Michele Tafoya (born December 17, 1964, in
Manhattan Beach, CaliforniaManhattan Beach is the wealthiest beachfront city located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, USA. The city is on the Pacific coast, south of El Segundo, and north of Hermosa Beach. Manhattan Beach is the home of both beach and indoor volleyball, and surfing. During the winter, the...
) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sportscasterIn sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
.
Early life and career
Tafoya received a B.A. in mass communications from the
University of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
in 1988, and a masters in business administration from the
University of Southern CaliforniaThe University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
in 1991.
Tafoya worked as a host and reporter for KFAN-AM in Minneapolis, primarily for
Minnesota VikingsThe Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
and
University of MinnesotaThe University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
women’s basketball broadcasts. She worked for WAQS-AM in
Charlotte- CHARLOTTE :CHARLOTTE is an American blues-based hard rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1986. Currently, they are signed to indie label, Eonian Records, under which they released their debut cd, Medusa Groove, in 2010. Notable Charlotte songs include 'Siren', 'Little Devils',...
, where she went by the name
Mickey Conley. She was the first female analyst to call UNC-Charlotte men's basketball games.
Tafoya also worked for the Midwest Sports Channel, serving as a
Minnesota TimberwolvesThe Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...
host and sideline reporter, as well as a play-by-play commentator for women's Big Ten basketball and
volleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
. Tafoya also spent three years at
WCCO-TVWCCO-TV, is the CBS owned and operated television station that serves the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota. Its transmitter is at the Telefarm complex in Shoreview, Minnesota.- History :...
in Minneapolis as a sports anchor and reporter.
CBS Sports
Prior to
ESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and ABC Sports, Michele Tafoya joined CBS Sports in September 1994 as a reporter and host for the CBS Television Network's sports anthology show
CBS Sports SpectacularCBS Sports Spectacular is a sports anthology program produced by CBS Sports. The series began on January 3, 1960 as The CBS Sports Spectacular, and has been known under many different names, including CBS Sports Saturday, CBS Sports Sunday, Eye on Sports and The CBS Sports Show.The program...
and
college basketballCollege Basketball on CBS presented by State Farm is a presentation of men's NCAA Division I basketball games on CBS...
coverage. She served as a host of AT THE HALF and as a reporter for college football games. She did make her on-air debut at the 1994 U.S. Open Tennis Championships. She spent 5 years with CBS.
In 1996, Tafoya made history at CBS when she was the first woman to call television play-by-play of an NCAA tournament game. In 1997, The American Women in Radio and Television honored Tafoya with a Gracie Award for "Outstanding Achievement by an Individual On-Air TV Personality" for her WNBA work with Lifetime.
Tafoya, previously called play-by-play games for the WNBA on
Lifetime TelevisionLifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...
, has served as a reporter for the Network's coverage of the
NFLThe NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
, college football, including the
1998 National Championship Orange BowlThe 1998 Orange Bowl a 1997-1998 Bowl Alliance game was played on January 2, 1998. This 64th edition to the Orange Bowl featured the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and the Tennessee Volunteers. Tennessee came into the game with an 11-1 record and #3 AP ranking, whereas Nebraska came into the game with a...
, and was late-night co-host with
Al TrautwigAl Trautwig is a commentator with the MSG Network, NBC, Versus, and USA Network. He does the pre-game and post-game shows for the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, as well as fill-in play-by-play for both teams.-Early life:...
of the 1998 Nagano Olympics in Nagano.
In addition to her diverse assignments, Tafoya hosted CBS'
NCAA TournamentThe NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
selection show,
Goodwill GamesThe Goodwill Games was an international sports competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s...
and the
U.S Open Tennis ChampionshipsThe US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
coverage. She left CBS at the end of 1999.
ABC Sports and ESPN
Michele Tafoya joined
ESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and
ABC SportsESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports division has been merged with ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...
in January 2000 and her profile has steadily risen through a variety of on-air roles. Tafoya continues to work for ESPN and ABC Sports as a
sideline reporterA sideline reporter, also known as a field reporter, courtside reporter , clubhouse reporter or dugout reporter , rinkside reporter or inside-the-glass reporter , on-court reporter , hole reporter , or boundary rider , is a member of the...
for
ESPN Monday Night Football since
2006 NFL SeasonThe 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...
. She was the sideline reporter for ABC Sports'
Monday Night Football in
2004The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
-2005. Tafoya was a co-host for the
Mike TiricoMichael Todd Tirico is an announcer for ESPN's presentation of Monday Night Football, and second lead broadcaster for ESPN's presentation of the NBA. In addition, Tirico hosts a multitude of programming on ESPN/ABC. He was the host of ABC's golf coverage from 1996 to 2007, and continues in that...
Show on ESPN radio. The show, which is now titled
Tirico and Van PeltThe Scott Van Pelt Show is a syndicated sports talk radio show hosted by Scott Van Pelt and Ryen Russillo. The show is heard on ESPN Radio from 1 pm to 4 pm, with its first two hours simulcast on ESPNEWS....
, is one that she often fills in for as a guest host. She helped ABC in their coverage of
Super Bowl XLSuper Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
in Detroit as a sideline reporter with
Suzy KolberSuzanne Lisa "Suzy" Kolber is a football sideline reporter, co-producer, and sportscaster for 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, but rejoined ESPN in late 1999....
. Tafoya has worked as a sideline reporter since 2006.
She was loaned to
NBC SportsNBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC television network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NHL, MLS, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others...
for the 2000 Sydney Olympics as a Reporter for
Rhythmic GymnasticsAt the 2000 Summer Olympics, three different gymnastics disciplines were contested: artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, and trampoline. The artistic gymnastics and trampoline events were held at the Sydney SuperDome on September 16–25 and September 22–23, respectively...
and as the play-by-play woman for
softball-Medals:-Schedule:Starting September 17, there will be four preliminary games each day until September 23 for a total of 28 games.Two semi-final games played September 25, with the game for third place same day. The final game for the gold medal played on September 26 at 7:30pm local...
.
Tafoya formerly worked at
NBAThe National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
games on ABC and ESPN. On October 21, 2008, she announced she would be resigning from her duties as head NBA sideline reporter.
Tafoya's other previous roles included a stint as the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball play-by-play and studio host, and as a college football and
basketballCollege Basketball on ESPN is a presentation of the college basketball television package on the ESPN family of networks. The television network broadcasts games of all the major conferences and many mid-major conferences of Division I NCAA basketball....
sideline reporter. She also has served as a substitute host on
Pardon the InterruptionPardon the Interruption is a sports television show that airs weekdays on various ESPN TV channels, TSN, ESPN America, XM, and Sirius satellite radio services, and as a downloadable podcast. It is hosted by Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, who discuss, and frequently argue over, the top stories...
and as a panelist on
The Sports ReportersThe Sports Reporters is a sports talk show that airs on ESPN at 9:30 a.m. ET every Sunday morning . It is broadcast from Bristol, Connecticut at the main ESPN studios. However, before 1999, it was broadcast from a studio in Manhattan. and from 1999-2010 it was recorded at the ESPN Zone at Times...
II. Her other ESPN assignments have included calling WNBA games, also hosting
skiingSkiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
telecasts and working on ESPN’s college basketball selection shows as a reporter. She also was a correspondent for
SportsCenterSportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
and
Outside the LinesOutside the Lines, or also referred to as OTL, is an American television program on ESPN that looks "outside the lines" and examines critical issues in American sports on and off the field of play....
.
In 2006, the Davie-Brown Index ranked Tafoya among the most likeable TV sports personalities, including Biggest Trend-Setter.
At the end of the 2010-2011 NFL Season, she left ESPN for NBC Sports.
Return to WCCO
Tafoya was announced as the new evening
drive timeDrive time is the daypart analog to prime time for radio broadcasting. It consists of the morning hours when listeners wake up, get ready, and/or head to work or school, and the afternoon hours when they are heading home and before their evening meal. These are the periods where the number of...
talk radioTalk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
host for
WCCO-AMWCCO is a radio station located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. The station broadcasts on a clear-channel frequency and is owned by CBS Radio. The station's studios are located in downtown Minneapolis, while its transmitter is located in Coon Rapids, Minnesota.With 50,000 watts of power, WCCO's...
on April 20, 2009. Her show began on June 1, 2009.
NBC Sports
On May 4, 2011, Tafoya was announced as the new sideline reporter for
NBC Sunday Night FootballNBC Sunday Night Football is a weekly television broadcast of Sunday evening National Football League games on NBC that began airing on Sunday, August 6, 2006 with the pre-season opening Hall of Fame Game. Al Michaels serves as the play-by-play announcer, with Cris Collinsworth as the color...
, replacing
Andrea KremerAndrea Kremer is an American television sports journalist. She currently works as a correspondent on HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel." Until the 2011 season she worked as a sideline reporter for NBC on the network's coverage of Sunday Night Football.Kremer has covered more than 20 Super...
and rejoining former co-worker and announcer, Al Michaels. She is expected to continue hosting her radio show during the season.
Personal life
Tafoya married Mark Vandersall in 2000, and gave birth to her first child in November 2005. Tafoya lives in
EdinaEdina is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and a first-ring suburb situated immediately southwest of Minneapolis. Edina began as a small farming and milling community in the 1860s. The population was 47,941 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
,
MinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. In 2007, she told WCCO-TV that she had been struggling with an eating disorder since she was a child.
On 25 October 2003, Tafoya purposely poured beer over two fans beneath her luxury box at the Metrodome during a University of Minnesota versus
University of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
game. Tafoya admitted to losing her composure and said she was embarrassed over the incident. She also issued a public apology.
Career timeline
- 1998: Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
Late-Night Host
- 1994–1999: NCAA on CBS
College Basketball on CBS presented by State Farm is a presentation of men's NCAA Division I basketball games on CBS...
Sideline Reporter
- 1998: NFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
Sideline Reporter
- 2000–2003: ESPN College Football
ESPN College Football is the branding used for broadcasts of NCAA Division I FBS college football across ESPN properties, including ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, ESPN Classic, ESPNU, and ESPN Radio...
sideline reporter
- 2002–2003: Monday Night Countdown
Monday Night Countdown, which debuted in 1993 on ESPN, is a television program featuring analysis and news on that night's NFL match to be broadcast on ESPN...
reporter
- 2004–2011: Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
Sideline Reporter
- 2002–2008: NBA on ABC and NBA on ESPN Sideline Reporter
- 2011–present: NBC Sunday Night Football
NBC Sunday Night Football is a weekly television broadcast of Sunday evening National Football League games on NBC that began airing on Sunday, August 6, 2006 with the pre-season opening Hall of Fame Game. Al Michaels serves as the play-by-play announcer, with Cris Collinsworth as the color...
Sideline Reporter
- 2009–present: WCCO Radio Afternoon Drive Host
External links