Michele Tafoya facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michele Tafoya
|
|
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg)
Tafoya in 2021
|
|
| Born | 1964/1965 (age 60–61) |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley (BA) University of Southern California (MA) |
| Occupation |
|
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Mark Vandersall |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | 5x Sports Emmy Award winner |
| Sports commentary career | |
| Genre(s) | Play-by-play Sideline reporter |
| Sports | |
Michele Tafoya is an American reporter and former sports broadcaster. She is best known for being a sideline reporter for NBC Sunday Night Football from 2011 to 2022. During her career, she reported on major sports like American football, the Olympics, and basketball. After leaving sports, she became a political consultant. She also appears on TV to talk about politics and current events.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Michele Tafoya was born to Wilma and Orlando Tafoya. Her family has Hispanic roots. She has one brother and three sisters. Michele went to Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, California. She studied at the University of California, Berkeley and later earned a master's degree from the University of Southern California.
Sports Broadcasting Career
Michele Tafoya started her career in radio. She worked as a host and reporter for KFAN-AM in Minneapolis. She covered games for the Minnesota Vikings and the University of Minnesota women's basketball team. She also worked for WAQS (now WFNZ) in Charlotte, where she used the name Mickey Conley.
Tafoya also worked for the Midwest Sports Channel. There, she was a host and sideline reporter for the Minnesota Timberwolves. She also did play-by-play commentary for women's Big Ten basketball and volleyball. Later, Tafoya spent three years at WCCO-TV in Minneapolis as a sports anchor and reporter.
Working at CBS Sports
In September 1994, Tafoya joined CBS Sports. She was a reporter and host for the CBS Television Network's sports show CBS Sports Spectacular. She also covered college basketball. She hosted At The Half and reported for college football games. Her first on-air appearance was at the 1994 U.S. Open Tennis Championships.
In 1997, Michele Tafoya won a Gracie Award. This award was for her excellent work as an on-air TV personality. She won it for her play-by-play commentary of WNBA games on Lifetime Television. Tafoya also reported for the NFL, college football, and was a late-night co-host for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. She also hosted CBS's NCAA Tournament selection show, Goodwill Games, and the U.S Open Tennis Championships. She left CBS in 1999.
Working at ABC Sports and ESPN
Michele Tafoya joined ESPN and ABC Sports in January 2000. She worked as a sideline reporter for ABC Sports' Monday Night Football during the 2004 and 2005 NFL seasons. When the show moved to ESPN, she continued as a sideline reporter for ESPN Monday Night Football starting in 2006. Tafoya also co-hosted the Mike Tirico Show on ESPN radio. She helped ABC cover Super Bowl XL as a sideline reporter.
She also worked for NBC Sports during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. There, she reported on rhythmic gymnastics and did play-by-play for softball.
Tafoya used to work at NBA games on ABC and ESPN. In October 2008, she announced she would be leaving her role as the main NBA sideline reporter.
Michele Tafoya's other roles included hosting NCAA basketball games and being a sideline reporter for college football and basketball. She also filled in as a host on Pardon the Interruption and was a panelist on The Sports Reporters II. Her other ESPN jobs included calling WNBA games, hosting skiing telecasts, and working on ESPN's college basketball selection shows. She was also a correspondent for SportsCenter and Outside the Lines.
In 2006, Tafoya was ranked among the most liked TV sports personalities. At the end of the 2010-2011 NFL season, she left ESPN to join NBC Sports.
Return to WCCO Radio
On April 19, 2009, Tafoya was announced as the new evening talk radio host for WCCO-AM. Her show started on June 1, 2009. She left the show on January 27, 2012, because her schedule was getting busier with the Super Bowl and London Olympics.
Working at KQRS Radio
Tafoya joined "The KQ Morning Show" on KQRS-FM as a co-host on September 8, 2016. She worked with long-time KQ morning personality Tom Barnard. She left the KQRS morning show in March 2020.
Working at NBC Sports
.jpg)
On May 4, 2011, Michele Tafoya was announced as the new sideline reporter for NBC Sunday Night Football. She replaced Andrea Kremer and rejoined her former co-worker and announcer Al Michaels. Tafoya also covered swimming during the Summer Olympics for NBC.
It was reported that Tafoya would leave Sunday Night Football after the 2021 season. On January 11, 2022, NBC confirmed that Tafoya would leave the network. Super Bowl LVI was her last assignment. She left to explore other opportunities.
Political Involvement
After leaving NBC Sports, Michele Tafoya became involved in politics. On February 14, 2022, she joined the campaign of Republican Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Kendall Qualls as a co-chair. Qualls later decided not to run for governor.
Personal Life
Michele Tafoya and her husband, Mark Vandersall, have a biological son and an adopted daughter. The family lives in Edina, Minnesota.
Career Timeline
- 1998: Winter Olympics Late-Night Host
- 1994–1997 & 1999 NCAA on CBS Sideline Reporter
- 1998: NFL on CBS Sideline Reporter
- 1999: SEC on CBS Sideline Reporter
- 2000–2003: ESPN College Football Sideline Reporter
- 2002–2003: Monday Night Countdown Reporter
- 2004–2010: Monday Night Football Sideline Reporter
- 2002–2008: NBA on ABC and NBA on ESPN Sideline Reporter
- 2009–2012: WCCO Radio Afternoon Drive Host
- 2011–2021: NBC Sunday Night Football Sideline Reporter
- 2016–2020: KQRS Morning Show Co-host
- 2022–present: Left NBC to become a freelance reporter
See also
In Spanish: Michele Tafoya para niños
