Lisa Byington

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, Marquee Sports Network, Pac-12 Network, ESPN, and the SEC Network.

Lisa Byington
Byington in 2015
Born	(1976-05-18) May 18, 1976 (age 48)
Alma mater	Northwestern University
Sports commentary career
Genre	Play-by-play
Sport(s)	Basketball, Soccer
Association football career Position(s) Forward[1] College career Years Team Apps (Gls) 1997–1998 Northwestern Wildcats

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.

References

1. "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.