served as a SportsCenter host. After spending three years with the network, Gardner went on to find tremendous success at NBC, where she covered most major sports, the Olympics, and various other events throughout the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.
Chris McKendry
Chris McKendry has been with ESPN since 1996, and though she now primarily focuses on the network’s tennis coverage, she was a longtime SportsCenter anchor. After hosting the weekday edition of the long-running program for the better part of 20 years, McKendry shifted her focus to tennis in 2016.
Adnan Virk
Before he was one of the dozens of WWE employees who left WWE in 2021, after only seven weeks with the company in his case, Adnan Virk made a name for himself as one of the sharpest SportsCenter anchors and ESPN personalities in general. From 2010 until 2019, Virk worked on the network’s flagship show as well as other programs like Outside the Lines and Baseball Tonight, the latter of which saw him serve as one of the main anchors. Since leaving ESPN and WWE, Virk has worked with the MLB Network, DAZN, and the NHL Network.
Jonathan Coachman
Jonathan Coachman, aka, “The Coach,” was a part of the ESPN family for the better part of a decade after joining the network back in 2008. Throughout his time with the company, Coachman hosted SportsCenter and conducted interviews with major figures from WWE, where he had gotten his start in the late 1990s. Following his departure from ESPN, Coachman went back to WWE for a few years, did some work for NBC Sports and CBS Sports, and various other brands.
Todd Grisham
Todd Grisham was one of the main play-by-play commentators of various WWE weekly shows when he left the wrestling company in 2011, at which time he joined the ESPN family. Throughout his tenure with the company, Grisham hosted SportsCenter and a variety of other programs before leaving in 2016. In the past few years, he has worked for UFC, DAZN, and Glory.
Though these former SportsCenter anchors and personalities are no longer on ESPN’s flagship show, at least we have some unforgettable memories to look back on. Oh, and those “This is SportsCenter” commercials will never not be legendary…
