University at Buffalo - Division of Athletics Event Information

National Girls and Women in Sports Day

Keynote Speaker: Robin Roberts

Photo of Robin Roberts Robin Roberts, one of the most versatile commentators in sports, is the current host for the Emmy Award-winning anthology program, "ABC's Wide World of Sports."

Roberts was also the primary host of "A Passion to Play," a unique series of one-hour specials concentrating on important women's sports issues. She has also handled play-by-play for ABC Sports' coverage of Men's and Women's College Basketball and the World Sprint Speed Skating Championships; and was a commentator for ABC's coverage of the WTA Tour Championships from Madison Square Garden.

Roberts, who joined ESPN in 1990, continues to regularly host the 6:30 p.m. ET edition of ESPN's "SportsCenter," as well as other assignments for both networks.

In addition to hosting "Wide World of Sports," she will handle play-by-play for ABC's coverage of college basketball; will continue to host ABC Sports' tennis coverage; will have a role during the network's coverage of the National Football League playoffs; and will serve as a commentator for the LPGA Skins Game.

For ESPN, Roberts' responsibilities will include a prominent role in ESPN's women's college basketball coverage, including play-by-play and hosting the network's extensive NCAA Tournament coverage; continuing to host "In the SportsLight," her prime-time interview program; and remaining a primary reporter for ESPN's coverage of the Winter and Summer Olympics.

Roberts joined ESPN after working as a sports anchor in Atlanta, Nashville, and Biloxi and Hattiesburg, Mississippi. She graduated cum laude from Southeastern Louisiana University in 1983 with a bachelor of arts degree in communications. She also was a standout performer on the women's basketball team, ending her career as the school's third-leading scorer (1,446 points) and rebounder (1,034). In 1991, she was inducted into the SLU Athletic Hall of Fame.

While with ESPN, Roberts has received the 1993 Excellence in Sports Journalism Award for Broadcast Media, given by the Northeastern University Center for the Study of Sport in Society; and the Women at Work Award for her contributions to the image of working women on television and for expanding career options for women in broadcast journalism. She was also awarded a Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Television Award of Merit in 1990 as the best woman sports commentator on television. In 1994, she was inducted into the Women's Institute on Sport and Education Foundation's Hall of Fame. She received the 1996 Gamma Kappa Distinguished Achievement Award in Broadcasting from the University of Georgia, the oldest professional broadcasting society in the country.