(Lesley pictured with the Lombardi Trophy. Image Courtesy of Lesley Visser)
Background
Visser was the first female sportscaster to cover major American sports and the first female to cover events such as the NCAA Final Four and the Super Bowl sideline. Visser is a pioneer for female sports broadcasters.
She was born September 11, 1953 in Quincy Massachusetts. She went to Boston College where she majored in English. Her journalism career began in 1974 when she began working with the Boston Globe as a member of the sports staff. Her work at the Boston Globe continued for 14 years. In 1976, she was assigned to cover the New England Patriots, making her the first ever female NFL beat writer.
Visser continued to be a trail blazer throughout her career working with the Boston Globe, CBS Sports, ESPN, and ABC Sports. In 2006, she was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the first and still only woman to have the honor. In 2000, she took a six year hiatus, but came back and continued her work with CBS Sports. She has broken gender barriers in sports journalism for the last 40 years. In 2009, she became the first woman to be an analyst for a NFL game. Visser is still working today.
Accomplishments
-First and only woman inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Pete Rozelle Radio and Television Award)
- Inducted into Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame
-First woman assigned to Legendary Series- Monday Night Football
-First woman assigned to be on the Super Bowl sideline
-First and only woman to handle Lombardi Trophy presentation
-First woman sportscaster to carry Olympic torch
-First woman honored as Lombardi Fellow
-Muhammad Ali "Daughter of Greatness"
-Only sportscaster (male of female) to work on the Final Four, Super Bowl, World Series, NBA finals, Triple Crown, US Open, Olympics, and World Figure Skating Championship.
-Inducted into Sports Writers Hall of Fame
-Inducted into Radio and TV Hall of Fame
-Voted #1 female sportscaster of all-time
-Named:
-One of Ten Pioneers of Women's Sports by USA Today
-One of the 100 Luminaries in History by CBS
Quotes By Lesley Visser
"I don't know if everybody is ready to hear a woman say so-and-so is going to run off left tackle, but you know what? They're going to hear it."
"Guys do not have genetic blueprint that allows them to love or understand sports."
Quotes About Lesley Visser
"Lesley Visser's career has broken many barriers and defined previously unimagined roles for woman in professional sports and sports broadcasting. She has reached the pinnacle as a writer and a broadcaster, earning trust and respect while maintaining a warmth and style that separates her from all others." - Sean McManus, President, CBS News and Sports
"Lesley has been the trailblazer for women sports writers all across America. The number of firsts for her are too many to count. Her job has always required aggression and she always did it with grace and flair while at the same time becoming a terrific journalist and making lots of friends. The honor (Pro Football Hall of Fame's Pete Rozelle Radio and Television Award) is so well deserved because she opened doors for lots of people, especially women, and she has always had the great ability to give time to people coming into the profession." -Vince Doria, Vice President and Director of News, ESPN
Special Events Covered
- 34 Final Fours
- 12 NBA Finals
- 7 World Series
- 15 Kentucky Derbys
Additional Information
The Official Website of Lesley Visser
Ten Questions with Lesley Visser
(Page researched and written by Meaghan O'Donoghue.)
