The Fabulous Sports Babe
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Nanci Donnellan a.k.a "The Fabulous Sports Babe" was a sports radio broadcaster syndicated nationally on ESPN radio and the defunct Sports Fan Radio Network in the 1990s until 2001. She also had her ESPN radio show simulcast on ESPN2 television network. Donnellan used Tampa's WQYK-AM 1010's studios to produce her show when it was on the Sports Fan Radio Network. She was noteworthy for being one of the few female broadcasters in sports radio. In 1997, she hosted a syndicated radio sports talk show in the country, which was heard in more than 200 cities in the United States and Canada.
She first appeared on the radio at Tampa Bay radio station WNSI (1380) in 1981, and later on at WPLP (570) hosting her own sports show at night, The Nanci Donellan Show. From 1991 to 1994, she was the weekday afternoon sports talk show host on KJR 950 AM in Seattle before joining ESPN Radio.
She wrote a book, with Neal Karlen, The Babe in Boyland where she discussed men, women, football, goalies, strikes, and clueless sports executives in a unique style. In 2001, her show on the Sports Fan Radio Network was cancelled a week before the Super Bowl, and the network folded a few months later[1].
Nanci now has cancer and has taken a break from showbusiness. She is recovering at her Gulfport, Florida home in Pinellas County. She was a season ticket holder for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and can be seen at Tropicana Field from time to time.
In recent years The Babe has occasionally made single-day special guest host appearances for on-air personalities in the Tampa Bay Sports Radio Market for WDAE and WHBO. During her on air-on appearances The Babe returned to form and kept the conversations focused on sports and deferred any questions about her personal life by saying "I'm just hanging out". She still refers to callers who call in on a cell phone as "rich guy on a cell phone".
Her recent on-air appearances were January 8, 2007 and January 9, 2007 on ESPN 1470 WHBO. On January 8, 2007 Nanci filled in for the "Scot Brantley Show" live from Gators on the Pass in Treasure Island, FL the same day the Florida Gators won the BCS Championship Game vs The Ohio State University. Again, she managed to keep the conversation focused on the BCS game and had fun entertaining Ohio State fans who ventured into Gators on the Pass while Scot Brantley and Bobby Fenton were in Arizona.
Nanci filled in again for Scot Brantley on ESPN 1470 WHBO on February 27, 2007 when Scot was in the hospital during his hip-replacement surgery. Nanci also hosted the afternoon show on 620 WDAE on March 1, 2007.
Her Web site still displays the same message it had in 2001, "Gone Fishing."
