Bob Costas

Bob Costas Speaker Biography

Award-Winning Sportscaster,
Broadcast Journalist, and Best-Selling Author

One of the most recognized faces and voices in sport casting, Bob Costas has covered nearly every major sports landmark within the past 25 years. His quick wit, thoughtful insights, and charm have made him a household favorite; it’s no wonder then, that he has hosted eleven Olympics, seven World Series, and ten NBA finals.  As a child listening to sports casts, Costas knew he wanted to be a broadcaster, later stating to the Philadelphia Daily News that: “I always thought the broadcaster was as much a part of the game as the game itself.”

Radio

He left his communications major at Syracuse University before graduating when he was offered a job as the play-by-play voice of the St. Louis ABA Spirits by radio giant KMOX. Soon after he also became the radio voice of the University of Missouri basketball team. His passion for sports and ability to apply interesting trivia to his articulate announcing quickly got him noticed by CBS and later NBC.

Television

Today keynote speaker Bob Costas can be seen on NBC’s weekly studio show Football Night in America. He demonstrates his skill as an interviewer in the regular MLB show Studio 42 with Bob Costas.

Emmy Awards

Bob Costas has won 28 Emmy awards more than any sports broadcaster. His versatility has been recognized with awards and nominations in the categories of hosting, play-by-play, writing, journalism, news, and entertainment. He is the only person ever to have won Emmy’s in news, sports, and entertainment. His news Emmy was awarded for his 2011 interview with Jerry Sandusky, the central figure in the Penn State scandal. His entertainment Emmy came in 1993 for his acclaimed late night program “Later with Bob Costas.”

National Sportscaster of the Year

Bob’s peers have named him the “National Sportscaster of the Year” a record eight times, and in 2012, he was elected to the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame. Also in 2012, Bob was selected for the Walter Cronkite Award for distinction in journalism. He and Al Michaels are the only sports broadcasters to be so honored.

Baseball Hall of Fame

In the summer of 2018, Bob was inducted into the broadcaster’s wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame. He joins broadcasting luminaries such as: Vin Scully, Red Barber, Mel Allen, Jack Buck, Ernie Harwell, and Dick Enberg. The award, named after former Baseball Commissioner, Ford C Frick, honors those who have demonstrated “excellence in baseball broadcasting.”

Sports Broadcaster

From the “Baseball Game of the Week” in the 1980s, through his hosting of the Olympics, the late night interview program “Later…with Bob Costas,” his programs on HBO, and more, Bob has been a prominent part of the coverage of every major sport over the past three decades. His thoughtful commentaries on a variety of issues have established him as one of his generation’s most distinctive voices. The 2016 Rio, Brazil Summer Olympic Games were Bob’s 12th for NBC. Additionally, he has hosted seven Super Bowls, and has been part of the coverage as either play-by play announcer, or host of seven World Series, and ten NBA Finals. Bob has been a prominent part of NBC’s presentations of other major events, including the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes, as well as the U. S. Open Golf Championship.

Book

Beyond NBC, Bob’s work with HBO, and Major League Baseball Network have drawn widespread praise. In 2000 Bob’s book, Fair Ball, a Fan’s Case for Baseball spent several weeks on the New York Times best seller list. His collaborations with Joe Garner on a series of coffee table books and audio sports histories have also been best sellers.

Return to Baseball

Following the 2016 NFL season, Bob announced that he would no longer be hosting NBC’s Sunday Night Football coverage, and would also conclude his quarter century run as host of NBC’s Olympic coverage.At the same time Bob increased his presence at MLBN, where he has been able to return to his first love, baseball – contributing interviews, commentaries, and play-by-play to the network.

Bob is a native of Queens, New York and grew up on Long Island. He attended Syracuse University in New York, where he majored in communications. He began his professional career at WSYR-TV and radio in 1973 while studying at Syracuse before joining KMOX radio in St. Louis in 1974.