🎧TFG Pod: A Legendary Conversation with ESPN’s Suzy Kolber

From the The Football Girl Podcast, hosted by Melissa Jacobs. Subscribe to get new episodes of the pod in your feed the second we publish – and if you like what you hear, please rate and/or review us!  Listen on Stitcher | Listen on Google Play 

Melissa opens the show with a quick review of the new MNF football squad, a defense of Jon Gruden taking the long view and has a message for those making a snap judgement about Beth Mowins, who called the early ESPN game.

Then to this week’s featured guest…

Suzy Kolber loves football more than anyone and her passion and knowledge shine through in a special in-person conversation. Kolber, host of ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown, takes a trip down memory lane sharing the story of the time she tried to play organized football as a young girl, plus how she earned respect from the NFL community, taking over for Stuart Scott and what truly makes a great sideline reporter. Kolber joined ESPN in 1993 and has been a mainstay of its NFL coverage since, working in every corner from the sidelines of Monday Night Football to the x’s and o’s mecca of the bygone Edge NFL Matchup

The Show

The Rundown

3:56: Stop digging Jon Gruden’s coaching grave

6:37: A quick review of the new MNF team

8:25: Why criticism of Beth Mowins is far different from any other NFL announcer

SUZY KOLBER JOINS

16:50: Kolber on her early love of football and her quest to play as a young girl

20:00: What drew to Kolber to football over other sports

22:10: The pivotal career move that solidified NFL coaches and players respecting Kolber

28:35: Kolber on how we can make sure the best sidelines reporters are out there and how they get weeded out

30:55: Kolber describes her insane week preparing for Monday Night Countdown

34:30: Kolber on the emotions of replacing her good friend Stuart Scott

37:35: Kolber on the potential of moving to the MNF booth

40:41: Kolber’s advice for up and coming reporters

42:30: Our Do Gooder of the Week is Seahawks LB Shaquem Griffin

The Quotables:

Kolber on feeling like she always had a place in media:

“I was always comfortable in the environment which I think has been a big part of it. If I was rally early on in my career at a college national championship press conference there may have been 250 men in the room and I was the only woman but I was sitting in the front row and probably asked the first question just because I felt like I belonged and never felt any differently because I worked hard and respected the game”

Kolber’s advice for young reporters:

“Make sure there’s no other agenda. This is what I want do because I truly love this. You’re willing to work harder than anyone else because it’s insanely competitive. So you’re willing to sacrifice your time, where you’re going to live. You’re going to need to do all those things and be knowledgable, really respect the sport, respect the people you’re going to be talking to.”

Follow us on Twitter:

Melissa Jacobs @thefootballgirl

Suzy Kolber @SuzyKolber

The Music

Funky Cha Cha – Arturo Sandoval | HUMBLE – Kendrick Lamar | I Got You (I Feel Good) – James Brown | Mr. Brightside – The Killers