Suzy Kolber | Biography

• By Reena Chikanbanjar
• Update : November 25, 2021

Suzy Kolber is an American sportscaster known for hosting ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown.

Who Is Suzy Kolber?

Suzy Kolber is an American television sportscaster and producer. Kolber began her professional career in 1985 as a producer of a sportscast at WTVJ-TV. Kolber also produced two magazine shows, Greyhound Racing America in Miami, Florida, from 1988 to 1990 and Cowboys Special Edition in Irving, Texas, from 1990 to 1991. In addition, from 1989 to 1990, she worked as a freelance sports special producer for the ABC-affiliated television station, WPLG-TV, in Miami, Florida. 

In 1991, she freelanced as a producer and director for NFL Films and a sports specials producer for the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station, WCIX-TV, in Springfield, Illinois. That same year, Kolber freelanced as a field producer for syndicated-newsmagazine program Inside Edition in New York and as a reporter and producer for Breeders’ Cup Newsfeed in Greenwich, Connecticut.

In December 1991, she joined the CBS-affiliated television station, WPEC-TV, in West Palm Beach, Florida as a weekday feature reporter and weekend sports anchor. She left WPEC-TV in 1993 to join ESPN.

In 1991, Kolber started her career as a reporter and anchor at WPEC-TV. She then joined ESPN in 1993 as a co-host of SportsNight on ESPN2. Kolber also anchored ESPN’s popular news and highlight show SportsCenter. She left ESPN for a few years to join Fox Sports before rejoining ESPN in 1999. 

After returning to ESPN, she hosted the network’s various shows, including NFL Matchup (1999-2003), NFL 32 (2011-2013), and NFL Insiders (2013-2017). From 2015 to 2016, she co-hosted Monday Night Countdown. She then became the host of Monday Night Countdown in 2017. Additionally, she hosts Monday Night Football pregame show and MNF halftime and post-game segments.

How Old Is Suzy Kolber?

Suzy Kolber was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 14 May 1964. 

Early Life and Education

Kolber loved playing sports growing up. At age 10, she grabbed the attention of the Philadelphia media after earning a spot on the Upper Dublin Township football team. Kolber was a multi-sport athlete while attending Upper Dublin High School in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. While at high school, she played different sports, including football, tennis, basketball, and track. 

In 1986, Kolber received a bachelor of arts degree in telecommunications from the University of Miami. During her college years, she also interned at Dynamic Cable in Coral Gables, Florida, as a sports director from 1984 to 1986. 

ESPN

Kolber joined ESPN as co-host for the newly launched ESPN2 network’s signature show, SportsNight, which debuted on 1 October 1993. She would later cover events like X Games, NFL, and tennis tournaments. In 1995 and 1996, Kolber worked as a reporter on ESPN’s pregame show, College GameDay, and anchor on the popular news and highlight show SportsCenter. In addition, she hosted the educational program SportsFigures that uses sports to teach math, science, and physics.

Fox Sports

In November 1996, Kolber left ESPN to join Fox Sports. She worked there for a few years, anchoring a nightly sports news program and hosting figure skating and weekend NHL coverage. While at Fox Sports, she also reported from NFL games.

Returning to ESPN

After briefly working at Fox Sports, she returned to ESPN in 1999. She then hosted NFL Matchup from 1999 to 2003. She also contributed ‘Backstage’ segments to ESPN’s pregame television program Monday Night Countdown. In 2000 and 2001, she hosted events such as Winter X Games and X Games. 

Kolber then became the NFL sideline reporter. As an NFL sideline reporter, she covered ESPN’s NFL prime-time games on Sunday Night Football from 2001 to 2005 and Monday Night Football during the game series’ first six seasons on ESPN from 2006 to 2011.

She also served as SportsCenter anchor and on-site host for ESPN’s coverage at the Wimbledon from 2003 to 2009 and French Open from 2004 to 2008. In addition, she co-hosted the Winter X Games again in 2006 in Aspen. The same year, Kolber worked as a sideline reporter for ABC Sports’ broadcast of Super Bowl XL in Detroit and contributed to the network’s pregame show. The following year, she hosted Triple Crown horse racing events for ESPN. She also hosted ESPN pre-race NASCAR Countdown shows on ABC. 

Furthermore, Kobler hosted ESPN’s former professional football-themed shows NFL 32 from 2011 to 2013 and NFL Insiders from 2013 to 2017. She has also hosted weekday NFL news, and information show NFL Live on ESPN. Besides, she also hosted ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown segments from the stadium on Super Bowl Sunday. 

In 2015, she started co-hosting Monday Night Countdown, ESPN’s pregame show with Chris Berman and Stuart Scott. Kolber was then elevated to the role of the sole host of the show in 2017. The same year, she also became the host of the MNF halftime and post-game segments from the site. 

Husband & Child

Kolber is married to her husband, Eric Brady. They exchanged wedding vows in 2008. The couple has a daughter named Kellyn Brady.

Salary

Kobler's salary has not been disclosed as of 2021. However, her primary source of earning is through her decades-long career as a sportscaster.

Did You Know?

• In 1988, Kolber won a local Sports Emmy while working at WTVJ-TV. In 2006, she won the Maxwell Football Club’s ‘Sports Broadcaster of the Year Award,’ becoming the first female to receive that award.
• Kolber later received the ‘Gold Medal Award’ from The Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters in 2018. The following year, Kolber was inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.
• During a 2003 NFL game between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets, when Kobler interviewed former NFL player Joe Namath about his team's recent troubles, Namath abruptly shifted the subject, plainly drunk. “I want to kiss you,” Namath stated on live TV. “I couldn’t care less about the team struggling and I want to kiss you.”