Linda Cohn, the longest-serving anchor in SportsCenter history, has announced her shock retirement from ESPN after 34 years on-air.
Cohn, who has hosted more than 5,500 episodes of the sports news program, will make her final appearance on June 30, she confirmed to the network.
She will also attend the NHL Draft alongside longtime co-host John Buccigross before signing off for good. Meanwhile, farewell broadcasts planned for the evening editions of SportsCenter on Friday.
In a statement to ESPN, she said: ‘What I’m most proud of is that my career lasted long enough for me to see little girls grow up watching SportsCenter, enter this business and succeed in it.
‘If my journey helped make that path a little easier for them, then that’s the achievement I’ll cherish most.’
ESPN president Burke Magnus was among those to pay tribute to Cohn in light of her retirement announcement.
Linda Cohn, the longest-serving anchor in SportsCenter history, has announced her retirement
In a statement to ESPN , she said: ‘What I’m most proud of is that my career lasted long enough for me to see little girls grow up watching SportsCenter, enter this business and succeed in it’
In a statement, he said: ‘Linda Cohn is a legend and a major part of the history of ESPN. She has brought enthusiasm, personality and her love of sports to our audience for more than 30 years and her contributions to ESPN both in front of and behind the camera would make a very long list.
‘We wish her all the best in her retirement and sincerely thank her.’
The 34-year tenure began in Bristol, Connecticut in 1992, with Cohn later relocating to Los Angeles in 2009 to front the network’s 1am edition. Since that show was moved back to Bristol last year, she had been working on special projects.
Her departure comes after ESPN and Cohn were reportedly unable to agree on a suitable role for her once her contract expires at the end of the month.
Beyond SportsCenter, Cohn contributed play-by-play work for ESPN’s WNBA coverage and featured in NHL studio programming.
The sport remains close to her heart, having been a college hockey goalie herself.
She was inducted into the National Sports Media Hall of Fame in 2017.
