Anchor for ESPN's 'SportsCenter'

Rece Davis | Biography

Since 2021, Rece Davis has been ESPN’s lead host for international soccer events

• By Anuska
• Original : November 02, 2021

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Rece Davis is the anchor on ESPN’s SportsCenter. 

Who is Rece Davis?

Rece Davis is an American sports journalist for ESPN. Davis works as an anchor on the network’s famous show SportsCenter. He also serves as a host of various other programs, in the network. Since 2021, Davis has been ESPN’s lead host for international soccer events.

Early Life and Education 

Davis was born on 14 December 1965 in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. 

He graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Broadcast News and Public affairs in 1988. While he was a student, Davis regularly worked as a freelance television play-by-play announcer, studio host, and radio personality in selected media outlets throughout the state.

Career 

Davis is mainly known for his career with ESPN. Before that, he worked in different places as a sports anchor and reporter, including CBS affiliate WRBL-TV in Columbus, Georgia. 

Davis left Georgia and moved to Flint, Michigan, in 1993. He began working as a sports anchor and reporter at the ABC affiliate WJRT-TV. His work as a sports anchor and reporter helped him catch the attention of ESPN. 

ESPN 

In 1995, Davis quit the WJRT-TV and moved to Bristol, Connecticut, to work for the ESPN2 program SportSmash. In the program, he provided five-minute reports on sports news and scores. 

In 1996 and 1997, he hosted ESPN2’s NBA 2Night. Between 1997 and 1999, Davis served as studio host of ESPN2’s weekend RPM 2Night and Sunday morning RPM 2Day programs. Davis gained more popularity when he anchored the program SportsCenter alongside other ESPN’s famous personalities. 

Davis also gave the “extra point” report of The Dan Patrick Show on ESPN Radio and was a guest host on the program occasionally. 

Davis’s work on SportsCenter focused on college football and college basketball. He is a regular-season host of College Football Live, which airs during the college football season. He also serves as a studio anchor of the College GameDay football show, College Football Final, and College GameDay basketball roadshow. 

On 5 February 2015, ESPN announced that Davis had signed a multi-year contract with the network. The contract included taking over as host of the College GameDay football roadshow, replacing Chris Fowler. Fowler had been hosting the show since 1990. Likewise, the agreement also required Davis to discontinue his ESPN College Football Thursday Primetime duties but to continue his weekly basketball play-by-play role. 

Awards 

During his successful career, Davis has received many awards. In 2001, he was named the outstanding alumnus of the University of Alabama School of Communication Broadcast Department. 

He was also inducted into the ‘Hall of Fame’ of the University of Alabama College of Communication and Information Sciences. 

Net Worth and Salary 

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Rece Davis has a net worth of $4.5 million. His annual salary is $1.5 million. 

Wife 

Rece Davis and his wife Leigh Langley Davis have been married for 25 years. The couple first met at the WRBL-TV station in Columbus, Georgia, where both of them worked. Leigh worked as a sales representative while Rece was a weekend news anchor. Eventually, the two got engaged and married in December 1993. The couple has two children, Christopher and Elizabeth. 

Son Christopher Davis’ injury

Christopher Davis played Division I basketball for Princeton University. During a game in Maryland, Christopher collided with another teammate. Subsequently, his spleen ruptured and required emergency surgery. 

Rece opened up about the incident to Sports Illustrated magazine after a year. He mentioned that it took two surgeries and months of recovery for Chris to recover from the injury. The incident also changed Rece’s outlook on injuries in sports. While Chris was recovering, Leigh moved near Chris to help him when needed.