1979 - The Birth of SportsCenter
- Jim Simpson, Chet Simmons, Bill Rasmussen, Scotty Connal on the SportsCenter set in 1979
- The early days of ESPN in Bristol, Conn.
- Sept. 7, 1979: Jim Rosenberg and Ellen Beckwth (foreground) at the launch of the network
- The very first SportsCenter on Sept. 7, 1979
- George Grande and Bob Ley at the SportsCenter anchor desk
The sports world changed forever as ESPN aired its first program at 7 p.m. ET on Sept. 7, 1979. With George Grande and Lee Leonard hosting, the show was the first of more than 30,000 and counting. SportsCenter's first show was highlighted by a live remote interview with University of Colorado football coach Chuck Fairbanks. Although the live feed from Boulder, Colo., had video but no audio, the show's innovation foreshadowed a bright future.
With a multimillion-dollar broadcast operations center in Bristol, Conn., that had two 10-meter satellite earth stations, ESPN was in nearly 4 million households by the end of the year.
Within the first month of the show, ESPN had hired Bob Ley and Chris Berman as hosts. Along with others, Ley and Berman helped usher in a new generation of sports fans. Both men still work for ESPN, making contributions to SportsCenter, the longest-running sports news show on television.
Alongside SportsCenter, ESPN became an innovator in its ability to provide fans with coverage from many games. ESPN's first sporting event was the Slo-Pitch Softball World Series between the Milwaukee Schlitz and the Kentucky Bourbons. Programming through the rest of the year included 50 college football games, 26 soccer games and various other events such as tennis' Davis Cup. The network reached an agreement with the NCAA on March 1 for exclusive rights to televise select events and presented an exhibition on the USA hockey team as it prepared for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y.
- ANCHORS OF THE '70s
- George Grande
Grande appeared alongside Lee Leonard on SportsCenter, the first ESPN telecast, on Sept. 7, 1979.- Lee Leonard
Leonard joined George Grande on SportsCenter, the first ESPN telecast, on Sept. 7, 1979.- Tom Mees
Mees served as a SportsCenter anchor from 1979 to 1993 and was widely recognized for his coverage of the NHL and MLB.- Lou Palmer
Palmer was the first sportscaster hired by ESPN and was known for his coverage of events such as the World Series, Stanley Cup finals and PGA Tour.- Bob Ley
Ley, who joined ESPN on Sept. 9, 1979, the network's third day of existence, spearheads coverage of breaking news and issues.- Chris Berman
A six-time National Sportscaster of the Year, Berman has been at ESPN since 1979. He regularly hosted SportsCenter the first 11 years and currently hosts coverage of major events.
HOW SPORTSCENTER COVERED THE UNFORGETTABLE SPORTING MOMENTS
SportsCenter and ESPN debut.
