Craig Bolerjack facts for kids
Craig Bolerjack (born May 16, 1958) is a well-known American sports announcer. He is famous for describing the action during Utah Jazz basketball games on TV. You can watch him on KJZZ with Thurl Bailey, a former Jazz player. Craig also works for big sports channels like CBS, ESPN, and CBS College Sports Network. He has been a national sports announcer since the late 1990s.
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Early Life and College Years
Craig Bolerjack was born on May 16, 1958, in Willow Springs, Missouri. He went to Shawnee Mission Northwest High School in Shawnee Mission, Kansas. After high school, he attended Kansas State University.
Playing Football in College
While at Kansas State, Craig tried out for the Kansas State Wildcats football team as a linebacker. This means he joined the team even though he wasn't offered a scholarship. However, he had to leave the team early because of a serious knee injury called an ACL injury.
Starting in Radio
Even though his football career ended, Craig stayed involved in sports. He worked as the sports director for the campus radio station, KSDB. This was his first step into the world of sports broadcasting. He is also a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity at Kansas State.
Career in Broadcasting
Craig Bolerjack began his TV career as a weekend sports anchor for KTSB-TV in Topeka, Kansas. Later, he moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. There, he worked as a sports anchor at KSL-TV. He also started doing play-by-play announcing for BYU football and basketball games on that network.
Working for National Networks
Craig became a well-known voice for college football on CBS Sports. He often worked with former NFL player Steve Beuerlein. They would announce games when CBS had two college football games scheduled at the same time. Craig also sometimes filled in as an announcer for the NFL on CBS pro football games.
He has worked with other famous sports commentators like Todd Blackledge, Mike Mayock, and Daryl Johnston. In 2011, he also called Pac-12 games for Fox Sports Net and Fox College Football.
NCAA Basketball Tournament
Since 2000, Craig has been an announcer for the NCAA men's basketball tournament. This is a huge college basketball event. In the 2001 tournament, he called four exciting first-round games in Boise, Idaho. All of these games were decided by only three points or less! One famous game he called was when 15th-seeded Hampton upset second-seeded Iowa State.
Voice of the Utah Jazz
One of Craig Bolerjack's most important roles is being the TV voice for the Utah Jazz basketball team. He took over this job in the 2005–06 NBA season, replacing the legendary "Hot Rod" Hundley.
When he first started with the Jazz, he worked with Ron Boone, an ABA legend. Later, former Jazz player Matt Harpring joined the broadcast team. Since the 2021–2022 season, Craig has been part of a three-person team. He works with former Jazz star Thurl Bailey and experienced reporter Holly Rowe.
Personal Life
Craig Bolerjack lives in Sandy, Utah. He lives there with his wife, Sharon, and their three children.
