Sports Broadcaster Sean McDonough ’84

This Friday, Sean McDonough ‘84 will speak to Newhouse students about his illustrious career as a sports broadcaster.

The Boston native graduated from the Newhouse School with a degree in broadcast journalism. He is a member of the WAER Hall of Fame, the 2016 recipient of the Marty Glickman Award and the 2019 recipient of the George Arents Award. The Marty Glickman Award recognizes excellence in sports media, and the George Arents Award is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a Syracuse University alumni.

McDonough currently works for ESPN, most frequently doing play-by-play for college football and basketball broadcasts, along with NHL games. In the past, he has covered various major sporting events, such as the World Series, the Olympics and the NCAA Final Four.

Each week, McDonough does play-by-play for a highly anticipated college football game on either ESPN or ABC. He also calls one of the College Football Playoff Semifinals and does play-by-play for the College Football Championship on ESPN Radio.

In the basketball sphere, McDonough calls a Monday night ACC game each week. He has worked with many esteemed sportscasters in his career including Dick Vitale, Jay Bilas and Bill Raferty.

McDonough has spent the bulk of his career with ESPN, beginning his tenure there in 1989. He also spent 10 years with CBS Sports, during which he was the lead play-by-play announcer for college football. He also covered the All Star Game and National League Championship Series during his time with CBS Sports.

This event is hosted by Matt Park, an adjunct professor at Newhouse and the voice of the Syracuse Orange.