Over the last five years one of the most dynamic sports anchors in the industry has been Maria Taylor from NBC Sports. Her career was already soaring during her time at ESPN and her move to NBC ended a bidding war between the networks. But before the fame Taylor was once a sideline reporter in the SIAC. Former SIAC commissioner Greg Moore tells HBCU Gameday that he hired Taylor as a sideline reporter for SIAC broadcasts in 2012.
She worked on broadcasts for Fort Valley vs Benedict, Morehouse vs Clark Atlanta and Stillman vs Clark Atlanta according to Moore. While she’s now raking in millions working events like the Olympic games and Football Night in America, it was just a couple of hundred dollars as a rookie.
“During the interview, I remember asking her who did she want to emulate in terms of career aspirations? Her response, Oprah. I thought to myself, well there you have it,” Moore said.
Moore doesn’t try to take any credit for “discovering” Taylor, he believes anyone in a position to hire her would have seen the potential right away.
“She had a physical presence (she’s 6’2″ tall) and an intellectual presence. She was the complete package. Anyone could have seen that,” said Moore.
Taylor worked HBCU broadcasts for a season but she didn’t attend one. She played volleyball and basketball at the University of Georgia from 2005-2009. After college she worked as a reporter and host for IMG College covering her alma mater for three years. After her stint with the SIAC in 2012 she moved on to ESPN the following year. The rest was history as the world was introduced to Maria Taylor.
She continued working the sidelines for college football including her work on the SEC Network beginning in 2014. In 2017 her exposure increased when she joined College Gameday as a reporter and host. Her final job at ESPN before leaving for NBC was hosting NBA Countdown. She left ESPN the day after the 2021 NBA Finals.