| | Long-time hosts of ESPN Outdoors programs including Jerry McKinnis and Tommy Sanders will be joined by commentators familiar to ESPN viewers of football, basketball and more, including Ron Franklin and Bill Clement, at the upcoming inaugural ESPN Great Outdoor Games from Lake Placid, N.Y. The group will team with Mark Malone, the host of ESPN2's NFL 2Night who was previously announced as the host of ESPN/ESPN2's 17.5 hours original hours of programming July 27 - August 4.
"We are thrilled to have such a talented group of commentators, both from ESPN Outdoors and other Events," said Dave Miller, ESPN senior coordinating producer. "Our selections include experts with numerous years of experience in their fields. The knowledge and passion our commentators possess for these Events will come through in our telecasts, as we capture the skill and drama of the competition."
The ESPN Great Outdoor Games on-air personnel follow. (The Retriever Trials host will be finalized and announced in the near future.)
Jack Arute - Host of the Agility, Big Air and Fly Ball events in the Sporting Dog category and the Run, Roll and Drive competition in Timber Events - Jack is the auto racing pit reporter for ESPN/ABC Events and sideline reporter for ABC's college football. He is an ESPN Radio host and Connecticut resident.
John Barrett - Analyst of Fly Fishing competition - John acts as host and producer of Fly Fishing the World (11 years on ESPN) and Canon Photos in the Wild. He resides in Montana.
Bill Clement - Host of all Target Events - Bill was an 11-year NHL veteran and two-time Stanley Cup winner who serves as ESPN's lead hockey analyst. He is a native Canadian who now lives in Pennsylvania.
Jimmy Dykes - Fly Fishing host - Jimmy has been a college basketball analyst for ESPN since 1995. He played at Arkansas for Eddie Sutton and hosts a fishing program on TNN. He was raised in Oklahoma and now lives in Arkansas.
Ron Franklin - Host of Bass Fishing - Ron has served as a college football and basketball play-by-play commentator for ESPN since 1987 and has also hosted Eventsman's Challenge since 1988. He is a Mississippi native now living in Texas.
John Hughes - Analyst on many of the Timber Events - John was a long-time competitor on the Stihl Timber Events series who has served as an analyst for the events ESPN televises for eight years. He was a two-time lumberjack champion in his homeland of New Zealand but now lives in Minnesota.
Shari LeGate - Target Events analyst - Shari serves as Executive Director of the Women's Shooting Events Foundation and is a member of the U.S. Women's Shooting Team. She resides in Colorado.
Mark Malone - Host of all ESPN Great Outdoor Games programs - Mark was a 10-year NFL quarterback (Pittsburgh, San Diego, New York Jets)who has been with ESPN since 1993 as a reporter, sideline reporter and host of ESPN2's NFL 2Night since it launched in 1998. He is a native of California who lives in Pennsylvania.
Jerry McKinnis - Bass Fishing analyst - Jerry is host of The Fishin' Hole, ESPN's longest-running outdoor program (since 1980) and also co-hosts ESPN's Stihl Timber Events events and FLW Tournament telecasts with Tommy Sanders. He was a one-time pitcher in minor leagues for the Kansas City Athletics and currently resides in Arkansas.
Forbes Riley - Analyst for the Agility, Big Air and Fly Ball events in the Sporting Dog category - Forbes is an actress, appearing on The Practice, Port Charles, As The World Turns and on Broadway. She is also co-host of Animal Planet's Zig & Zag. Forbes worked for ESPN at the first two X Games and is a native New Yorker.
Tommy Sanders - Play-by-play on the Timber Events at the primary venue, the former Winter Olympic Games speedskating oval - Tommy has been the host of ESPN Outdoors since 1990 and also co-hosts ESPN's Stihl Timber Events events and FLW Tournament telecasts with McKinnis. He is a lifelong resident of Arkansas.
Sarah Sanford - Analyst for Retriever Trials - Sarah is a former producer/host of outdoor programs on the Outdoor Life Network. She is experienced with hunting dogs in field trials. She is a South Carolina native who lives in New York.
Rob Scheer - Analyst on the Run, Roll and Drive event - Rob has been a timber Events competitor since 1966. He has worked for ESPN, TNN and Outdoor Life Network. He produces and promotes lumberjack shows. Rob was raised in Wisconsin and resides in Alaska.
Rob Stone - Roving reporter at the Games, providing features and profiling personalities - Rob is a sideline reporter for MLS games and host of ESPN2's weekly MLS Extra Time. He also served as a reporter for ESPN/ABC during the 1998 World Cup. Rob is a lifelong Connecticut resident.
ESPN GREAT OUTDOOR GAMES COMMENTATORS
Host - Mark Malone
Reporter - Rob Stone
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ESPN Great Outdoor Games Commentators
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Event
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Host
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Analyst
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Timber events (most events)
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Tommy Sanders
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John Hughes
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Timber events (Run, Roll and Dive)
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Jack Arute
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Rob Scheer
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Sporting Dogs (Agility, Big Air)
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Jack Arute
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Forbes Riley
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Sporting Dogs (Retriever Trials)
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TBD
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Sarah Sanford
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Bass Fishing
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Ron Franklin
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Jerry McKinnis
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Fly Fishing
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Jimmy Dykes
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John Barrett
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Target Events
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Bill Clement
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Shari LeGate
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The inaugural ESPN Great Outdoor Games, created and organized by ESPN, will take place July 20-23 in Lake Placid, N.Y. with more than 200 of the world's best competitors in outdoor Events vying for nearly $300,000 in prize money. The competition consists of 21 events in four sport categories - Fishing, Timber Events, Sporting Dogs and Target Events.
This month, ESPN2 reached the 70 million household mark faster than any cable network in history. ESPN2, now seen in 70.3 million homes, reached this milestone in 80 months, more than one year faster than the previous fastest mark. Nine out of 10 ESPN households (78 million) now also receive ESPN2.
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