by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
If you are a pro football fan — a serious pro football fan — then your envy of Suzy Kolber is off the charts.
For those who don’t know, Kolber is the sideline reporter for ESPN’s Sunday night NFL crew. Week in and week out, Kolber, Mike Patrick, Paul Maguire and Joe Theismann cover ESPN’s Sunday primetime game. While Patrick calls the game and Maguire and Theismann analyze and argue about the game, Kolber roams both sidelines, gathering items for viewers that only someone who can hear, see and smell the game from just yards away can. This week Kolber will be roaming the sidelines of Alltel Stadium for the Jaguars-Cincinnati Bengals game.
Unlike many sideline reporters who seem to be biding their time until they land a studio job, Kolber isn’t just at home among the players, she is exactly where she always envisioned herself. A good athlete, Kolber is first and foremost a football fan and that comes out both on TV and over the phone.
“Sports has always been the No. 1 thing in my life,” she said. “I was always a jock and on teams in high school. My family was very sports-oriented and we planned our vacations around sports. But I have always loved football. I am passionate about it and I think that is evident in my work.”
Kolber is from Philadelphia and grew up rooting for the 76ers, Phillies and Flyers. Notably absent from that list is the Eagles.
“I am the No. 1 Dolphins fan,” said Kolber, who grew up idolizing Dolphins quarterback Bob Greise and the 1972 team that is, to this day, the only NFL team to complete an undefeated season. “As an 8-year-old, I would sit up and watch Monday Night Football by myself. There was just something about it I loved. It grabbed my attention. I loved the team spirit and the gladiator mentality.”
Despite being a Yankee, Kolber has spent most of her adult life in the South. During her junior year of high school, Kolber went to Miami on a business trip with her dad. She was immediately drawn to the heat, the water and the sun. South Florida made such an impression on Kolber that she applied to exactly one school — the University of Miami.
“They had a great communications school, it was near a big city (the university is actually in Coral Gables) and it was the right sized school,” said Kolber.
One of Kolber’s first jobs out of college was as a weekend anchor for a CBS affiliate in West Palm Beach. Landing with ESPN was almost an accident and something Kolber may have dreamed about, but she didn’t realize it was going to happen in such a sudden manner.
“At the launch of ESPN2, I was the first person they ever hired. I was paired with Keith Olberman,” she said. “I was an ESPN junkie and I had already sent them a tape.”
What Kolber didn’t know was that ESPN had already taken notice of her. The then-CEO of ABC saw Kolber on TV while he was vacationing in Miami, went back to New York and suggested Kolber for “The Deuce.” In October of 1993, Kolber joined ESPN2 where she made her mark anchoring ESPN2’s X-Games.
“I loved the X-Games and I still kind of feel like they are my baby,” she said, of the twice-yearly events that include surfing, skateboarding and BMX biking in the Summer games and snowboarding and freestyle skiing (among others) in the Winter games. “When we first started the X-Games, they were the type of sports I was into — biking, skating, things like that.”
In 1996, Fox Sports lured Kolber away for three years. In 1999, Kolber returned to ESPN where she plans to stay until at least 2012. Next year Monday Night Football moves to ESPN and Kolber will be part of the most coveted of all football TV time slots.
“I have a lifetime contract to be part of Monday Night Football,” she explained. “Before they made the announcement, they made sure were all locked in. I will be with Monday Night Football until 2012.”
That deal not only suits Kolber fine, it assures that male football fans all over the world get to see her and she gets to keep doing what she enjoys most. Listening to Kolber talk about her job, one thing keeps jumping out: she is living her dream.
“I am lucky enough to have one of the most diverse jobs at the network,” said Kolber. “I do remotes. I am part of production. I do one SportsCenter a week. I hosted Day 2 of the NFL draft. But being on the sidelines is the one thing that brings together all the things I love. I love my role of telling stories, not just about the football players, but about the people they are. I love to talk to and meet the players. It’s the best spot in the house because it’s three-and-a-half hours of the most compelling drama.”
This week’s visit to Jacksonville isn’t the first for Kolber. In fact, it’s the third this year. She came to town for the Super Bowl and also several weeks ago for ESPN’s Thursday night Jaguars preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons. So, what’s her impression of the River City?
“I have always liked Jacksonville. What’s not to like? I lived in South Florida for 10 years, so I love the heat and humidity. I had a good time the week of the Super Bowl. This town did a good job,” said Kolber, who has managed to find a few of the other important things in her life while she’s here and has a little free time. “I found a great gym, Definitions, over in San Marco and I always eat at La Cena because I love Italian food.”