Lesley Visser
FL, US
First woman enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Lesley Visser added another first to her long and prestigious trailblazing career as the first woman to be recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the 2006 recipient of the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award which recognizes "long-time exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football. Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman said about Visser in his 2006 induction speech, "She brought respect and professionalism to the field of journalism for her work in print and broadcasting. It makes me proud to be in her company today."
Visser became the first woman sportscaster to carry the Olympic Torch when she was honored in 2004 by the International Olympic Committee as a "pioneer and standard-bearer." She is the only sportscaster in history who has worked on the network broadcast of the Final Four, Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, Triple Crown, Olympics, U.S. Open and World Figure Skating Championship. Visser served as lead reporter for the Network's coverage of the NFL, teaming with CBS Sports' No. 1 announce team of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms in 2004. This year she again is a part of The NFL Today team. Visser worked her 28th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship last March, having worked the tournament for the Boston Globe, ESPN and CBS. This past season marked her 33rd year covering the NFL. Visser was honored by the American Women in Radio and Television, Inc. in June 2006 as the first woman sportscaster recipient of a Gracie Allen Award which celebrates programming created for women, by women and about women, as well as individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the industry. In 2005 she won the Pop Warner female achievement award and was inducted into the New England Sports Museum Hall of Fame, along with Boston Celtics legend Bob Cousy and the 1980 United States Olympic Hockey team.
Visser was a reporter for The Super Bowl Today, CBS Sports' Super Bowls XXXV and XXXVIII pre-game broadcasts. Visser also contributes reports for CBS News and serves as a reporter for HBO Sports' Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. She spent nearly seven years with ABC Sports and was a sideline reporter for Monday Night Football, becoming the first woman assigned to the series and the first woman ever to report from the sidelines during a Super Bowl. While at ABC Sports, Visser served as a reporter for college football bowl games and NFL playoff games. She also contributed to ABC's coverage of Triple Crown horse racing, ABC's Wide World of Sports, Major League Baseball, including the World Series, figure skating, Special Olympics, skiing, the Pro Bowl, and an ABC series A Passion to Play. She hosted the network's coverage of the "Millennium Tournament of Roses Parade."
She returned to CBS Sports in August 2000 as a contributor to The NFL Today, college basketball, figure skating and the U.S. Open Tennis Championships. Visser covered the NCAA Final Four and Super Bowl for ESPN. She joined CBS Sports in 1984 and became full-time in 1987. Her assignments included the NBA, college basketball, MLB, college football, U.S. Open Tennis Championships and the Winter Olympics, and she was a regular on The NFL Today. In 1992 Visser became the first woman to handle the post-game presentation ceremony at the Super Bowl and in 1989 she covered the fall of the Berlin Wall, focusing on how sports would change in East Germany.
Visser began her career in sports journalism in 1974 as a member of the Boston Globe sports staff on a grant from the Carnegie Foundation, two years later she was assigned to cover the New England Patriots, becoming the first ever female NFL beat writer. While at the Boston Globe she covered the NCAA Final Four, Super Bowl, NBA Finals, World Series, Wimbledon, the Olympics and college football.
Visser has been honored with the Compass Award for "changing the paradigm of her business" and was one of the 100 luminaries commemorating the 75th anniversary of the CBS Television Network in 2003. She was named "WISE Woman of the Year" in 2002 and voted the "Outstanding Women's Sportswriter in America" in 1983 and won the "Women's Sports Foundation Award for Journalism" in 1992. In 1999 she won the first AWSM Pioneer Award. Visser earned her bachelor's degree in English from Boston College. She was born Sept. 11 in Quincy, Mass and is married to FOX/Turner sportscaster Dick Stockton. They reside in Boca Raton, Fla.
Visser became the first woman sportscaster to carry the Olympic Torch when she was honored in 2004 by the International Olympic Committee as a "pioneer and standard-bearer." She is the only sportscaster in history who has worked on the network broadcast of the Final Four, Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, Triple Crown, Olympics, U.S. Open and World Figure Skating Championship. Visser served as lead reporter for the Network's coverage of the NFL, teaming with CBS Sports' No. 1 announce team of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms in 2004. This year she again is a part of The NFL Today team. Visser worked her 28th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship last March, having worked the tournament for the Boston Globe, ESPN and CBS. This past season marked her 33rd year covering the NFL. Visser was honored by the American Women in Radio and Television, Inc. in June 2006 as the first woman sportscaster recipient of a Gracie Allen Award which celebrates programming created for women, by women and about women, as well as individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the industry. In 2005 she won the Pop Warner female achievement award and was inducted into the New England Sports Museum Hall of Fame, along with Boston Celtics legend Bob Cousy and the 1980 United States Olympic Hockey team.
Visser was a reporter for The Super Bowl Today, CBS Sports' Super Bowls XXXV and XXXVIII pre-game broadcasts. Visser also contributes reports for CBS News and serves as a reporter for HBO Sports' Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. She spent nearly seven years with ABC Sports and was a sideline reporter for Monday Night Football, becoming the first woman assigned to the series and the first woman ever to report from the sidelines during a Super Bowl. While at ABC Sports, Visser served as a reporter for college football bowl games and NFL playoff games. She also contributed to ABC's coverage of Triple Crown horse racing, ABC's Wide World of Sports, Major League Baseball, including the World Series, figure skating, Special Olympics, skiing, the Pro Bowl, and an ABC series A Passion to Play. She hosted the network's coverage of the "Millennium Tournament of Roses Parade."
She returned to CBS Sports in August 2000 as a contributor to The NFL Today, college basketball, figure skating and the U.S. Open Tennis Championships. Visser covered the NCAA Final Four and Super Bowl for ESPN. She joined CBS Sports in 1984 and became full-time in 1987. Her assignments included the NBA, college basketball, MLB, college football, U.S. Open Tennis Championships and the Winter Olympics, and she was a regular on The NFL Today. In 1992 Visser became the first woman to handle the post-game presentation ceremony at the Super Bowl and in 1989 she covered the fall of the Berlin Wall, focusing on how sports would change in East Germany.
Visser began her career in sports journalism in 1974 as a member of the Boston Globe sports staff on a grant from the Carnegie Foundation, two years later she was assigned to cover the New England Patriots, becoming the first ever female NFL beat writer. While at the Boston Globe she covered the NCAA Final Four, Super Bowl, NBA Finals, World Series, Wimbledon, the Olympics and college football.
Visser has been honored with the Compass Award for "changing the paradigm of her business" and was one of the 100 luminaries commemorating the 75th anniversary of the CBS Television Network in 2003. She was named "WISE Woman of the Year" in 2002 and voted the "Outstanding Women's Sportswriter in America" in 1983 and won the "Women's Sports Foundation Award for Journalism" in 1992. In 1999 she won the first AWSM Pioneer Award. Visser earned her bachelor's degree in English from Boston College. She was born Sept. 11 in Quincy, Mass and is married to FOX/Turner sportscaster Dick Stockton. They reside in Boca Raton, Fla.
Lesley Visser added another first to her long and prestigious trailblazing career as the first woman to be recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the 2006 recipient of the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award which recognizes "long-time exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football. Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman said about Visser in his 2006 induction speech, "She brought respect and professionalism to the field of journalism for her work in print and broadcasting. It makes me proud to be in her company today."
Visser became the first woman sportscaster to carry the Olympic Torch when she was honored in 2004 by the International Olympic Committee as a "pioneer and standard-bearer." She is the only sportscaster in history who has worked on the network broadcast of the Final Four, Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, Triple Crown, Olympics, U.S. Open and World Figure Skating Championship. Visser served as lead reporter for the Network's coverage of the NFL, teaming with CBS Sports' No. 1 announce team of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms in 2004. This year she again is a part of The NFL Today team. Visser worked her 28th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship last March, having worked the tournament for the Boston Globe, ESPN and CBS. This past season marked her 33rd year covering the NFL. Visser was honored by the American Women in Radio and Television, Inc. in June 2006 as the first woman sportscaster recipient of a Gracie Allen Award which celebrates programming created for women, by women and about women, as well as individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the industry. In 2005 she won the Pop Warner female achievement award and was inducted into the New England Sports Museum Hall of Fame, along with Boston Celtics legend Bob Cousy and the 1980 United States Olympic Hockey team.
Visser was a reporter for The Super Bowl Today, CBS Sports' Super Bowls XXXV and XXXVIII pre-game broadcasts. Visser also contributes reports for CBS News and serves as a reporter for HBO Sports' Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. She spent nearly seven years with ABC Sports and was a sideline reporter for Monday Night Football, becoming the first woman assigned to the series and the first woman ever to report from the sidelines during a Super Bowl. While at ABC Sports, Visser served as a reporter for college football bowl games and NFL playoff games. She also contributed to ABC's coverage of Triple Crown horse racing, ABC's Wide World of Sports, Major League Baseball, including the World Series, figure skating, Special Olympics, skiing, the Pro Bowl, and an ABC series A Passion to Play. She hosted the network's coverage of the "Millennium Tournament of Roses Parade."
She returned to CBS Sports in August 2000 as a contributor to The NFL Today, college basketball, figure skating and the U.S. Open Tennis Championships. Visser covered the NCAA Final Four and Super Bowl for ESPN. She joined CBS Sports in 1984 and became full-time in 1987. Her assignments included the NBA, college basketball, MLB, college football, U.S. Open Tennis Championships and the Winter Olympics, and she was a regular on The NFL Today. In 1992 Visser became the first woman to handle the post-game presentation ceremony at the Super Bowl and in 1989 she covered the fall of the Berlin Wall, focusing on how sports would change in East Germany.
Visser began her career in sports journalism in 1974 as a member of the Boston Globe sports staff on a grant from the Carnegie Foundation, two years later she was assigned to cover the New England Patriots, becoming the first ever female NFL beat writer. While at the Boston Globe she covered the NCAA Final Four, Super Bowl, NBA Finals, World Series, Wimbledon, the Olympics and college football.
Visser has been honored with the Compass Award for "changing the paradigm of her business" and was one of the 100 luminaries commemorating the 75th anniversary of the CBS Television Network in 2003. She was named "WISE Woman of the Year" in 2002 and voted the "Outstanding Women's Sportswriter in America" in 1983 and won the "Women's Sports Foundation Award for Journalism" in 1992. In 1999 she won the first AWSM Pioneer Award. Visser earned her bachelor's degree in English from Boston College. She was born Sept. 11 in Quincy, Mass and is married to FOX/Turner sportscaster Dick Stockton. They reside in Boca Raton, Fla.
Visser became the first woman sportscaster to carry the Olympic Torch when she was honored in 2004 by the International Olympic Committee as a "pioneer and standard-bearer." She is the only sportscaster in history who has worked on the network broadcast of the Final Four, Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, Triple Crown, Olympics, U.S. Open and World Figure Skating Championship. Visser served as lead reporter for the Network's coverage of the NFL, teaming with CBS Sports' No. 1 announce team of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms in 2004. This year she again is a part of The NFL Today team. Visser worked her 28th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship last March, having worked the tournament for the Boston Globe, ESPN and CBS. This past season marked her 33rd year covering the NFL. Visser was honored by the American Women in Radio and Television, Inc. in June 2006 as the first woman sportscaster recipient of a Gracie Allen Award which celebrates programming created for women, by women and about women, as well as individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the industry. In 2005 she won the Pop Warner female achievement award and was inducted into the New England Sports Museum Hall of Fame, along with Boston Celtics legend Bob Cousy and the 1980 United States Olympic Hockey team.
Visser was a reporter for The Super Bowl Today, CBS Sports' Super Bowls XXXV and XXXVIII pre-game broadcasts. Visser also contributes reports for CBS News and serves as a reporter for HBO Sports' Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. She spent nearly seven years with ABC Sports and was a sideline reporter for Monday Night Football, becoming the first woman assigned to the series and the first woman ever to report from the sidelines during a Super Bowl. While at ABC Sports, Visser served as a reporter for college football bowl games and NFL playoff games. She also contributed to ABC's coverage of Triple Crown horse racing, ABC's Wide World of Sports, Major League Baseball, including the World Series, figure skating, Special Olympics, skiing, the Pro Bowl, and an ABC series A Passion to Play. She hosted the network's coverage of the "Millennium Tournament of Roses Parade."
She returned to CBS Sports in August 2000 as a contributor to The NFL Today, college basketball, figure skating and the U.S. Open Tennis Championships. Visser covered the NCAA Final Four and Super Bowl for ESPN. She joined CBS Sports in 1984 and became full-time in 1987. Her assignments included the NBA, college basketball, MLB, college football, U.S. Open Tennis Championships and the Winter Olympics, and she was a regular on The NFL Today. In 1992 Visser became the first woman to handle the post-game presentation ceremony at the Super Bowl and in 1989 she covered the fall of the Berlin Wall, focusing on how sports would change in East Germany.
Visser began her career in sports journalism in 1974 as a member of the Boston Globe sports staff on a grant from the Carnegie Foundation, two years later she was assigned to cover the New England Patriots, becoming the first ever female NFL beat writer. While at the Boston Globe she covered the NCAA Final Four, Super Bowl, NBA Finals, World Series, Wimbledon, the Olympics and college football.
Visser has been honored with the Compass Award for "changing the paradigm of her business" and was one of the 100 luminaries commemorating the 75th anniversary of the CBS Television Network in 2003. She was named "WISE Woman of the Year" in 2002 and voted the "Outstanding Women's Sportswriter in America" in 1983 and won the "Women's Sports Foundation Award for Journalism" in 1992. In 1999 she won the first AWSM Pioneer Award. Visser earned her bachelor's degree in English from Boston College. She was born Sept. 11 in Quincy, Mass and is married to FOX/Turner sportscaster Dick Stockton. They reside in Boca Raton, Fla.
2010