Ernie Johnson

Sportscaster Ernest "Ernie" Thorwald Johnson Jr. was born Aug. 7, 1956 in Milwaukee, the son of former Major League Baseball pitcher and Atlanta Braves play-by-play announcer Ernie Johnson Sr. While still at the University of Georgia, Johnson took a job at WAGQ-FM as news and sports director for the radio station. Upon graduation in 1979, he moved to television station WMAZ in Macon, where he worked as a news anchor, leaving for a new job in South Carolina as a reporter. In 1982 he moved back to Georgia as a general assignment reporter at WSB in Atlanta, becoming the weekend sports anchor and reporter in 1983.

He remained at the station until 1989, when he left to join Turner Sports. Then known as "E.J.," he served as the studio host for TNT's coverage of NBA games, and hosted the postgame series "Inside the NBA." He also did play-by-play coverage for TNT's PGA Tour broadcasts, and has been the studio host for TBS' college football. Outside the studio he worked with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Athletes in Action. In early 2017 he released his memoir, "Unscripted." The three-time Emmy Award winner for best studio host (2001, 2006 and 2014) and his wife, Cheryl, had six children.