Jay Harris, who has anchored various ESPN Sports Center programs for the past 17 years, will speak at Lincoln University on Thursday, Feb. 13. He will be speaking to students and the public at 12:30 p.m. at the University’s International Cultural Center Auditorium.
Besides discussing his career, which includes more than 25 years of experience in television and radio news, Harris will field questions from three mass communications students.
Harris, who joined ESPN in February 2003 as a Sports Center anchor, and is most often seen as anchor of the Saturday and Sunday morning editions of the program. Harris also often anchors the Monday edition of Sports Center Coast to Coast at noon ET, especially during the NFL season.
Harris came to ESPN from WPGH-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he was a news anchor/reporter.
His TV and radio news experience also includes being the morning news anchor at WAMO-FM and national news at American Urban Radio Networks, both in Pittsburgh, and at WOWI-FM in Norfolk, Virginia His work outside of sports included the trapped coal miners near Pittsburgh, and, while in Virginia, the fatal USS Iowa battleship explosion.
The Norfolk, Virginia, native graduated from Old Dominion University with a bachelor’s degree in speech communication in 1987. In 2003, he was honored with a Distinguished Alumni Award from his alma mater, and a year later was the keynote speaker for Old Dominion’s 100th commencement ceremony.
Among his other honors, Harris was part of Sports Center’s Sports Emmy-winning efforts in 2004 and 2005, and a recipient of the Silver World Medal from the New York Festival Awards, Robert L. Vann Award from the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation, and an EXCEL Award from the Hampton Roads Black Media Professionals.
