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The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat...

Back Story


ABC Sports Debut

It was Memorial Day weekend and the opening of the college football season. But there was one person who was apoplectic that a woman would be on his announcing team, even though it was a minor role. The play-by-play man was the famed “voice of college football” and I learned he was on the warpath about my hiring just moments before kickoff. The year was 1982 - a lifetime before the #MeToo movement.

Forest Hills - John McEnroe #1 tennis player in the world

Sideline Shock

Paul Bear Bryant, legendary coach of Alabama's Crimson Tide, was the most intimidating interiview I was assigned. Knowing he would be ornery, I made sure my questions reflected opinions from the game commentary. It was a contractual obligation for all coaches to be interviewed at halftime and Coach Bryant was no exception. I was shocked and momentarily speechless with his condescending response.

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Hosting a “Just Say No” tennis tournament for ESPN at the White House for President and Mrs Reagan.

Mea Culpa

There was a public uproar after the Bear Bryant sideline interview. Even Joe Namath came up to me after the game and said, “Way to handle the coach.” The episode was commented on in newspapers across the country - mostly in my favor. Shortly after, I received a letter of apology from the coach. Still, to this day, I receive criticism from certain people even though the questions I asked were discussed moments before by Keith Jackson - considered a college football expert and personal friend of Bear Bryant. Go figure.


Bear Bryant Retires

Coach Bryant did his last in depth sitdown interview with me one day before his final game in Memphis. It was the Liberty Bowl and apparently this was his way of making amends for his behavior during our unfortunate sideline interview earlier in the season. This time he was gracious and even hugged me as he walked in the door. I received another personal letter from him just a couple days before he died.

His Final Letter

This is the second personal letter Coach Bryant sent me. Sadly, it arrived in my mailbox just two days before he died. I heard the news of his passing upon my arrival in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia for early olympic assignments.

Sideline Interview Sampling

One of many sideline interviews, Lou Holtz, then coach at Arkansas, was great. He is famous for his quotes, one of which got me through the chauvanistic old boy network: "Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninty percent how you respond to it." Here are just a couple shortened clips from various games.

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Sportsbeat

He was the most controversial of sports commentators and arguably the most famous. Howard Cosell was a lightening rod on Monday Night Football who consistanly aligned himself with the underdog. He knew what I faced and championed my work to the point of having me work on his legacy show: Sportsbeat.

Wide World of Sports

When I was a kid I would watch Wide World of Sports every Sunday and imagined myself one day traveling the world as a host and one of their commentators. Little did I know that one day it would actually happen! I signed a contract at the tail end of their "spare no expense" heyday - first class all over the world. This is a snippet of one of the shows.

Entertainment Tonight Sampling

From covering serious sports (except for Wide World of Sports mainstays Wrist Wrestling World Championships and Lumberjack World Championships) to in-depth interviews with sports greats – working for Entertainment Tonight was as fun as it looked. Who was the best interview? Yankees great Mickey Mantle. Hands down. He had just written his autobiography and we chatted – where else - in a bar in New York City at 11:00 in the morning.


 

Sports Anchor

Imagine a young woman from the north anchoring sports in the deep south in the early '80's. It wasn't the beginning of my sports career but it was certainly the most controversial to date. I made a private game of counting the nasty comments in the local newspaper as the TV ratings skyrocketed.

 
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