Lindsay Czarniak | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Czarniak in 2015 | |
| Born | Lindsay Ann Czarniak 1977 or 1978 (age 47–48) Harrisburg,Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Alma mater | James Madison University |
| Occupation | Sports anchor and reporter |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Notable credit(s) | The George Michael Sports Machine co-host (2005-2007) WRC-TV sports anchor and reporter (2005-2011) ESPN sports anchor (2011-2017) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Lindsay Ann Czarniak (born 1977 or 1978)[1][2] is an Americansports anchor and reporter. She formerly worked forFox Sports as a sideline reporter forNFL games.[3] After spending six years withWRC-TV, theNBCowned-and-operated station in Washington, D.C.,[4] Czarniak joinedESPN as aSportsCenter anchor in August 2011 and left ESPN in 2017.
She has also been a pit reporter and studio host forTNT'sNASCARSprint Cup Series coverage and a former co-host and reporter for the syndicatedThe George Michael Sports Machine. Czarniak served as a host and sportsdesk reporter forNBC Sports coverage of the2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.[5]
Lindsay Czarniak was born inHarrisburg, Pennsylvania.[6] Her father, Chet Czarniak, spent 17 years working in a local newspaper's sports department. Growing up a sports fan, she playedlacrosse andfield hockey atCentreville High School. In 2000, she graduated fromJames Madison University with a major inonline journalism.[7][8] She was a member of the sororitySigma Kappa.[9]
Czarniak started out as an intern forWUSA in Washington, D.C., while still a college student. Her broadcasting career began as aCNN production assistant. Her first on-air role as a news reporter occurred while working forWAWS inJacksonville, Florida. She also worked forWTEV-TV (also in Jacksonville),WTVJ inMiami, Florida, and theSpeed Channel.
In June 2005, Czarniak returned to the D.C. area and joinedWRC-TV after she had received a phone call fromGeorge Michael to work as a sports anchor and reporter. She officially became the co-host ofThe George Michael Sports Machine in September 2006. In her first major assignment as a reporter, Czarniak traveled toTurin, Italy to relay coverage of the2006 Winter Olympics for NBC Sports. She has also served as a pit reporter inNASCARNationwide Series races at theMartinsville Speedway and at the IRP Busch race.
In March 2007,George Michael stepped down as WRC-TV's sports anchor. Czarniak and her colleague,Dan Hellie, then became the co-sports anchors. She was also tapped as a pit reporter for TNT's six-race Sprint Cup Series schedule fromPocono toChicago. She remained with TNT for the same schedule in 2008.
Following the murder offree safetySean Taylor in November 2007, Czarniak was the first sports reporter to interview team players of theWashington Redskins.
Czarniak made a guest appearance on the edition of May 22, 2008, ofThe Tony Kornheiser Show, occupying the "chick chair." On that show, she told a humorous anecdote of being arrested for expired license plates by theDC Police on her way to a News 4 interview, which turned out to be an important public service warning for those who visit Washington, D.C.
On July 17, 2008, Czarniak was honored at theReading Phillies atBowie Baysoxdoubleheader where she threw the first pitch. Czarniak also signed autographs during a meet and greet session throughout the games. Initially, Lindsay Czarniak Day was set to take place on July 21, but was changed due to a scheduling conflict. Fans at either the July 17 and the July 21 games received Lindsay Czarniak bobble heads.[10][11]
On July 29, Czarniak posted one of several blogs just before leaving for her2008 Summer Olympics duties inBeijing, China.[12] She was a sportsdesk reporter for NBC. She also sent in blogs to the Olympics section of WRC-TV's website. Another one of her duties was hosting a half-hour show onOxygen calledGymnastics on Oxygen. It was largely based around gymnastics and other Olympic competitions targeted toward women. It aired weekdays at 7:30 pmET.[13]
On June 23, 2011, it was announced that Czarniak would leave WRC-TV to work at ESPN. On July 13, 2011, Czarniak made her final broadcast as a sports reporter at WRC-TV.[14][15] On August 19, 2011, Czarniak made herSportsCenter debut covering the evening's preseason football games.[16] In December 2012, she took the place ofJay Harris as co-host of the 6 pmSportsCenter after Harris moved to the 11 pm SportsCenter.
On April 24, 2013, ESPN/ABC revealed that Czarniak would be replacingBrent Musburger as the host of ABC's coverage of the 2013Indianapolis 500. She became the first woman to ever host the telecast. She succeeded Musburger as well as previous hosts and broadcast legendsJim McKay,Keith Jackson,Paul Page, andAl Michaels. In August 2017, her contract with ESPN expired.
On February 12, 2018,Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Czarniak would be joining their professional stock car racing team. She would be producing digital content during theDaytona 500 along with features on each of the team's fourMonster Energy Cup Series racers.[17] Later that summer, she became one of the four presenters of theNetflix reality competition showHyperdrive, which would be released in August 2019.[18]
On February 5, 2019, Czarniak signed withFox Sports as a studio host for theirNASCAR coverage, and as a sideline reporter for Fox’sNFL coverage.[6]
In 2026, Czarniak joined NBC Sports coverage of the Olympic Games, serving as one of the hosts for NBC’s presentation of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.[19]
Czarniak's parents are Chet and Terri. Chet worked for the sports department at a Washington, D.C.-based newspaper for 17 years before becoming the current managing editor ofusatoday.com.[20] Terri is a former principal at Rose Hill Elementary School, aFairfax County public school, inAlexandria, Virginia.[21] Czarniak's brother, Andrew, is a 2005 graduate of theUnited States Coast Guard Academy. He is currently serving in theU.S. Coast Guard.
Czarniak appeared in the 2000 independent action filmAquarius, in which she played a character named Mist.[22] In 2009, Czarniak made a cameo appearance in the indie filmGhosts Don't Exist from executive producerChris Cooley.
Czarniak married WRC-TV reporter and weekend anchorCraig Melvin on October 15, 2011, in Washington.[23] He is currently the host ofToday and a co-host ofToday Third Hour. Czarniak gave birth to their first son in March 2014.[24] On June 16, 2016, Czarniak announced that she was pregnant again onSportsCenter before that night's Game 6 of the2016 NBA Finals in Cleveland.[25] She gave birth to her second child, a daughter, in November 2016.[26]
Lindsay Czarniak, 36: ESPNSportsCenter anchor, last year became the first woman to host network Indianapolis 500 coverage.
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