Chris Fowler

Chris Fowler, who has progressed at ESPN over a quarter century to be one of the most respected hosts and play-by-play commentators in television, appears on many of ESPN’s marquee properties, primarily in college football and Grand Slam tennis. In 2014, he became the play-by-play announcer for ABC's "Saturday Night Football" booth alongside analyst Kirk Herbstreit. Fowler and Herbstreit ushered in the new era in college football, teaming up to work a College Football Playoff Semifinal game and the College Football National Championship. Fowler was nominated for a Sports Emmy for his play-by-play commentary in 2024 and as a studio host in 2010.

In addition, Fowler's tennis workload remains robust, including calling matches for the US Open, Wimbledon and Australian Open as part of ESPN’s start-to-finish coverage of those Majors.

He served as the host for "College GameDay," the network’s multiple Emmy Award-winning Saturday morning college football preview show from 1990 to 2014. Over the years, Fowler has also hosted "SportsCenter," "SportsCentury," horse racing’s Triple Crown races, men’s college basketball, including on-site Final Four coverage, and the first few editions of the X Games and Winter X Games. Fowler joined ESPN in July 1986 as the first host/reporter of "Scholastic Sports America" for two years.

Fowler also has hosted ESPN’s Heisman Trophy Presentation since the network began its coverage of the event in 1994 and ESPN’s The Home Depot College Football Awards show from its inception in 1993 to 2013. He was the play-by-play voice of ESPN’s Thursday night college football games from 2006 to 2009 after previously serving as a sideline reporter.

For 13 years, Fowler hosted ESPN’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four coverage and was a host on select editions of the inaugural season of the college basketball version of College GameDay in 2005.

In 2010, Fowler served as a host for ESPN’s month-long, on-site studio coverage of the FIFA World Cup from South Africa, where he anchored pre-, halftime and post-match shows, along with SportsCenter, for the FIFA World Cup segments.

Before joining ESPN, Fowler spent nearly two years at KCNC-TV, the NBC affiliate in Denver, as a production assistant, producer/writer and sports reporter. In 1984, he worked for several months at Denver’s CBS affiliate KMGH-TV as an intern in the sports department.

Fowler received a bachelor of science degree in radio/television news from the University of Colorado. While an undergraduate, Fowler, a Denver-area native, served as a producer and co-host for a weekly magazine program on the Boulder (Colo.) Cable Television System. He also was sports director at KAIR-AM, the university’s radio station, for two years. From 1982-84, he covered high school sports for the Rocky Mountain News.