Maria Taylor (sportscaster) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maria Taylor
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Taylor in 2015
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| Born |
Suzette Maria Taylor
May 12, 1987 Cookeville, Tennessee, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University of Georgia |
| Occupation | Sportscaster |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Employer | NBC Sports |
| Spouse(s) |
Rodney Blackstock
(m. 2019; div. 2021)Jon Lee
(m. 2021) |
| Children | 1 |
Maria Taylor is a well-known American sportscaster. She was born on May 12, 1987. She works for NBC Sports. Before that, she worked at ESPN and the SEC Network. Maria covers many sports. These include college football, volleyball, and college basketball. She also covers professional games like the National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Football League (NFL).
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Maria Taylor's Early Life
Maria Taylor was born in Cookeville, Tennessee. Her parents are Steve and Suzette Taylor. Her father was a coach at Tennessee Tech University. Maria is very tall, standing at 6 feet 2 inches.
A Star Athlete in High School and College
Maria was a talented athlete in high school. She went to Centennial High School in Roswell, Georgia. She played basketball for four years. Maria won many awards during this time.
- She was part of the Atlanta Tip-Off Team of the Year.
- She was named Fulton County Scholar Athlete of the Year.
- Maria was the Offensive MVP for her high school volleyball team for three years.
- She was chosen for the All-Region team three times.
- As a senior, she was named All-State.
- In 2004, Maria was also selected for the USA Volleyball Junior National A2 team.
Maria earned a sports scholarship to the University of Georgia. She played both volleyball and basketball there. This was from 2005 to 2009. While at Georgia, she was named to the All-SEC volleyball team every season. She also continued to play for the US Volleyball Junior National A2 team. This team won a bronze medal at the US Volleyball Championships. By 2008, Maria was one of the best players in her school's history. She ranked fourth in career kills and total points.
Maria Taylor's Broadcasting Career
Before 2012, Maria worked for IMG College. She was a reporter and host at the University of Georgia. She also appeared on shows like Dawg Report and SEC Men's Basketball Tonight.
Working at ESPN
In 2013, Maria became a sideline reporter for ESPN2. She covered college football games on Saturday nights. She also covered the Orange Bowl for two years in a row. Maria was an analyst for women's basketball shows. She also covered the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. She reported on the Women's Volleyball National Championship too.
Maria joined the SEC Network in 2014. She was a college football reporter there. She worked with commentators Brent Musburger and Jesse Palmer. She also analyzed other SEC sports. These included volleyball and women's basketball. Maria was a sideline reporter for the 2016 Rose Bowl Game.
In 2017, Maria joined the College GameDay team. She became a reporter and host. She also hosted and reported for the College Football Playoff. This included the 2018 National Championship game. Maria was also the sideline reporter for Saturday Night Football on ABC. She worked with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit.
In 2019, Maria started hosting NBA Countdown. This is the pre-game show for ESPN's NBA games. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, NBA Countdown became the pre-game and halftime show for the NBA Finals. In 2020, she was also a sideline reporter for Monday Night Football.
Moving to NBC Sports
In 2020, ESPN offered Maria a higher salary. But she decided to leave the network. She left the day after the 2021 NBA Finals ended. Two days later, Maria joined NBC Sports. She made her first appearance for NBC during the 2020 Summer Olympics coverage.
For the 2021 NFL season, Maria joined Football Night in America. This is the pre-game show for Sunday Night Football. She became a panelist on the show. In May 2022, it was announced that Maria would become the main host of Football Night in America. She took over from Mike Tirico. Maria also hosted the men's and women's semi-finals and finals for the 2022 French Open on NBC. Since 2023, Maria has also hosted NBC's college football coverage. She covers Big Ten and Notre Dame games.
Maria was named a host for the 2024 Summer Olympics by NBC. She will host the NBC Late Night Weekend recap segments. She will also host the nightly prime time NBC Olympic Zone.
Maria Taylor's Personal Life
Maria is married to Jonathan Lee Hemphill. They got married on February 12, 2021. They welcomed their first child, Roman Ryan Taylor Hemphill, on December 24, 2023. Maria and her family live in Atlanta, Georgia.
