The story first surfaced over the weekend and now it’s been made official by Fox Sports. TSN’s late night SportsCentre team of Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole will become the main anchors for Fox Sports 1’s nightly “Fox Sports Live” that will air at 11 p.m. ET.
Onrait and O’Toole have become so popular, Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper even tweeted his regrets about the men leaving TSN in July. Onrait and O’Toole along with their SportsCentre producer will form the team that will become the nightly signature program for Fox Sports 1 when it launches in August.
Let’s take a look at what Fox Sports is saying about this move.
JAY ONRAIT & DAN O’TOOLE TABBED AS PRIMARY FOX SPORTS LIVE HIGHLIGHT TEAM
Popular Canadian Duo Renowned for Fun, Irreverent Style on TSN
New York – Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole, who since 2005 have formed a popular, smart and irreverent anchor team for TSN’s SportsCentre, Canada’s most-watched sports news program, join FOX Sports as the primary highlight team for FOX SPORTS LIVE, FOX Sports 1’s flagship news, opinion and highlights program airing nightly at 11:00 PM ET. The announcement was made today by FOX Sports’ Co-President and COO Eric Shanks and Executive Vice President, Studio Production, Scott Ackerson. Onrait and O’Toole, along with Producer Tim, are the first FOX SPORTS LIVE personalities to be announced. The show premieres in conjunction with the network’s launch on Saturday, Aug.17.
“Nowhere in America today are there sports anchors with the style and rapport that Jay and Dan have,” said Shanks. “We respect their work and the tremendous relationship they’ve established over the years with Canadian sports fans. We’re excited to have had a chance to get to know them, and that they’ll have a major role in the launch of FOX Sports 1.”
“It’s obvious that Jay and Dan are a great tandem and really enjoy themselves when they’re on-air,” added Ackerson. “FOX SPORTS LIVE is going to deviate from existing sports news formulas, and we expect Jay, Dan and Tim to use their unique brand of humor to make the show fun for fans to watch.”
Onrait and O’Toole have been co-hosts of the 1:00 AM ET weekday edition of SportsCentre, which repeats hourly until 1:00 PM ET, entertaining viewers with a brand of humor all their own while delivering a summary of the day’s sports news and events.
“We are thrilled to join FOX Sports 1 and can’t wait to start working with the rest of the team on FOX SPORTS LIVE,” said Onrait. “We like sports and we like to laugh, so that’s pretty much the show. Dan and I are also looking forward to getting free tickets to a taping of American Idol. That sealed it for us.”
“We are extremely excited to be joining FOX Sports 1,” added O’Toole. “This is an enormous opportunity for us and we are so honored to have been asked to take part in this bold new venture by FOX. Jay and I can’t wait to introduce ourselves to Americans across the country and look forward to being invited into their homes. We will bring the maple syrup.”
Onrait, (pronounced: ON-right) a native of Athabasca, Alberta, Canada, Onrait first joined TSN in 1996 as an editorial assistant while attending Ryerson University. Upon his graduation in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in Radio and Television Arts, he went on to become sports director at a Saskatoon television station, before spending two years as the host of the Big Breakfast on A-Channel. Onrait joined NHL Network in 2001, serving as host of the network’s flagship show NHL on the Fly as well as Molson That’s Hockey 2. A year later, he re-joined TSN in his current role on SportsCentre.
Onrait’s work assignments over the years have included hosting SportsCentre with O’Toole live from Trafalgar Square during the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London, co-hosting Olympic Morning on CTV with Beverly Thomson for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and coverage of the NHL Trade Deadline, NBA Finals, Vanier Cup and in-studio host of Toronto Raptors broadcasts on TSN. In 2011, he was honored for his outstanding contributions to the world of sports with a Gemini Award for Best Sportscaster/Anchor.
In addition to hosting SportsCentre with Onrait from the 2012 Olympic Summer Games, O’Toole co-hosted the show with Cory Woron from the International Broadcast Centre for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
Prior to joining TSN in 2002, O’Toole was part of Citytv’s launch in Vancouver, where he worked as an anchor and reporter. In 1998, O’Toole moved to Fort McMurray, Alberta, where he worked as sports director for CJOK-FM and CKYX-FM radio stations for three years. While at the radio stations, O’Toole called play-by-play for the Fort McMurray Oil Barons of the AJHL. In 2000, O’Toole worked at CTV Edmonton as the Fort McMurray news reporter in the evenings while continuing to work mornings as the radio sports director.
Originally from Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, O’Toole graduated from Algonquin College in 1996 with a diploma in broadcasting. While in college, O’Toole did play-by-play for the Ottawa 67s. O’Toole moved to Vancouver in 1997 to work as a traffic reporter for CJJR-FM and CFUN-AM radio stations, reporting from a four-seater plane.
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