It's Official: Scott Van Pelt Signs New ESPN Contract; Adds College Football Duties

Earlier this summer, Scott Van Pelt announced that he was staying at ESPN after overtures from Fox and NBC. Van Pelt has become one of the more popular personalities at the Alleged Worldwide Leader after coming over from Golf Channel. He will continue hosting his ESPN Radio show from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. ET.

In addition, Scott will be in the 11 p.m. rotation for SportsCenter and remain on the golf beat on the major tournaments. He will pick up college football duties especially for College GameDay. Van Pelt will travel to some GameDay sites and he will be part of the network’s BCS Championship Game coverage.

No financial terms of the agreement were disclosed. Here’s the press release.

Van Pelt Signs Extension with ESPN – Adds College GameDay Role

ESPN SportsCenter anchor and ESPN Radio host Scott Van Pelt has signed a multi-year extension which will add several on-site College GameDay appearances throughout the football season. He will travel to some of the GameDaylocations in support of his features, interviews and reports related to the game, teams and players involved. He will also be part of the network’s BCS Championship Game coverage.

Van Pelt, who joined ESPN in spring 2001 as its lead professional golf reporter, will remain among SportsCenter’s 11 p.m. ET anchors, and continue to host ESPN Radio’s Scott Van Pelt Show (M-F 1-4 p.m., simulcast 1-3 p.m. on ESPNEWS). He will also remain as the lead reporter and host of the network’s major golf coverage, including the Masters, U.S. Open and The Open Championship.

“Scott’s versatility makes him a valuable member of the ESPN team and we’re pleased he’s staying with us,” said Mark Gross, senior vice president and executive producer, production. “The GameDay opportunity provides Scott with yet another platform on which to express his enthusiasm, insight and opinion.”

“The things I got to do, and the people I got to do them with, ultimately I couldn’t walk away from,” Van Pelt said in this Front and Center  podcast on ESPNFrontRow.com.

Van Pelt joined ESPN from The Golf Channel where he was an anchor and reporter for the sport-specific network from 1994-2000. Following Tiger Woods’ victory at the 1997 Masters (his first at the tournament), Van Pelt conducted an exclusive half-hour interview with the young Woods for a critically acclaimed network special, Tiger Woods: In His Own Words.  

Van Pelt began his sports broadcasting career at WTTG-TV (FOX) in Washington, D.C., in 1990. He worked in WTTG sports studio production department contributing content for the station’s The 10:00 NewsSunday Night’s Sports Extra and specials on the Washington Redskins.

A native of Brookville, Md., Van Pelt graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in radio/television and film.

More posts are on the way. Keep your feeds updated.

About Ken Fang

Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013. He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television. Fang celebrates the three Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.

Quantcast