Todd Blackledge will continue to call games on ESPN and ABC for years to come. ESPN announced Tuesday that they’ve signed Blackledge (currently an analyst on ESPN primetime college football games, alongside play-by-play voice Sean McDonough and sideline reporter Holly Rowe) to a multi-year extension:
“I feel truly blessed and thankful to continue calling games on ESPN,” said Blackledge. “Over the last decade plus, I have traveled to the best venues and some of the sport’s best atmospheres, calling great games, major bowl matchups and, now, the College Football Playoff. More importantly, I have been privileged to work alongside some of the best partners in the business: the late John Saunders, Brad Nessler, Mike Patrick, Joe Tessitore, Mike Tirico, and Verne Lundquist in the past and my current team of Sean McDonough and Holly Rowe. Each one has helped elevate my career and I am forever indebted.”
“Over the course of his career, Todd has cultivated so much credibility in the sport through his unwavering, meticulous preparation which results in very acute analysis,” said Lee Fitting, ESPN vice president of production. “That approach, combined with his vast knowledge of the game and natural intuition, results in an ability to predict how situations will play out on the field well before they happen. His style is steadfast, regardless of the game, regardless of the stakes. All of these attributes have made him one of sports television’s most respected analysts.”
Following a college career at Penn State and NFL stints with the Chiefs and Steelers, Blackledge went into local radio, then did TV work for numerous outlets from 1991-93, then joined ABC’s college football team in 1994. He worked there through 1998, then headed to CBS before returning to ESPN in 2006. He’s called 10 national championships on ESPN Radio, dating back to 2006, and has also called a College Football Playoff semifinal on ESPN each year since that format began in 2014.
This is Blackledge’s 28th college football season behind the microphone, and he’ll continue to be a familiar voice for those watching ESPN coverage for at least the next several years.
[ESPN Media Zone; 2015 ESPN photo]
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.