Former Ohio State and NFL running back Robert Smith joins the Fox Sports and BTN COLLEGE FOOTBALL studios this fall both networks announced today. Smith teams with host Rob Stone and analysts Dave Wannstedt and Matt Leinart for pregame, halftime and postgame coverage on the FOX broadcast network and FS1 and appears on BTN studio shows throughout the week. He also hosts a weekly Sunday program on Fox Sports Radio during the football season.
"I'm really excited to continue my broadcasting career with the
FOX family," Smith said. "I had heard great things from friends already at the network and can now see why. I felt at home with the people and surroundings on my first trip. I can't wait to get started and be a part of the team."
"We are excited to welcome Robert to the
Fox Sports family," said John Entz, President, Production & Executive Producer,
FOX Sports. "He is an incredibly intelligent and thoughtful broadcaster, and we look forward to hearing his analysis and opinions this fall."
"Given Robert's accomplished career at Ohio State as well as his NFL success, this became an obvious choice for us," said Mark Hulsey, Senior Vice President, Production & Executive Producer, BTN. "He will be a terrific addition to our team of analysts as we prepare for the 2016 football season and beyond."
A native of Euclid, Ohio, Smith starred as a running back at Ohio State and was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 1990. He played two seasons with the Buckeye football program, in 1990 and 1992, and also ran track at OSU, earning first-team All-Conference recognition in 1992 and 1993. He was selected by the Minnesota
VIKINGS in the first round of the 1993
NFL DRAFT and played his entire eight-year professional career with the Vikings. He was a two-time
PRO BOWL selection and led the NFC in rushing in 2000 with a career-high 1,521 yards, but announced his retirement following the season to preserve his health.
Smith's broadcast career began in 2005 with
ESPN where he contributed regularly to "College Football Live" as well as the network's Saturday studio coverage. In 2004, Smith released his first book, "The Rest of the Iceberg: An Insider's View on the World of Sport and Celebrity," in which he writes openly about his time with the Buckeyes and
VIKINGS and relationships with other players and coaches. An amateur astronomer, Smith was featured in the 2007
PBS program "Seeing in the Dark."
For more information on
Fox Sports and BTN
COLLEGE FOOTBALL coverage, visit
Fox Sports Press Pass and BTN.com.
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