Erin Andrews Was a College Basketball Dancer Before Pursuing a TV Career
Whether she worked for ESPN or Fox, Erin Andrews created a massive fan following — and for good reasons.
An insightful and talented sideline reporter, Andrews now works on Fox’s NFL coverage. Before Andrews got her big break at ESPN, though, she had to climb the career ladder like everyone else.
Many years ago, well before she worked her first Super Bowl, Andrews worked as a dancer in college.
Erin Andrews is Fox’s popular sideline reporter
Born in Lewiston, Maine, Andrews is the daughter of Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter Steven Andrews.
Erin followed in her father’s footsteps and got her start covering hockey for Fox Sports Florida in 2000. After a multi-year stint in Atlanta, Andrews joined ESPN in April 2004 and did everything from hockey to college football and Major League Baseball.
Andrews joined Fox in 2012 as a college football host and MLB field reporter. In 2014, Andrews received a promotion to Fox’s No. 1 NFL broadcast team, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.
Andrews has received praise throughout the years for asking intelligent and hard-hitting questions of her subjects, especially in post-game, on-field interviews.
Her January 2014 interview with Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman — where Sherman yelled belligerently about 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree after Seattle’s victory in the NFC championship game — quickly went viral. A veteran reporter, Andrews has always remained a good sport about that moment.
Andrews also served as the co-host of Dancing with the Stars from 2014-2020.
Andrews was a dancer before going into TV
Some female sports analysts, like Doris Burke or Maria Taylor, played sports in college. Erin Andrews went down a different path in college … somewhat.
Andrews stayed very close to sports and worked Florida Gators’ basketball games as a member of the Florida Gators Dazzlers dance team from 1997 to 2000.
The Dazzlers are the school’s official dance team. They attend every Gators event from basketball to football to even some non-sports activities.
In 2017, the University of Florida tweeted a GIF of Andrews working with the Dazzlers.
Erin Andrews has a bright future at Fox
Although the sports media landscape is quickly changing, Erin Andrews still has an extremely bright future at Fox.
Andrews, 42, signed a contract extension with Fox in 2016. It is not known when that contract expires, however, or if she quietly agreed to terms on another extension in recent years.
It is clear, though, that Fox thinks very highly of Andrews. She remains a pivotal part of the network’s NFL coverage and, along with Kristina Pink, also works the sideline coverage for the Thursday Night Football games.
It is not unrealistic to think Andrews could serve as Fox’s sideline reporter on the No. 1 team for the entire 2020s. Pam Oliver, who Andrews replaced in 2014, held that role from 1994-2013; Oliver now appears on the No. 2 team.
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