Bob Ley

Bob Ley

Ley in March 2010
Born (1955-03-16) March 16, 1955
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Education Seton Hall University, (1976)
B.A. Communications
Title Outside the Lines host, SportsCenter anchor, soccer broadcaster
Spouse(s) Barbara Ley
Children 2

Robert A. Ley[1] (/ˈliː/; born March 16, 1955) is an American sports anchor and reporter for ESPN. A multiple Emmy Award-winner, he is the longest tenured on-air employee of the network, having joined ESPN just three days after the network's 1979 launch.[2]

Early life and education

Ley grew up in Bloomfield, New Jersey, where he attended Bloomfield High School.[3][4] He got his start in broadcasting as a sportscaster and program director at WSOU at Seton Hall University, and interned as a production staffer at WOR-AM in New York City. After graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications, Ley worked several minor broadcasting jobs, including public address announcer with the New York Cosmos soccer team, before landing his first major position with ESPN just three days after the network's launch in 1979.[2]

Career

ESPN (1979–present)

Ley joined ESPN on September 9, 1979, and is the longest-tenured employee currently with the network.

In 1980, Ley hosted the first televised NCAA Selection Show, though the airing would switch to CBS two years later.[5]

Ley hosts ESPN's investigative program Outside the Lines, which he has hosted since its inception in 1990. He has hosted SportsCenter for much of his career at ESPN, and on August 9, 2004, he hosted an "old school" edition with longtime broadcasting partner Charley Steiner.

He is the primary studio host for ESPN's telecasts of major international professional soccer tournaments, including the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup,[6] the 2012 UEFA European Championship [7] and the 2016 UEFA European Championship.

During the Night of 1000 Stars, Grantland.com's Men in Blazers, Michael Davies and Rog Bennett, presented Ley with the first Men In Blazers Golden Jacket [8] for lifetime services to American soccer.[9] During the presentation of the Golden Blazer Jacket, the Men in Blazers showed footage of Ley's anchoring of SportsCenter and presenting highlights of the United States men's national soccer team qualifying for the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. It was the first time the USMNT qualified for the FIFA World Cup since 1950.

On September 7, 2014, in recognition of ESPN's 35th anniversary as a cable network, he was honored as one of 19 "ESPN Originals", employees who have been with the network from the beginning. Chris Berman is the only other on-air personality on that list. Ley has earned 11 Emmy Awards and three CableACE Awards as cable's top Sports Informational Series for his work as the host of both Outside the Lines and SportsCenter. Over more than three decades at the network, Ley has delivered the many news stories including the Boston Marathon bombings, ESPN’s first coverage after the September 11 attacks, Magic Johnson's AIDS announcement, Pete Rose's lifetime suspension by Bart Giamatti, and the earthquake that hit San Francisco during the 1989 World Series, among many others. On June 4, 2016, Ley and Jeremy Schaap broke the news of the death of Muhammad Ali.

He has also interviewed U.S. presidents Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush.[2]

Personal life

Ley is married with two children.[10] He serves on the board of regents for Seton Hall University.[1]

Honors

References

  1. 1 2 "Board of Regents 2015-16" (PDF). Fact Book 2015-16. Seton Hall University. p. 11. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Bob Ley signs with Octagon, octagon.com; accessed May 8, 2015. Archived December 26, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ Sandomir, Richard. "TV SPORTS; Disney Making a Commitment to Complete Soccer Coverage", The New York Times, June 7, 1998; accessed December 25, 2007. "The American games are important, said Ley, who became a soccer enthusiast when he attended Bloomfield High School in New Jersey during the North American Soccer League's heyday."
  4. ↑ Orr, Conor. "Bloomfield native Bob Ley will be the face of the World Cup for ESPN", The Star-Ledger, June 9, 2010; accessed July 18, 2011. "Unfortunately for Bob Ley, he was the first of the two team managers to show up at Bloomfield High’s soccer practice on that fall afternoon in 1971. His best friend and co-manager Bob Longo disagrees on the circumstances, but remembers vividly the sight of the future ESPN anchor in a compromising position after the team’s players stuffed Ley into the wire equipment cart and rolled him straight into the pond near the field."
  5. ↑ Quindt, Fritz (March 11, 2002). "A cease-fire in the bracket wars". Sporting News. Retrieved July 18, 2011. In 1980, Bob Ley hosted the first selection show ever. It was on ESPN... Upon getting the 1982 Tournament, CBS was handed the List of 64 and guarded it like a final Survivor vote.
  6. ↑ "Reflections on NFL, ESPN, FinishLine.com and The New York Giants". espnmediazone3.com. Archived from the original on June 14, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  7. ↑ "ESPN’s Studio Team for UEFA EURO 2012 - ESPN MediaZone". espnmediazone.com. June 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  8. ↑ Men in Blazers Night of 1000 Stars, meninblazers.com; accessed June 28, 2015.
  9. ↑ Network, Grantland (September 18, 2013). "Men in Blazers: Special Live Edition with Bob Ley". Grantland.com. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  10. ↑ "ESPN.com - Page2 - Bob Ley". ESPN.go.com. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  11. ↑ Golden Blazer of Fame for services to soccer in the United States
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