Pass the mic. An ESPN broadcaster will become the first woman in 30 years to call play-by-play for an NFL regular season game, Sports Illustrated reported Sunday.
The outlet, citing multiple sources, said Beth Mowins will call ESPN’s Monday Night Football game between the Los Angeles Chargers and host Denver Broncos on Sept. 11. Former NFL coach Rex Ryan will likely serve as the analyst.
Mowins joined the sports network in 1994 and has called college football broadcasts since 2005, according to her ESPN bio. In addition, she served as the main person in the booth for the Raiders’ local preseason broadcasts for the last two seasons.
“I am more than confident Beth can call an NFL game for a national audience,” Vittorio De Bartolo, executive producer of broadcasting for the Raiders, told SI.
It’s about time.
Gayle Sierens was the last and only woman to call play-by-play for a regular season NFL game, leading the NBC booth on Dec. 27, 1987, for a Seahawks-Chiefs matchup. The New York Times noted previously that the network asked her back for six more games, but Sierens said the local news station where she served as a full-time anchor feared the football gig would interfere with her regular job.
“I used to say that I kicked down the door, but no one else came in,” Sierens told the Times in 2009. “But I think that day is nearing. I really do.”
Apparently, the day is finally here.
The Huffington Post has reached to Mowins for comment.
H/T Deadspin
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