Biography

Chris Fowler, who has progressed at ESPN over a quarter century to be one of the most respected hosts and play-by-play commentators in television, appears on many of ESPN’s marquee properties, primarily in college football and Grand Slam tennis. In 2014, he became the play-by-play for the ABC Saturday Night Football booth alongside analyst Kirk Herbstreit. Fowler and Herbstreit ushered in the new era of college football, calling the National Championship game each year since the Playoff’s inception.

He served as the host for College GameDay, the network’s Emmy-winning Saturday morning college football preview show, 1990 – 2014. It won the Sports Emmy for Best Weekly Studio Show in 2015, 2014, 2011, 2010 and 2008. In addition, his tennis workload remains robust, including calling matches for the US Open, Wimbledon and Australian Open as part of ESPN’s start-to-finish coverage of those Majors.

He also has hosted ESPN’s Heisman Trophy Presentation since the network began its coverage of the event in 1994 and ESPN’s The Home Depot College Football Awards show from its inception in 1993 to 2013. In addition, he was the play-by-play voice of ESPN’s Thursday night college football games from 2006-2009 after previously serving as a sideline reporter, beginning in 1988.

In 2010, Fowler served as a host for ESPN’s month-long, on-site studio coverage of the FIFA World Cup from South Africa, where he anchored pre-, halftime and post-match shows, along with SportsCenter, for the FIFA World Cup segments.

Over the years, he has also hosted SportsCenter, SportsCentury, horse racing’s Triple Crown races, men’s college basketball including on-site Final Four coverage and the first few editions of the X Games and Winter X Games. Fowler joined ESPN in July 1986 as the first host/reporter of Scholastic Sports America for two years.

For 13 years, Fowler hosted ESPN’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four coverage (1992-2005) and was a host on select editions of the inaugural season of the college basketball version of College GameDay in 2005.

In 2003 when ESPN added Wimbledon, Fowler was named the primary host of ESPN’s Grand Slam tennis coverage, which starting with the addition of the US Open in 2009, included all four majors, something no network had done before. Over the years, he increasingly has called matches at those events and other tournaments, including the finals of the Australian Open and, starting in 2012, Wimbledon.

 

Fowler is most recognized for his work as one of the nation’s best studio hosts for college sports, particularly for his role as the anchor for College GameDay–college football’s most comprehensive and authoritative studio show. In January 2004, Sporting News magazine ranked Fowler and fellow GameDay personalities Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit as 2003’s “Most Powerful Media Personalities in Sports.” Fowler has received two Sports Emmy Awards for his work on SportsCentury.

Fowler received a bachelor of science degree in radio/television news from the University of Colorado in 1985.

Read More

Videos

Chris Fowler previews Michigan vs. Georgia | The Paul Finebaum Show

ESPN's Chris Fowler talks tailgating and college football

Request Availability

Speech TopicsExpand each topic to learn more

Sports Storytelling

This speaker tailors this topic for each event. Please let us know if you'd like us to source a topic description.

Living a Fulfilling Life

This speaker tailors this topic for each event. Please let us know if you'd like us to source a topic description.

Managing Stress

This speaker tailors this topic for each event. Please let us know if you'd like us to source a topic description.

Blog Posts

Time Management Secrets To Help Your Event Planning’s Success

Discover time management strategies from keynote speaker Lisa Bodell that help event planners maximize productivity and create meaningful experiences.

Read More

AI Technology Insights (That Business Leaders Can Actually Use) with Ramy Nassar

AI keynote speaker Ramy Nassar reveals how leaders can make artificial intelligence accessible and drive real business outcomes through storytelling.

Read More

Yellow September Lessons That Go Beyond the Applause

Yellow September reminds us that mental health conversations at events can save lives—here's how to create meaningful connections beyond applause.

Read More

Stage Fright Doesn’t Have to End Your Speaking Career (This Mentalist Proves It)

Learn how mentalist Christophe Fox transformed paralyzing stage fright into Fortune 100 CEO presentations through preparation and mindset.

Read More

Events Under Pressure: How One Planner Won an Emmy with Six Days Notice

Discover how Emmy-winning event planner Gabriella Robuccio conquered live events with just six days' notice using boundaries and vulnerability.

Read More

Why Relatable Leaders Build Stronger Teams (And How You Can Become One)

Discover engagement strategies fom expert Rachel DeAlto on how leaders can become more relatable and transform their workforce for the better.

Read More

Related Moderator, Host & Emcee Speakers

Contact Us Today

  • Fill out the form so we can best understand your needs.
    A representative from The Keynote Curators will reach out to you.

  • MM slash DD slash YYYY
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.