It’s going to take three hosts to fill the shoes of ESPN veteran Chris Berman.
The network announced Thursday that Suzy Kolber, Samantha Ponder and Trey Wingo will be the new NFL studio hosts for the 2017 season.
Berman, who arrived at ESPN a month after the network launched in 1979, announced in January that he would be scaling back his role there. However, he will still make appearances on-air and will also serve in public-facing roles on behalf of the company.
“We have three exceptional hosts in Suzy, Sam and Trey, who will usher in this new era of NFL studio coverage on ESPN,” Stephanie Druley, ESPN Senior Vice President, Studio and Event Production, said in a statement. “They each have a unique style and approach, yet they all share a passion for the game of football that is evident to viewers. We look forward to this group being the face of our NFL studio coverage for many years ahead on ESPN.”
“The true joy in this job for me is being at games and fostering my relationships with NFL coaches, players and executives, as well as our ESPN team,” Kolber (below left) said. “Now, having the opportunity to host our entire show from site, as well as halftime and postgame, is an amazing opportunity. This is exactly where I want to be.”
Photo by Joe Faraoni / ESPN Images
Ponder, the wife of NFL quarterback Christian Ponder, went on to say: “”I couldn’t be more grateful to be a part of the ‘Sunday NFL Countdown’ family. There is no such thing as replacing Chris Berman, but the chance to build on his incredible legacy while simultaneously taking new risks to serve NFL fans is the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Wingo, who is best known for his work on the NFL Draft, added: “The draft is the only ‘real’ reality TV show there is. No one has any idea what’s going to happen which makes it so fun. When ESPN first asked about televising the draft, the NFL said, ‘Why would you want to do that?’ One of the reasons that made the draft a great watch was Chris Berman. His insight and humor made it so much more than just people reading names. I’m honored to follow in his footsteps.”
See their full bios and details of their new roles courtesy of ESPN below.
Kolber, who has co-hosted “Monday Night Countdown” with Berman since 2015, will now host the entire Monday Night Football pregame show from the site of each week’s game. She will also add the MNF halftime and postgame host role to her responsibilities while continuing to anchor weekday editions of NFL Insiders from ESPN’s Bristol, Connecticut, studios.
Kolber, who joined ESPN in 1993, was a NFL sideline reporter on both “Sunday Night Football” (2001-05) and “Monday Night Football” (2006-11), and she worked the Super Bowl XL telecast on ABC in 2006. She continues to be part of ESPN’s annual Super Bowl, NFL Draft and other year-round coverage of the league.
Ponder, one of ESPN’s top college football reporters and a contributor to College GameDay since 2012, becomes the new host of “Sunday NFL Countdown” – just the third in the 32-year history of ESPN’s long-running Sunday morning NFL pregame show. Originally “NFL GameDay,” Bob Ley launched the program in 1985 before Berman assumed the role a year later, serving as host for an industry record three decades.
Ponder, a versatile talent with an engaging conversational style, will also contribute NFL interviews and features. She has hosted “College Football Live” and served as a college football and basketball sideline reporter, most recently on ABC “Saturday Night Football” and including the College Football Playoff National Championship. She joined ESPN in 2011 as one of the first commentators for The Longhorn Network in Austin, Texas.
Wingo will now host all three days of the annual NFL Draft telecast on ESPN, beginning with the 2017 event April 27-29 in Philadelphia. He will also continue to be the face of ESPN’s daily year-round pro football coverage on “NFL Live” – the show he has hosted since its inception in 2003, NFL Insiders: Sunday Edition, NFL Primetime, and more. Wingo, who joined ESPN in 1997, hosts coverage from key NFL events throughout the year, including Super Bowl, Pro Bowl and NFL Draft.
16 Biggest Sports Tear-Jerkers of 2016, From the Chicago Cubs to Muhammad Ali (Photos)
Chicago Cubs fans cried with happiness – and Cleveland Indian fans from broken hearts – when the team broke a 108-year drought and the curse of a smelly goat to win the World Series Game 7 victory that will go down in baseball history. Amid the celebrations, diehard Cubs fan Bill Murray cried, chugged champagne ... and drunkenly interviewed Cubs general manager Theo Epstein in the locker room.
Getty Images
The world appeared to stop to honor "The Greatest" when Muhammad Ali died on June 3 at age 74. President Obama, former President Bill Clinton, Billy Crystal and Bryant Gumbel were among those who paid tribute to the boxing legend in a star-filled funeral held in his home city of Louisville, Kentucky, as thousands of mourners filled the streets.
Getty Images
New England Patriots fans sobbed -- and the rest of the NFL cheered -- when Tom Brady threw in the towel in his fight against the Deflategate suspension. The QB sat out four games ... and then went on to lead his team to the clinch the AFC East for the eighth consecutive year. Who's crying now, Roger Goodell?
Getty Images
The Rams' return to L.A. sparked tears of joy from patience football-starved fans ... until they actually saw them play. Jubilation quickly turned to frustration as first round draft pick Jared Goff spent most of the season sat on the bench and head coach Jeff Fisher was fired after a a devastating 42-14 home loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Oh well, there's always next season -- or the one after that.
Getty Images
The wasn't a dry eye in the house when legendary announcer Vin Scully called his last L.A. Dodgers game in September. And after 67 years, Scully couldn't hold back the emotion pouring from the press box at Chavez Ravine. “There is no more important broadcaster in the history of baseball than Vin Scully,” filmmaker Ken Burns told TheWrap at the time.
Getty Images
Ryan Lochte prompted tears of shame from the IOC and America as a nation when he confessed to making up a story about being robbed at gunpoint with fellow Olympic swimmers during the Rio Summer Games. The gold medal-winner was banned from the sport for 10 months ... and went on to compete on Season 23 of "Dancing With the Stars."
Getty Images
If tears could be rainbow-colored, then they would epitomize the reaction to "NBA on TNT" reporter Craig Sager's death from leukemia on Dec. 15 at age 65. The beloved sportscaster melted even the coldest of hearts (we're looking at you, Coach Popovich) with his lively courtside banter and bright suits.
Getty Images
Talk about going out on top. Some thought Peyton Manning should have hung his helmet up a few neck surgeries ago -- not the Papa John's pitchman himself. No. 18 returned for one more run, and with a great defense, lead the Denver Broncos to the promised land. Cut the water works.
Bill Simmons' fans have had a rocky few years, and 2016 was no exception. This year, the Sports Guy got himself a new website and even a weekly talk show on HBO. Great, right? Well, Simmons barely writes for The Ringer and his "Any Given Wednesday" was canceled after just four months. Maybe ESPN is hiring?
The knee that shook the world. Colin Kaepernick wasn't even the starting San Francisco 49ers QB when he began one of the most infamous sporting events protests in history. Kaepernick decided early this season he'd no longer stand for the national anthem when played before NFL games. Cut to: a nation (even more) divided.
The Internet didn't shed many tears over Skip Bayless jumping ship from ESPN's "First Take" for the much smaller Fox Sports 1, though surely someone was sad to see the polarizing personality bid Bristol adieu, right? Executives? The Bayless clan? Anyone? Alright, give us a break, it was a big move and indicative of a troubling trend over at the Worldwide Leaders in Sports.
Look, Cleveland, you didn't get the World Series Trophy this year, but you did come away with an NBA Championship. That's a pretty good silver (actually, it's gold) lining. When prodigal son LeBron James made good on his guarantee this June, it wasn't just sweat pouring down people's faces.
Getty Images
While no hearts were broken except Curt Schilling's when the controversial MLB analyst and former World Series pitcher was booted from ESPN's airwaves in April. One thing is for sure though, there were plenty of tears of rage over his offensive racist and anti-transgender tweets that led to his firing.
Getty Images
Kobe Bryant brought Los Angeles to tears by announcing his retirement -- some were of joy, others of sorrow. Bryant is a legend out here, but he also has pretty much set the Lakers back half-a-decade simply by sticking around. Kobe's final game was a tear-jerker for the right reasons, when he poured in 60 points on 50 shot attempts.
Getty Images
This holiday season, raise a glass of half-iced tea and half-lemonade to a legend. Arnold Palmer was so much more than a delicious summer drink, he was the man who most placed professional golf on the map in the U.S. Palmer was handsome, charming and most of all, talented. He will be missed.
After breaking ground for women's basketball and winning eight championships with her University of Tennessee Lady Vols, coach Pat Summitt lost her battle with early onset dementia Alzheimer’s in June at age 64. Both male and female athletes weeped at the loss of a sporting pioneer.
Getty Images
1 of 16
From the deaths of sporting legends to the end of championship droughts, there was plenty for fans to cry about this year
Chicago Cubs fans cried with happiness – and Cleveland Indian fans from broken hearts – when the team broke a 108-year drought and the curse of a smelly goat to win the World Series Game 7 victory that will go down in baseball history. Amid the celebrations, diehard Cubs fan Bill Murray cried, chugged champagne ... and drunkenly interviewed Cubs general manager Theo Epstein in the locker room.
Getty Images
Getty Images
