Rumored earlier this summer, this has now been made official by ESPN. Heather Cox will be the new sideline reporter for Saturday Night Football replacing Erin Andrews who (say it with me now) went to Fox Sports.
Heather who worked the Olympics for NBC as the reporter for beach volleyball, has an extensive resumé with both ESPN and NBC, having worked the sidelines not only on college football, but the NBA, WNBA, beach volleyball and the LPGA.
The Big Lead originally reported that Heather would replace Erin, but she told Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News that nothing had been set in stone and her contract with ESPN was up during the summer. However, as we can see, all things have worked out.
Here’s the official announcement from ESPN.
Heather Cox Named ESPN’s Saturday Night Football on ABC Sideline Reporter
Heather Cox, one of ESPN’s lead game reporters across multiple sports, has been named the new sideline reporter for the weekly Saturday Night Football college football game on ABC. She will join play-by-play commentator Brent Musburger and analyst Kirk Herbstreit each week on broadcast television’s first weekly prime time college football series, which was launched in 2006.
Cox has also signed a multiyear extension with the network where she will continue to work college football, men’s and women’s basketball, NBA and WNBA telecasts across various ESPN outlets. The versatile reporter joined ESPN in 1994 as an analyst on men’s and women’s college and professional volleyball and women’s college basketball.
“Being at ESPN gives me the best opportunity to work on a variety of sports that I am passionate about across multiple platforms,” said Cox. “I’m looking forward to working with Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit, two long-time colleagues and among the best announcers in the industry, on the Saturday Night Football series.”
In addition to covering regular-season NBA games, Cox has worked the playoffs, Draft and All-Star Celebrity Game. She also reports on the LPGA U.S. Women’s Open; NCAA championship for women’s basketball and soccer; men’s and women’s volleyball; college football bowl games, including BCS telecasts; and several professional men and women’s volleyball championships, including the Olympic Trials and World Championships.
The Big Lead has an interview with Heather discussing her new assignment.
