Scott Van Pelt

Scott Van Pelt combined his knowledge of sports with a relaxed on-camera presence to become one of the most respected and recognizable sportscasters on television. He established himself with local coverage of Washington, D.C. sports and carefully honed his skills over seven years with the Golf Channel. Van Pelt's proficiency in covering the action from first tee to clubhouse garnered him visibility and desirability in the industry. ESPN wooed him in 2001, and Van Pelt became a regular anchor on the daily highlight roundup "SportsCenter" (ESPN, 1979-). He carried the comedic torch lit by previous anchors like Craig Kilborn and Keith Olbermann, routinely referring to the Baltimore Orioles as the "Oreos," among other catch phrases and humorous asides. Van Pelt's wit and ease led to expanded roles with ESPN, including writing for "SportsCenter" and working on ESPN Radio, which established him as one of the most prominent voices in sports.

Born in 1967 in Brookeville, Maryland to Cathie Mathis and Sam Van Pelt, young Scott's 6'6" frame befitted an athlete, but he focused on covering sports rather than playing them. Van Pelt attended the University of Maryland where he majored in radio, television and film and graduated in 1988. He started his television career in 1990 contributing sports content to Fox affiliate WTTG in Washington, D.C. From there, Van Pelt transitioned to the Golf Channel in 1994, where he not only helped launch the network, but also solidified its credibility, especially in coverage of major tournaments. Despite the increasing popularity of the Golf Channel, Van Pelt's big break came with the move to ESPN in 2001. In addition to serving as a primary anchor for "SportsCenter," Van Pelt covered golf news for the network as well. Over time, his visibility and personality created opportunities on ESPN Radio. In 2007, Van Pelt began co-hosting a show with Mike Tirico. When Tirico left to do more play-by-play work in 2009, this became "The Scott Van Pelt Show." In 2012, the show was retitled "SVP & Russillo" to reflect co-host Ryen Russillo and began simulcasting on ESPN2 and ESPNEWS. In 2012, Van Pelt began contributing to the college football pregame show "College GameDay" (ESPN, 1987-) with a segment titled "Bald Man on Campus."