Debbie Antonelli | |
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| Born | Deborah Lynn Mulligan (1964-09-01)September 1, 1964 (age 60)[1] |
| Known for | sports analyst |
Debbie Antonelli is a college basketball analyst and former player who works for ESPN, Big Ten Network, CBS, FOX, and Westwood One. She also doesWNBA games for ESPN andNBATV, and has been the main play-by-play voice of theIndiana Fever since its inception in 2000.[2]
Antonelli was raised inCary, North Carolina, and attendedCary High School.[3] From 1982 to 1986, Antonelli played atNorth Carolina State University for coachKay Yow at forward, starting in three of those seasons.[4] During her time at NC State, the Wolfpack made the NCAA Tournament four times and appeared in the Sweet Sixteen twice.[5]
After graduating from NC State, Antonelli moved on toOhio University, where she spent the next year getting a master's degree in sports administration. While at Ohio, she served as the women's basketball student assistant coach.[6] After obtaining her Master's from Ohio, Antonelli spent the next four years as director of marketing at theUniversity of Kentucky before moving on to a similar role atOhio State University.[5]
When Antonelli arrived at Ohio State as director of marketing, Ohio State did not have any televised women's sports. Antonelli arranged a deal with a local station to air eight women's games per season, gathered the needed sponsors to produce those games, and as a bonus, became the play-by-play voice for those games.[4] She announced Ohio State women's games for five years while also serving as an analyst forDayton Flyers men's basketball games for three years.[5] In 1995, after birth of her first child, Antonelli settled her mind on sports broadcasting, and shortly thereafter, she would sign on as a full-time broadcaster.[6]
ESPN andCSTV eventually hired Antonelli as an analyst for select games; and the work would continue to grow. To this date Antonelli continues to broadcast through the Elite Eight for ESPN's NCAA Women's Tournament coverage. Additionally,Westwood One would hire her to be the analyst for their Final Four broadcasts; a position she has held since 2000.[5] In 2007, she won the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Mel Greenberg Media Award which recognizes a member of the media who has best displayed a commitment to women's basketball and to advancing the role of the media in promoting the women's game.[7] On June 11, 2022, Debbie was inducted into theWomen's Basketball Hall of Fame.[8]
Antonelli calls women's games in theBig Ten Conference forBTN Mondays. Saturdays are spent callingConference USA orBig 12 Conference games forFSN. Sundays are withACC Regional or ESPN calling an ACC or SEC game; and some Tuesdays and Wednesdays are withCBS Sports Network calling games for theAmerican Athletic Conference or thePatriot League. She also serves as one of the three analysts calling games forCollege Basketball on CBS's January Saturday women's triple header.
Antonelli has a widespread workload during the basketball season and is in her 30th year. In November and December, she typically calls one to three games per week. Her broadcast duties includeSouth Carolina Gamecocks andTennessee Lady Volunteers games onFox Sports South. Once January hits, Antonelli broadcasts three to five games each week.
Antonelli married her husband Frank on April 25, 1992.[9] The couple currently lives inMount Pleasant, South Carolina. They have three children, includingLouisville Cardinals basketball player Patrick. During the offseason, Antonelli provides basketball camps and clinics for the local community.[4] Her family also run the foundation "Frankie and Friends," named after their son Frankie (who hasDown syndrome); its main purpose is to stop bullying in schools.[10] Antonelli's achievements as a fundraiser for the Coach Yow Stop Cancer Fund and Special Olympics were highlighted in a TV segment on "the Rise" in November 2022.