Lisa Byington

Lisa Byington
Byington in 2015
Born (1976-05-18) May 18, 1976 (age 48)
Alma materNorthwestern University
Sports commentary career
GenrePlay-by-play
Sport(s)Basketball, Soccer

Association football career
Position(s) Forward[1]
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–1998 Northwestern Wildcats

Lisa Byington (born May 18, 1976) is a play-by-play announcer, studio host, and feature producer/reporter. She has broadcast games for Fox Sports, FS1, Big Ten Network, CBS, Turner Sports, Pac-12 Network, ESPN, and the SEC Network.

Byington has worked primarily as a play-by-play announcer and reporter on FOX Sports and Big Ten Network's coverage of college football and basketball games. In 2017, Byington became the first female play-by-play to call a college football game for the Big Ten Network.[2][3][4]

Byington announced the 2019 Women's World Cup for Fox[5] and the 2020 Olympic Games as a play-by-play announcer for men's and women's soccer.[6] Byington has also worked as a sideline reporter for the NCAA men's basketball tournament with CBS and Turner since 2017. On March 19, 2021, she became the first woman to do play-by-play in March Madness history for CBS and Turner Sports.[7]

In 2021, Byington became the first female full-time play-by-play voice for a major men's professional sports team when she became the full time play-by-play announcer of the Milwaukee Bucks.[8] Byington also handles play-by-play work for the WNBA’s Chicago Sky.

Byington, a native of Portage, Michigan,[1] was a two-sport athlete at Northwestern University, playing four years of basketball and two years of soccer.[9] Both teams made the NCAA Tournament.

  1. ^ a b "Late Goals Put Badgers Ahead in Women's Soccer". Northwestern Wildcats. October 9, 1998. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  2. ^ Jackson, Wilton (March 11, 2021). "Lisa Byington to Call NCAA Tournament Play-by-Play". SI.com. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  3. ^ Nothaft, Patrick (June 24, 2021). "Michigan native Lisa Byington preparing for dream job as Olympic play-by-play announcer". MLive.com. Advance Digital. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  4. ^ Haugh, David (September 13, 2017). "BTN broadcaster Lisa Byington braces for historic football assignment". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  5. ^ "FOX Sports Unveils Broadcaster Assignments for FIFA Women's World Cup France 2019™ Group Stage". Fox Sports PressPass. June 4, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  6. ^ "RECORD 178 COMMENTATORS JOIN NBC OLYMPICS' COVERAGE OF THE GAMES OF THE XXXII OLYMPIAD FROM TOKYO, JAPAN". NBC Sports Pressbox. June 23, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2021. Handling soccer play-by-play from NBC Sports Group's International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn., will be Lisa Byington, Mark Followill, Jenn Hildreth, and Derek Rae.
  7. ^ Brockway, Ella. "Lisa Byington Ready for History-Making March Madness Moment". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  8. ^ Milwaukee Bucks [@Bucks] (September 15, 2021). ".@LisaByington becomes the first female full-time TV play-by-play announcer for a major men's professional sports team. Welcome to Milwaukee, Lisa!!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ^ "Northwestern Women's Soccer 2018 Record Book & Almanac" (PDF). Northwestern Wildcats. December 11, 2018. p. 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.