Suzy Kolber (; born ) is an American football sideline reporter, co-producer, and sportscaster, best known for her work with 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, and rejoined ESPN in late 1999.
Biography
Early life
Kolber was raised in a Jewish family in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She went to Sandy Run Middle School in Dresher, Pennsylvania, and is a 1982 graduate of Pennsylvania's Upper Dublin High School. She graduated from the University of Miami in 1986. At ten years old, Suzy won a spot on the school football team. However, she quit because of a strong disagreement from adults and her parents.
Career before ESPN
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) and was on the University of Miami water ski team. After graduation, she worked at CBS Sports in New York City as a videotape coordinator (1986).
From 1985 to 1989, Kolber produced the 5:30 p.m. ET sportscast at WTVJ-TV in Miami, winning a local Sports Emmy in 1988. From 1989 to 1990, she freelanced as a specials producer for WPLG-TV in Miami. In addition, she produced two magazine shows, Greyhound Racing America in Miami, Florida (1988–90) and Cowboys Special Edition in Irving, Texas (1990–91). 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 City; a sports specials producer for WCIX-TV in Miami, and a producer/director for NFL Films. She was a weekend sports anchor and weekday feature reporter at WPEC-TV in West Palm Beach, Florida from December 1991 until she moved to ESPN in 1993.
ESPN
Kolber has covered a variety of assignments for ESPN from the National Football League to the 1996 ESPN X Games bicycle-stunt events and Grand Slam tennis events. She is most recognized as a sideline reporter on ESPN’s Monday Night Football with Michele Tafoya. 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 become 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 seasons, Kolber was the host of NFL Matchup. 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). In 1996, 2000 and 2001, she hosted the Summer 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 1996. 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 II, who started to sob when Kolber read an e-mail from Ingram's imprisoned father. The interview was perceived by some as being manipulative.