{{for|the American football player|Jay Crawford (American football)}} {{short description|American sports journalist|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{Infobox person | name = Jay Crawford | image = Jay Crawford ESPN (30514418011).jpg | caption = | birthname = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1965|07|04}} | birth_place = Sandusky, Ohio, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | education = Bowling Green State University <small>(B.A.)</small> | occupation = | alias = | title = | family = | spouse = Tracy | domestic_partner = | children = 2 | relatives = | credits = Four regional Emmy Awards<br />Best Sportscaster Kentucky AP Award<br />Three SPJ Best Sports Program Awards | URL = }}
'''Jason Crawford''' (born July 4, 1965) is an American TV news and sports anchor, who is best known nationally for his time at ESPN. Crawford anchored the live 11 p.m. edition of ''SportsCenter'' with Chris McKendry until April 2017. Prior to that, Crawford spent nine years hosting ESPN's morning show ''Cold Pizza'', its successor ''ESPN First Take'', and ''First Take'' spinoff ''1st and 10''. He is currently a news anchor for NBC affiliate WKYC-TV 3 in Cleveland, seen on the station's 5 p.m. newscast since January 2020.
==Biography==
===Early life=== Born in Sandusky, Ohio, Crawford graduated from Perkins High School in Sandusky, Ohio in 1983. He went on to graduate from Bowling Green State University with a bachelor's degree in Radio, Television, and Film in 1987.
===Career=== Prior to joining ESPN he was the local sports director for WFTS-TV in Tampa, FL from 1998 to 2003. Prior to that stint he had a similar role at WBNS-TV in Columbus, OH from 1993 to 1998. He was a weekend sports anchor for WTIC-TV in Hartford, CT from 1992 to 1993. He started his sports career in 1987 at WYMT-TV in Hazard, Kentucky.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bgfalconmedia.com/bg-grad-espn-host-speaks-about-journey/article_544b6517-0df4-5784-a5a6-9edc832b8d86.html|title=BG grad, ESPN host speaks about journey|publisher=Bowling Green State University|date=May 2, 2005|archive-date=December 16, 2019|access-date=December 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216075006/http://www.bgfalconmedia.com/bg-grad-espn-host-speaks-about-journey/article_544b6517-0df4-5784-a5a6-9edc832b8d86.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Crawford made three appearances as a minor league baseball pitcher in 2005, splitting time between two independent teams, the St. Paul Saints and the Long Beach Armada. He registered ad with a 2.25 ERA, and in his final outing, Crawford threw two hitless innings, striking out each batter he faced using a change-up that reached a top speed of 62 mph, while his fastball was recorded at 93 mph.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080511/SPORTS03/805110345 |title=ESPN host talks sports for a living |publisher=Toledo Blade |date=2008-11-05 |accessdate=2012-11-18}}</ref>
On May 21, it was announced via Twitter that in July 2012, Crawford will co-anchor ''SportsCenter'' in the noon slot with Chris Mckendry replacing John Buccigross who moves to the 11:00PM slot. In 2004, he hosted some horse racing telecasts for ESPN.
On April 24, 2017, Crawford was laid off from his role as ''Sportscenter'' host in a string of cuts including over 100 ESPN employees.
===Returning to Ohio=== On September 26, 2017, BGSU announced that Crawford would join the university as an executive in residence. Crawford will be sharing his expertise with students and faculty in the School of Media and Communication, in the Department of Sport Management and with student-athletes.<ref>{{cite web|title=CRAWFORD TO JOIN BGSU AS EXECUTIVE IN RESIDENCE|url=https://www.bgsu.edu/news/2017/09/crawford-to-join-bgsu-as-executive-in-residence.html|publisher=Bowling Green State University|accessdate=27 September 2017}}</ref>
On April 11, 2018, the Cleveland Browns announced that Crawford, alongside former Browns quarterback Tim Couch, would call the team's preseason games.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/article-5/Jay-Crawford-Tim-Couch-to-call-Browns-preseason-games-on-News-5/07b9ea2e-8d4e-49ef-b822-d9a09251fc37 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180412082316/http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/article-5/Jay-Crawford-Tim-Couch-to-call-Browns-preseason-games-on-News-5/07b9ea2e-8d4e-49ef-b822-d9a09251fc37 |archive-date=2018-04-12 |title=Jay Crawford, Tim Couch to call Browns preseason games on News 5}}</ref>
On May 28, 2019, Tegna owned NBC affiliate WKYC channel 3 in Cleveland announced that Crawford would become the 5 p.m. news anchor when it started broadcasting in January 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cleveland.com/tv/2019/05/channel-3-hiring-jay-crawford-to-anchor-5-pm-newscast.html |title=Channel 3 hiring Jay Crawford to anchor 5 p.m. Newscast |date=28 May 2019 }}</ref> In October 2019, he began to host an informal-style noontime show for the station, ''Lunch Break with Jay Crawford''. In January 2020, Crawford became channel 3's 5 p.m. news anchor alongside chief meteorologist Betsy Kling.
In May 2022, Crawford began co-hosting on the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show, a daily YouTube talk show discussing Cleveland sports.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Jay Crawford}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20120909075053/http://espnmediazone.com/us/bios/crawford_jay/ Jay Crawford ESPN Bio] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070514131511/http://sports.espn.go.com/espntv/espnShow?showID=TAMS ''First Take'' Show Information] * http://deadspin.com/a-running-list-of-espn-layoffs-1794664091
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Crawford, Jay}} Category:People from Sandusky, Ohio Category:Bowling Green State University alumni Category:1965 births Category:ESPN people Category:Living people Category:American television sports commentators Category:American horse racing announcers Category:Television news anchors from Tampa, Florida Category:Baseball announcers Category:St. Paul Saints players Category:Long Beach Armada players