Kevin Eschenfelder

{{Short description|American sportscaster}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox presenter | name = Kevin Eschenfelder | image = | image_size = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | show = Houston Rockets broadcasts (Pregame and Postgame Host) | station = | network = Space City Home Network | timeslot = [http://www.nba.com/rockets/schedule/2015 Varies by schedule] | show2 = Houston Cougars football (play-by-play announcer) | station2 = Sportstalk 790 AM | network2 = | timeslot2 = [http://www.uhcougars.com/football-broadcast.html Varies by schedule] | style = | country = United States | prevshow = | parents = | spouse(s) = | partner = | children = | website = }}

'''Kevin Eschenfelder''' is an American sportscaster who currently serves as the primary host of Houston Astros and Houston Rockets pregame and postgame on Space City Home Network.<ref name="comcast">{{cite news|title=Anchors and Reporters|url=http://www.csnhouston.com/page/anchors-and-reporters|accessdate=2 October 2013|newspaper=Comcast SportsNet Houston}}</ref> Eschenfelder also works in radio as the play-by-play announcer for Houston Cougars football games since their start in the American Athletic Conference<ref name="cougarsradio">{{cite news|title=Houston and IMG Name Houston Football and Basketball Radio Talent|url=http://www.uhcougars.com/genrel/061113aaa.html|accessdate=2 October 2013|newspaper=UHCougars.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Barron|first=David|title=UH gives radio duties to Eschenfelder, Thomas|url=http://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/cougars/article/UH-gives-radio-duties-to-Eschenfelder-Thomas-4595036.php|accessdate=2 October 2013|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|date=12 June 2013}}</ref> and current in-studio host and fill-in television play-by-play announcer for the Houston Astros.

==Early career== When Eschenfelder was in elementary school, his father worked as a statistician and spotter for the Houston Oilers, giving him access to the radio press box at the Astrodome.<ref name="thedailycougar">{{cite news|last=Shelton|first=Christopher|title=Eschenfelder relishes his role as sportscaster|url=http://thedailycougar.com/2013/06/03/eschenfelder-relishes-his-role-as-sportscaster/|accessdate=4 October 2013|newspaper=The Daily Cougar|date=3 June 2013}}</ref> At the age of 15, he began helping his dad keep statistics for the Houston Astros and Houston Oilers.<ref name="egret">{{cite news|last=Kerr|first=Phyllis|title=Walking on air: Curtain rises on successful career in TV for media studies alumnus|url=http://prtl.uhcl.edu/portal/page/portal/PRE_COM/publications/Egret/archives/spring98/walkingonair.html|accessdate=4 October 2013|newspaper=Egret: The magazine of University of Houston-Clear Lake|date=August 1998|archive-date=October 5, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005113302/http://prtl.uhcl.edu/portal/page/portal/PRE_COM/publications/Egret/archives/spring98/walkingonair.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Eschenfelder graduated from Dulles High School in Sugar Land, Texas. During his senior year at Dulles, he began working as a statistician for the Home Sports Entertainment (HSE) network<ref name="egret" /> and interned at Newsradio 740 KTRH.<ref name="thedailycougar" />

Eschenfelder attended Alvin Community College, where he served as the voice announcer for Alvin High School sporting events on KACC (the on-campus radio station for ACC).<ref name="egret" /> Just before he graduated from Alvin Community College, Eschenfelder got hired as a play-by-play announcer for Houston Baptist University (an NCAA Division I team at the time) at HSE.<ref name="egret" /> Eschenfelder's first event for Home Sports Entertainment was a Houston Baptist University basketball game with Greg Lucas in 1987.<ref name="chronblog" />

In 1990, Eschenfelder graduated with a bachelor's degree from the {{nowrap|University of Houston–Clear Lake}}.<ref name="cougarsradio" /><ref name="egret" />

==Fox Sports Net== Eschenfelder joined Home Sports Entertainment (later known as Fox Sports Net) full-time in June 1991 and worked pre- and postgame shows for 17 seasons, with stints in Dallas–Fort Worth and Houston.<ref name="chronblog">{{cite news|last=Barron|first=David|title=Eschenfelder signs off on FS Houston as move to Comcast network looms|url=http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2012/09/eschenfelder-signs-off-on-fs-houston-as-move-to-comcast-network-looms/|accessdate=5 October 2013|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|date=20 September 2012|archive-date=October 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012020338/http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2012/09/eschenfelder-signs-off-on-fs-houston-as-move-to-comcast-network-looms/|url-status=dead}}</ref> His pre- and postgame commitments included coverage of the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs NBA teams as well as the Dallas Stars NHL team.<ref name="cougarsradio" />

During baseball season, he anchored shows for the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers and has said his favorite memory with HSE/Prime Sports/FSN was Game 6 of the 2005 National League Championship Series when the Astros clinched their first pennant.<ref name="chronblog" />

Eschenfelder became known to Houston viewers during Rockets and Astros games as the in-studio host for "Club House," a pre-game show that later evolved "Southwest Sports Tonight." Southwest Sports Tonight was a half-hour program on FSN Southwest and its Houston-area feed, '''FSN Houston''', but also complemented its regional news program, the "Southwest Sports Report" on non-event nights.

Eschenfelder's additional contributions includes calling college football and basketball play-by-play for the Southland Conference, Southwest Conference, Big 12 Conference, and WAC.<ref name="comcast" /> Eschenfelder has also served as a fill-in analyst during Astros telecasts and fill-in play-by-play voice for Dallas Mavericks games with Fox Sports Southwest.<ref name="comcast" />

Eschenfelder bid farewell to viewers over an Astros telecast on September 20, 2012. His final day with the station was September 21, 2012.<ref name="chronblog" />

==Space City Home Network== Eschenfelder joined CSN Houston when it began broadcasting in October 2012, continuing as the face that fans of the Rockets and Astros have seen before and after games.<ref name="thedailycougar" /> He was the host of "SportsTalk Live," the network's one-hour live show each weekday.<ref name="cougarsradio" />

Once a month, SportsTalk Live aired a special Friday edition called "SportsTalk Live Friday Tailgate Edition," which was taped in front of a live audience outside CSN Houston's downtown studio next to the House of Blues. The October 2013 edition featured Eschefelder interviewing Rockets players James Harden, Chandler Parsons, Patrick Beverley, Isaiah Canaan, and Rockets great Calvin Murphy.<ref>{{cite news|title=SportsTalk Live Free Friday Tailgate|url=http://www.csnhouston.com/page/sportstalk-live-free-friday-tailgate|accessdate=6 October 2013|newspaper=Comcast SportsNet Houston}}</ref>

Besides his role on STL, Eschenfelder participated on other specialty programing on CSN Houston. As part of the "A Conversation With..." series, Eschenfelder had an exclusive interview with longtime Astros broadcaster and Ford Frick Award recipient, Milo Hamilton.<ref>{{cite news|last=Barron|first=David|title=A conversation with Milo Hamilton and 50 years in baseball to air Sunday|url=http://blog.chron.com/ultimateastros/2013/09/20/a-conversation-with-milo-hamilton-and-50-years-in-baseball-to-air-sunday/|accessdate=6 October 2013|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|date=20 September 2013}}</ref> The interview aired throughout September 2013.

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[https://twitter.com/KevinEsch1 Kevin Eschenfelder] on Twitter

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eschenfelder, Kevin}} Category:College basketball announcers in the United States Category:Major League Baseball broadcasters Category:College football announcers Category:Houston Cougars football announcers Category:NBA broadcasters Category:American sports commentators Category:Dulles High School (Sugar Land, Texas) alumni Category:University of Houston–Clear Lake alumni Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:High school basketball announcers in the United States Category:High school football announcers in the United States Category:National Hockey League broadcasters Category:Dallas Mavericks announcers Category:Houston Rockets announcers Category:San Antonio Spurs announcers Category:Houston Astros announcers Category:Dallas Stars announcers Category:Alvin Community College alumni