Skip Bayless facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Skip Bayless
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Bayless in 2014
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| Born |
John Edward Bayless II
December 4, 1951 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
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| Education | Vanderbilt University |
| Occupation | Sportswriter, television sports commentator |
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Notable credit(s)
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FS1 (Skip and Shannon: Undisputed) 2016–2024 ESPN (Cold Pizza, First Take) 2004–2016 San Jose Mercury News Chicago Tribune Dallas Times Herald Dallas Morning News Los Angeles Times Miami Herald |
| Spouse(s) |
Ernestine Sclafani
(m. 2016) |
| Family | Rick Bayless (brother) |
Skip Bayless (born John Edward Bayless II; December 4, 1951) is an American sports writer and TV commentator. He is known for sharing his strong opinions on sports.
Bayless was a commentator on the ESPN2 show First Take until June 2016. He then started his own show, Skip and Shannon: Undisputed, with Shannon Sharpe on Fox Sports 1 in September 2016. He hosted this show for eight years, leaving in August 2024.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Skip Bayless was born John Edward Bayless II in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His father immediately started calling him "Skip," a nickname that stuck. He later legally changed his name to Skip.
His parents owned a barbecue restaurant in Oklahoma City. Skip worked there when he was young, but he never wanted to make it his career. His younger brother, Rick Bayless, became a famous chef.
School and College Years
Skip loved sports from a young age and played baseball and basketball. He was a top student at Northwest Classen High School, graduating as the salutatorian in 1970. He was also involved in the National Honor Society and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
During high school, Bayless became the main sports writer for his school newspaper. After graduating, he received a special scholarship to attend Vanderbilt University. There, he studied English and history and graduated with honors in 1974.
Sports Journalism Career
Skip Bayless has had a long career in sports journalism, working in print, radio, and television.
Writing for Newspapers
After college, Bayless started his career at The Miami Herald as a sports writer. In 1976, he moved to the Los Angeles Times. He became known for his investigative stories, like those about the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Rams. In 1977, he won an award for his writing about Seattle Slew's Triple Crown win in horse racing.
At 26, Bayless became the lead sports columnist for The Dallas Morning News. He later joined the Dallas Times Herald. He was named Texas sportswriter of the year three times.
Books About the Dallas Cowboys
Bayless wrote three books about the Dallas Cowboys football team. His first book, God's Coach, was about coach Tom Landry. He wrote two more books after the Cowboys won the Super Bowl in the 1990s. These books shared inside stories about the team.
In 1998, Bayless moved to Chicago to write for the Chicago Tribune. He won an award for his sports column writing there. He also appeared in national sports magazines like Sports Illustrated.
Radio Broadcasting
In 1991, Bayless hosted a sports talk radio show in Dallas for two years. He also helped start a radio station called KTCK ("the Ticket") and hosted his own show there from 1994 to 1996.
He was a frequent guest on national sports radio shows, including The Fabulous Sports Babe on ESPN Radio. Later, he became a main guest host for The Jim Rome Show. By 2004, he moved fully into television.
Television Commentary
Bayless started appearing on ESPN's The Sports Reporters in 1989. He was also part of the "Knights of the Roundtable" debate segments on NFL Prime Monday.
He provided commentary for the Golf Channel in 1999 and 2000. He also made frequent appearances on Fox Sports Net shows like The Last Word and The Best ... Sports Show Period.
Time at ESPN (2004–2016)
In 2004, ESPN hired Bayless full-time. He teamed up with Woody Paige for daily debate segments called "1st and 10" on ESPN2's Cold Pizza. This show later became First Take in 2007.
On First Take, Bayless became known for his strong opinions and debates with co-hosts like Stephen A. Smith. He left ESPN in June 2016.
Time at Fox Sports 1 (2016–2024)
In September 2016, Bayless launched his new show, Skip and Shannon: Undisputed, on Fox Sports 1 with Shannon Sharpe. On this show, he often criticized basketball star LeBron James and football player Aaron Rodgers. He also often praised Tom Brady.
Bayless also became a strong supporter of quarterback Baker Mayfield. Even though he is a big Cowboys fan, he has been critical of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and coach Mike McCarthy.
In 2021, Bayless signed a new contract with Fox Sports. In 2023, Shannon Sharpe left Undisputed. Bayless then relaunched the show with new co-hosts like Richard Sherman, Keyshawn Johnson, and Michael Irvin. He left Fox Sports 1 in August 2024.
Movie Appearances
Skip Bayless has appeared in a few movies. He had a small role in the 2006 film Rocky Balboa, where he discussed a possible fight involving the main character.
He also appeared in two ESPN documentaries: Pony Excess (2010), about a football scandal at Southern Methodist University, and Herschel (2011), about football player Herschel Walker.
Awards and Recognition
In 2008, Skip Bayless was honored by the Oklahoma City Public Schools and added to their Wall of Fame. In 2009, he was one of the first people inducted into the Vanderbilt Student Media Hall of Fame.
In 2012, he was nominated for a Sports Emmy Award for his work as a studio analyst. He also won a Webby People's Voice Award for a video remix that featured his passionate defense of quarterback Tim Tebow.
Books Written by Skip Bayless
- God's Coach: The Hymns, Hype, and Hypocrisy of Tom Landry's Cowboys, Simon & Schuster, 1990. ISBN: 0-671-70581-4.
- The Boys: The Untold Story of the Dallas Cowboys' Season on the Edge, Simon & Schuster, 1993. ISBN: 0-671-79359-4.
- Hell-Bent: The Crazy Truth About the "Win or Else" Dallas Cowboys, HarperCollins Publishers, 1996. ISBN: 0-06-018648-8.
