Bob Ley
Bob Ley | |
---|---|
Born | Newark, New Jersey, U.S. | March 16, 1955
Education | Seton Hall University (BA) |
Employer | ESPN (1979–2019) |
Known for | Outside the Lines host, SportsCenter anchor, soccer broadcaster |
Spouse | Barbara Ley |
Children | 2 |
Robert A. Ley (/liː/ LEE; born March 16, 1955)[1][2] is an American sports anchor and reporter, best known for his work at ESPN. A multiple Emmy Award-winner, he was the longest-tenured on-air employee of the network, having joined ESPN just three days after the network's 1979 launch[3] and retiring from the network effective at the end of June 2019.
Early life and education
Ley was born in
Career
In the mid to late 1970's, Bob was Sports Director at Suburban Cablevision TV3 out of East Orange, New Jersey, where he hosted an award-winning local-oriented sports show, Time In, alongside Bruce Beck, who would move on to WNBC, Channel 4 in New York. Ley joined ESPN on September 9, 1979. In 1980, he hosted the first televised
Ley was the primary studio host for ESPN's telecasts of major international professional
On September 7, 2014, in recognition of ESPN's 35th anniversary as a cable network, he was honored as one of 19 "ESPN Originals", employees who have been with the network from the beginning.[citation needed] Ley took an indefinite sabbatical from his ESPN hosting duties starting on October 1, 2018.[12] On June 26, 2019, Ley announced his retirement from ESPN, effective at the end of the month.[13]
Personal life
Ley is married with two children.[14] He serves on the board of regents for Seton Hall University.[1]
Honors
- 1987 – Bloomfield High School Athletic Hall of Fame
- 1995 – Northeastern UniversityCenter for Study of Sport and Society and School of Journalism Excellence in Sports Journalism Award
- WSOU-FMHall of Fame Member
- Eight Sports Emmy Awards for Sports Journalism
- Three CableACE Awards for Sports Information Series
- Four CableACE Awards (with Suburban Cablevision, East Orange, New Jersey)
- 2008 – Commencement speaker for the University of Hartford (West Hartford, Connecticut)
- 2013 – Golden Blazer of Fame for services to soccer in the United States[15]
- 2018 – Sports Emmy for Outstanding Studio Host[16]
References
- ^ a b "Board of Regents 2015-16" (PDF). Fact Book 2015-16. Seton Hall University. p. 11. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
- ^ "Bob Ley". ESPN Media Zone. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
A New Jersey native, Ley, born March 16, 1955, was valedictorian at Bloomfield (N.J.) High School, class of 1972.
- ^ a b Bob Ley signs with Octagon, octagon.com; accessed May 8, 2015. Archived December 26, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Rosenstein, Mike (February 20, 2020). "ESPN legend, N.J. native Bob Ley coming out of retirement for 1 day as part of Seton Hall celebration". NJ.com. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
Ley, who was born in Newark and grew up in Bloomfield...
- ^ Sandomir, Richard. "TV SPORTS; Disney Making a Commitment to Complete Soccer Coverage", The New York Times, June 7, 1998; accessed December 25, 2007. "The American games are important, said Ley, who became a soccer enthusiast when he attended Bloomfield High School in New Jersey during the North American Soccer League's heyday."
- ^ Orr, Conor. "Bloomfield native Bob Ley will be the face of the World Cup for ESPN", The Star-Ledger, June 9, 2010; accessed July 18, 2011. "Unfortunately for Bob Ley, he was the first of the two team managers to show up at Bloomfield High's soccer practice on that fall afternoon in 1971. His best friend and co-manager Bob Longo disagrees on the circumstances, but remembers vividly the sight of the future ESPN anchor in a compromising position after the team's players stuffed Ley into the wire equipment cart and rolled him straight into the pond near the field."
- Sporting News. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
In 1980, Bob Ley hosted the first selection show ever. It was on ESPN... Upon getting the 1982 Tournament, CBS was handed the List of 64 and guarded it like a final Survivor vote.
- ^ "Reflections on NFL, ESPN, FinishLine.com and The New York Giants". espnmediazone3.com. Archived from the original on June 14, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
- ^ "ESPN's Studio Team for UEFA EURO 2012 - ESPN MediaZone". espnmediazone.com. June 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
- ^ Men in Blazers Night of 1000 Stars, meninblazers.com; accessed June 28, 2015.
- ^ Network, Grantland (September 18, 2013). "Men in Blazers: Special Live Edition with Bob Ley". Grantland.com. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
- ^ "Bob Ley on Twitter". Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- ^ "Bob Ley retires after 40 years as ESPN anchor". ESPN. June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ "ESPN.com - Page2 - Bob Ley". ESPN.go.com. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
- ^ Golden Blazer of Fame for services to soccer in the United States
- ^ "ESPN Leads With 10 Sports Emmy Awards - ESPN MediaZone U.S." espnmediazone.com. May 9, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2018.