Tom Rinaldi is an American reporter for Fox Sports.[1][2] He previously contributed to ESPN's tennis coverage at Wimbledon and the US Open, ESPN's golf coverage, SportsCenter, Outside the Lines, College GameDay and Sunday NFL Countdown. He also did features for the horse racing telecasts.
Tom Rinaldi | |
|---|---|
 Rinaldi in 2009 | |
| Born | Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania Columbia University |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Sports commentary career | |
| Genre(s) | Studio host, play-by-play |
| Sport(s) | College football, college basketball, soccer |
Professional career
editRinaldi joined ESPN in May 2003 following a four-year stint as a reporter for CNN/SI from 1998 to 2002. He worked as a reporter for KATU-TV in Portland, Oregon from 1996 to 1998 and for WNDU-TV in South Bend, Indiana from 1993 to 1996. In December 2020, it was announced that he had left ESPN to sign with Fox Sports, where he is expected to cover major sporting events, including the Super Bowl, World Series, World Cup and major college football games.[1]
From 2006 to 2020, Rinaldi was the lead interviewer and feature reporter for ESPN and ABC's coverage of golf. In this capacity, he has been praised for many of his essays, especially those following the conclusion of major events. Rinaldi conducted the first interview of Tiger Woods after the incident on November 27, 2009, which led to Woods' public disclosure of his extra-marital affairs.
In 2017, Rinaldi served as a sideline reporter for the NBA playoffs on ESPN.
Personal life
editRinaldi was born in Brooklyn, New York and grew up in Cresskill, New Jersey, graduating from Cresskill High School.[3][4][5]
A first-generation college student, Rinaldi originally attended Fordham University, before transferring to University of Pennsylvania, where he was on the parliamentary debate team and earned an undergraduate degree in English.[6] He received his graduate degree at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He lives in nearby Tenafly, with his wife, Dianne, their son, Jack, and daughter, Tessa.[7][8][4]
In 2016, he wrote a book called The Man in the Red Bandanna, about Welles Crowther, an NYC volunteer firefighter, who rescued 18 people before losing his own life when the World Trade Center collapsed after the September 11 attacks.
Prior to his career in journalism, Rinaldi was a high school English and English as a Second Language teacher in addition to being a handball coach at Morris High School in The Bronx. He had also taught at Shady Side Academy in Pittsburgh.[4]
Achievements
editRinaldi has won 16 Sports Emmy Awards, 7 Edward R. Murrow Awards, 3 Associated Press Awards and a USA Today Feature-of-the-Year Award.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b Gleeson, Scott (December 17, 2020). "ESPN reporter Tom Rinaldi signs with Fox Sports". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
- ^ Traina, Jimmy (December 17, 2020). "ESPN Stars React to Tom Rinaldi's Shocking Departure". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
- ^ Stapleton, Art. "'Don't sleep on Jersey': Why NJ will be front and center for 100 million Super Bowl TV viewers", The Record,February 8, 2023. Accessed February 8, 2023. "Rinaldi went to Cresskill High School and has lived in Tenafly for 20 years."
- ^ a b c Gronauer, Marcus (2020-06-15). "ESPN's Tom Rinaldi: A journey like few others; From teacher to TV interviewer on sports' center stage". Sports Broadcast Journal. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ "Tom Rinaldi Bio & Career Accomplishments". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ Himmelsbach, Adam. "Adam Asks | ESPN's Tom Rinaldi". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
- ^ The Red Bandanna: A Life. A Choice. A Legacy. Penguin Books. 6 September 2016.
- ^ Kramer, Peter D. " 9/11: Man in the red bandanna's finest hour", The Record (Bergen County), September 6, 2016. Accessed September 7, 2016. "This week will find Tom Rinaldi pingponging from his home in Tenafly, New Jersey — less than a mile from the Cresskill home he grew up in — to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens, to cover the U.S. Open."
- ^ "Tom Rinaldi Bio & Career Accomplishments".