Linda Cohn, the longtime ESPN anchor who holds the record for hosting more editions of “SportsCenter” than anyone in the network’s history, will retire later this month, the broadcaster announced on Monday.
Cohn will make her final appearances on “SportsCenter” on June 26, anchoring the program’s 6 p.m., 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. Eastern Time editions as the network celebrates one of its most-recognizable personalities. Her official retirement date is June 30, ESPN said in a statement.
She joined ESPN in July 1992 and anchored her first edition of “SportsCenter” in the early morning hours of July 11 that year. Over the next 33 years, she became one of the faces most-closely associated with the network’s flagship news and highlights program.
In 2016, ESPN honored Cohn for hosting her 5,000th edition of “SportsCenter,” a milestone unmatched in the network’s history. Despite shifting to a reduced anchoring schedule in recent years while contributing to hockey coverage, she has hosted more than 650 additional editions since then.
“Linda Cohn is a legend and a major part of the history of ESPN,” ESPN President of Content Burke Magnus said in a statement. “She has brought enthusiasm, personality and her love of sports to our audience for more than 30 years.”
Cohn said she is most proud of the influence her career had on younger women entering sports media.
“My career lasted long enough for me to see little girls grow up watching ‘SportsCenter,’ enter this business and succeed in it,” she said. “If my journey helped make that path a little easier for them, then that’s the achievement I’ll cherish most.”
Beyond anchoring, Cohn filled a variety of roles during her ESPN tenure, including reporting, interviewing, commentary, writing and play-by-play work. A former collegiate ice hockey goalie at the State University of New York at Oswego, she became a frequent contributor to ESPN’s hockey coverage and remained involved with the sport throughout her career.
She was also featured in several of ESPN’s popular “This Is SportsCenter” advertising campaigns and was inducted into the National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame in 2017.
To mark her retirement, Cohn will return to ESPN’s Bristol, Connecticut headquarters for a series of special appearances during her final night on air. She will join Kevin Negandhi during the 6 p.m. edition of “SportsCenter,” appear alongside Nicole Briscoe and Trevor Scales at 10 p.m., and reconnect with longtime co-host John Buccigross during coverage from the NHL Draft. The evening will conclude with a tribute during the 11 p.m. broadcast.
While leaving ESPN, Cohn indicated she is not stepping away from professional pursuits entirely.
“I’m grateful for every moment I had at ESPN,” she said, “but I’m inspired and energized by the opportunities that lie ahead. My story is still being written.”
ESPN is owned by the Walt Disney Company and Hearst Television.
