Bob Valvano is an American sports presenter who works with the ESPN network. On television, he mostly reports on Big East basketball. He analyzes the sport for several channels under the ESPN network, including ESPNU, ESPN2, and ESPN Plus. He is also quite a popular radio personality on channels such as WKRD 790 AM and ESPN Radio. He occasionally covers golf as well. Currently, he has also started presenting his show analysis in the podcast format which has become hugely popular as well.
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Early Life
Bob Valvano was born on January 29, 1957 in New York. His brothers are Jim Valvano and Nick Valvano. Jim Valvano was the sports coach for the North Carolina State Men’s Basketball team. Being from a sporting family, it was but natural that Bob Valvano also take up a career in sports.
After graduating with a major in communication from the Virginia Wesleyan College, he already had a lettering in three major sports – basketball, soccer, and golf – as he graduated. This led to him being inducted in the College Sports Hall of Fame. As a student, he was always at the forefront in sports rather than at academics.
He served a long coaching career at the Bellarmine University and other colleges for fifteen years and nineteen seasons. When he was hired, he was the youngest coach at barely 27 years. He worked with the Knights Men’s Basketball team in the city of Louisville. Some of the other places he had coached at include the St. Francis College, the Kutztown University in Pennsylvania, the St. Mary’s College in Maryland, and the Catholic University of America. He also coached the Swedish professional league and brought his team to two victories.
Career with ESPN
Bob Valvano started working with the ESPN network in 1998 as their radio host. He presented a show titled The V Show with Bob Valvano. He was then chosen to be an analyst for the NIT game coverage. He also covered many of the post-season games for ESPN. Recently, he also presented a 3D coverage of the Big East basketball championship, which was quite well-received.
He specially presented the radio and television coverage for the University of Louisville men’s basketball, which he has been doing for over eleven years now. He is almost exclusive for the team, having been with them for such a long time. He presents the 12-game package and also as an analyst for other broadcasts of the team.
Personal Life
Bob Valvano has had a very long and loving marriage with Darlene Valvano. They have been married for more than 26 years now and have two sons. Bob often jokes that Darlene is the same as he had seen her the first time and that she can still get into her wedding dress with ease. Bob himself has the energy and verve of a teenager.
A while ago, there were rumors of him having a heart attack and that the couple was on the brink of a divorce. However, these rumors are unfounded.
Bob Valvano is an author as well. He has written a biographical book on his brother Jim Valvano, which is titled The Gifts of Jimmy V. The book is available on Amazon and he speaks about it occasionally on his Facebook page. His net worth is currently unknown.
Last Modified: Apr 7, 2020
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