Ryen Russillo

Last updated
Ryen Russillo
Born (1975-08-05) August 5, 1975 (age 48)
Hartford, Connecticut
Alma mater University of Vermont
Occupation Sportscaster
Notable credit(s) The Ryen Russillo Show (2017)
Russillo and Kanell (2015–2017)
SVP & Russillo (2009–2015)
ESPN Radio College GameDay (2008–2014)
The NBA Today Podcast (2009–2012)

Ryen Russillo (born August 5, 1975) is an American sports host who for many years hosted a popular radio show on ESPN. [1] Russillo left ESPN in 2019 to join The Ringer. [2]

Contents

From 2009 to 2017, Russillo was a host or co-host of the afternoon show on ESPN Radio. [3] From 2009 until 2015, Russillo co-hosted with Scott Van Pelt on what was originally titled The Scott Van Pelt Show and later became SVP & Russillo. The show was also briefly known as The Russillo Show following Van Pelt's departure but before Kanell joined. During the time that Danny Kanell was with the show, from 2015 to 2017, it was known as Russillo and Kanell.

Early life and career beginnings

Russillo spent most of his childhood in Connecticut, before his family moved to West Tisbury, Massachusetts when he was a teenager. [4] He has four younger siblings, all of whom have also gone into "non-traditional" jobs, including a metalsmith/jewelry maker and a musician. Russillo has previously praised his parents for encouraging his, and his siblings', artistic exploration. He is a 1997 graduate of the University of Vermont, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and was also an intern at WCAX in Burlington. [5] He was a play-by-play man for the Trenton Thunder for six months. [5] Additionally, he spent a short amount of time living in Jamaica as a DJ, and spent several years working as a bartender while living in Boston.

Before moving to West Hartford, Connecticut in the late 2000s, Russillo lived in Boston, Massachusetts, where he hosted The Die Hards (mid-2003 to 2005) with co-hosts Anthony Pepe, Jon Anik, Kevin Winter, and Mike Winn while working for the Sporting News Radio affiliate WWZN. [6] (Winter and Winn left the show relatively early on.)

Russillo did pre-game and post-game commentary for the New England Patriots on WBCN. He was let go after, and possibly as a result of, a personal conflict with John Dennis of WEEI, who had left him a threatening voicemail. [6] [7]

ESPN and other work

Russillo hosted NBA Sunday , The Baseball Show, and ESPN Radio College GameDay during the 2008 season on ESPN Radio. He was also a regular host for GameNight and a fill-in host for The Doug Gottlieb Show and All Night with Jason Smith .

Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch named him Best Radio Voice of 2007 for his work on ESPN Radio. He praised Russillo's "reasoned approach and knowledge across sports." [5]

He appeared regularly on several shows on Comcast Sportsnet New England, including New England Sports Tonight with Gary Tanguay and Greg Dickerson, and was also a studio analyst for the Boston Celtics' television coverage.

During the NBA season, Russillo was the host of ESPN's The NBA Today podcast, the network's #2 most downloaded podcast series. [8] Contrary to popular belief, in December 2012, this show was not cancelled to be swapped out with NBA Lockdown featuring former NBA player Bruce Bowen.

In September 2015, Russillo welcomed former NFL player Danny Kanell as the new co-host for his Russillo Show, after Scott Van Pelt's departure from ESPN Radio. Kanell was laid off from ESPN in April 2017, leaving Russillo as the sole host again, with multiple guest co-hosts occasionally joining him on the show.

On December 20, 2017, Russillo announced he was leaving his ESPN radio show to pursue other opportunities, with his final radio show taking place on December 22. [9] Since departing his show, he has continued to produce a podcast with ESPN and has also been appearing across several ESPN platforms including on television with Get Up! . In late August 2018 he re-signed with ESPN. [10]

In June 2019 Russillo re-united with old colleague Scott Van Pelt on the "SVP & Russillo" podcast. [11] [12]

On August 5, 2019, Russillo announced on his Twitter account that he would be leaving ESPN at the end of August and would be joining The Ringer as a full-time media personality. [13]

Russillo currently hosts The Ryen Russillo Podcast. [14]

Personal life

Russillo is a 1993 graduate of Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. [15]

On August 23, 2017, Russillo was arrested in Wyoming for criminal entry, reportedly while nude and intoxicated. [16] He was suspended by ESPN. [17]

Related Research Articles

SportsCenter (SC) is an American daily sports news television program that serves as the flagship program and brand of American cable and satellite television network ESPN. The show covers various sports teams and athletes from around the world and often shows highlights of sports from the day. Originally broadcast only once per day, SportsCenter now has up to twelve airings each day, excluding overnight repeats. The show often covers the major sports in the U.S. including basketball, hockey, football, and baseball. SportsCenter is also known for its recaps after sports events and its in-depth analysis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Van Pelt</span> American sportscaster

Scott Van Pelt is an American sportscaster and sports talk show host. He co-anchored the 11 p.m. edition of SportsCenter on ESPN, served as the co-host of SVP & Russillo alongside Ryen Russillo on ESPN Radio, and hosts various golf events for the network. In June 2015, Van Pelt left his radio show to become a solo anchor for a midnight edition of SportsCenter. For the 2023-24 NFL season, Van Pelt took over as host of Monday Night Countdown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Simmons</span> American sports writer (born 1969)

William John Simmons III is an American podcaster, sportswriter, and cultural critic who is the founder and CEO of the sports and pop culture website The Ringer. Simmons first gained attention with his website as "The Boston Sports Guy" and was recruited by ESPN in 2001, where he eventually operated the website Grantland and worked until 2015. At ESPN, he wrote for ESPN.com, hosted his own podcast on ESPN.com titled The B.S. Report and was an analyst for two years on NBA Countdown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Kurkjian</span> American baseball journalist

Tim Kurkjian is a Major League Baseball (MLB) analyst on ESPN's Baseball Tonight and SportsCenter. He is also a contributor to ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Tirico</span> American sportscaster

Mike Tirico is an American sportscaster. He is currently the NFL play-by-play announcer on NBC's Sunday Night Football, having replaced Al Michaels in 2022. From 2006 to 2015, Tirico served as a play-by-play announcer on ESPN's Monday Night Football. Tirico has called a multitude of sports in his career, including the NBA, NHL, college football and basketball, golf, tennis, and World Cup soccer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackie MacMullan</span> American journalist

Jackie "Mac" MacMullan Boyle is a retired American freelance newspaper sportswriter and NBA columnist for the sports website ESPN.com. She retired from ESPN on August 31, 2021.

Dennis and Callahan was an American morning radio show on WEEI-FM, a sports radio station in Boston, Massachusetts. On November 16, 2010, a live three-hour simulcast began airing on NESN at 6–10 AM Eastern time each weekday. The show combines talk of sports and politics, along with current or "water cooler" issues. The show premiered in 1997 with sportswriter Gerry Callahan and former WHDH Sports Director John Dennis, and it received strong ratings until WEEI received ratings competition in 2009 with the launch of CBS Radio's sports station, WBZ-FM (98.5); the ratings began to fall from the peak.

John Adron Dennis is a former American broadcaster best known as the co-host of WEEI-FM sports radio's former Dennis and Callahan morning show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Still Fighting It</span> 2002 single by Ben Folds

"Still Fighting It" is a song by Ben Folds released in 2002 as the second single from his 2001 album Rockin' the Suburbs. The song is a bittersweet ode to the pain of adolescence dedicated to his son Louis. He would later write an accompanying song for his daughter Gracie on the 2005 album Songs for Silverman, and he often performs the two songs together live. The B-sides on the single release of "Still Fighting It" are live versions of "Zak & Sara" from Rockin' the Suburbs and "Boxing" from Ben Folds Five's self-titled debut album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny Kanell</span> American football player and media personality (born 1973)

Daniel Kanell is an American sports broadcaster and former professional football player who is employed by CBS Sports, along with Fox Sports 1 and SiriusXM. He played as a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). Kanell played college football for the Florida State Seminoles, earning second-team All-American honors in 1995. He also played in the Arena Football League (AFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Patrick (sportscaster)</span> American sportscaster

Daniel Patrick Pugh, known professionally as Dan Patrick, is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and actor. He hosts The Dan Patrick Show broadcast on radio on Premiere Radio Networks and streaming on Peacock. He co-hosted NBC's Football Night in America and serves as a senior writer for Sports Illustrated. He worked at ESPN for 18 years, where he often anchored the weeknight and Sunday 11 p.m. edition of SportsCenter. He is unrelated to his partner Bill Patrick at Sports Center.

<i>The Ryen Russillo Show</i>

The Ryen Russillo Show was a syndicated sports talk radio show hosted by Ryen Russillo. It was a part of ESPN Radio from 1 pm to 4pm, with all three hours also simulcasted on ESPNews. On April 26, 2017 Danny Kanell was let go by ESPN after a number of personnel were laid off, leaving only Russillo to host the show.

Mark Titus is an American author, podcast host, and former walk-on basketball player at Ohio State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Cain</span> American television host and political analyst (born 1975)

Charles Williams Cain is an American columnist, political analyst, and sports commentator. He is currently the co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend on Fox News. Previously, Cain had been a contributor for ESPN, joining the network in March 2015, working with the features unit and E:60 and appearing on First Take. He was the host of The Will Cain Show on ESPN Radio, which ran from January 2018 to June 2020. He has also been a contributor for Blaze Media and CNN, appearing frequently on Soledad O'Brien's morning program Starting Point.

Barstool Sports is an American blog website and digital media company headquartered in New York City that publishes sports journalism and pop culture-related content. It is owned by David Portnoy, who founded the company in 2003 in Milton, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PFT Commenter</span> American sportswriter and podcaster

PFT Commenter is a sports media personality portrayed by Eric Sollenberger. Sollenberger, in the persona of PFT Commenter, is a sportswriter who covers the National Football League and US politics for online publication Barstool Sports. He has previously been published on other sports sites including Kissing Suzy Kolber, SBNation, Football Savages, as well as his own site, StrongTakes.com. PFT Commenter, whose name references Profootballtalk.com, is currently the co-host of the Barstool Sports podcast Pardon My Take. He also hosts the podcast, Macrodosing, with former NFL player Arian Foster.

<i>The Ringer</i> (website) American sports and pop culture website

The Ringer is a sports and pop culture website and podcast network, founded by sportswriter Bill Simmons in 2016 and owned by Spotify since 2020.

Pardon My Take is a comedic sports podcast released three times per week by Barstool Sports. It is hosted by Dan "Big Cat" Katz and PFT Commenter. The podcast debuted on February 29, 2016. It first appeared on the US iTunes charts on March 2, 2016, in the number one position.

Sports podcasts are a subset of podcasts that cover topics related to sports and athletes. Content can include sports news, predictions and analysis of game results, debates and discussions between hosts, and interviews with sports figures.

References

  1. ↑ "Ryen Russillo biography, net worth, salary, wife, married". bijog.com.
  2. ↑ Traina, J. (2019, September 11). Ryen Russillo explains why he left ESPN for The Ringer. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved from https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2019/09/11/ryen-russillo-explains-why-he-left-espn-ringer-bill-simmons-si-media-podcast
  3. ↑ "Ryen Russillo News, Videos, Photos, and PodCasts - ESPN". Archived from the original on 2013-01-30. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  4. ↑ "Ryen Russillo". espnmediazone.com. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 "RYEN RUSSILLO '97 - Talking Sports". The UVM Connection > Vermont Quarterly. Burlington, Vermont: University of Vermont. Summer 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
  6. 1 2 Finn, Chad (October 30, 2009). "Tenacious Russillo finds his voice at ESPN". Boston Globe . Retrieved 2010-08-09.
  7. ↑ "Barstool Sports: John Dennis Voicemail for Ryen Russillo". Barstool Sports . September 7, 2005. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
  8. ↑ "The Hoop Collective Show - PodCenter - ESPN Radio". ESPN Radio.
  9. ↑ Traina, Jimmy (December 20, 2017). "Ryen Russillo Leaving ESPN Radio". si.com. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  10. ↑ Bupp, Phillip (August 24, 2018). "Ryen Russillo sets his future announcing new ESPN deal and a new podcast with The Ringer". Awful Announcing.
  11. ↑ Newsdesk, Laughing Place Disney (2019-05-30). "Former ESPN Radio Hosts Scott Van Pelt and Ryen Russillo to Reunite for New Podcast". LaughingPlace.com. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
  12. ↑ "ESPN Audio Sets June 3rd Debut For Reunited 'SVP & Russillo' Show As Podcast". All Access. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
  13. ↑ Russillo (2019-08-05). "So...the news is out. I'm headed to @ringer want to thank @espn for the last 14 years. I grew up on @SportsCenter and then to be on the actual set, my name on a show...have to remind myself at times how cool that is. Excited to try and limit Celts talk to 30mins w/ @BillSimmons". @ryenarussillo. Retrieved 2019-08-07.
  14. ↑ "The Ryen Russillo Podcast - The Ringer". www.theringer.com. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
  15. ↑ "Ryen Russillo of West Tisbury takes over ESPN mike". Martha’s Vineyard Times . 1 July 2015.
  16. ↑ Bodner, Brett (23 August 2017). "ESPN Radio host Ryen Russillo arrested after police find him drunk and naked in stranger's condo: report". New York Daily News .
  17. ↑ Robert Jonathan (August 28, 2017). "ESPN Radio host Ryen Russillo suspended after police find him drunk and naked in stranger's condo: report". Inquisitr .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.