Sean McDonough to speak about his sportscasting career

On Friday, December 9, Sean McDonough (‘84) will come speak to Newhouse students about his illustrious career as a sports broadcaster. The event will be hosted by Matt Park, an adjunct professor at Newhouse and the voice of the Syracuse Orange. 

McDonough is a Boston native and Syracuse University alumnus. He graduated from Newhouse with a degree in broadcast journalism in 1984. He is a member of the WAER Hall of Fame, the 2016 recipient of the Marty Glickman Award, and the 2019 recipient of the George Arents Award. The Marty Glickman award recognizes excellence in sports media, and the George Arents Award is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a Syracuse University alumni.

McDonough currently works for ESPN, most frequently doing play by play for college football and basketball broadcasts, along with NHL games. In the past, he has covered various major sporting events, such as the World Series, the Olympics, and the NCAA Final Four. 

Each week, McDonough does play-by-play for a highly anticipated college football game on either ESPN or ABC. He also calls one of the College Football Playoff Semifinals and does play-by-play for the College Football Championship on ESPN Radio. 

In the basketball sphere, McDonough calls a Monday night ACC game each week. He has worked with many esteemed sportscasters in his career, including Dick Vitale, Jay Bilas and Bill Raferty.

He has spent the bulk of his career with ESPN, beginning his tenure there in 1989. He also spent 10 years with CBS Sports, during which he was the lead play-by-play announcer for college football. He also covered the All Star Game and National League Championship Series during his time with CBS Sports.  

The event will be held in the Miron Room (Room 303, NH1) at 1:00 p.m. Lunch will be served.

For accommodations, please contact Mylinda Smith at msmith@syr.edu