Ryen Russillo
Ryen Russillo | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 5, 1975 |
| Alma mater | University of Vermont |
| Occupation | Sportscaster |
| Notable credit(s) | The Ryen Russillo Show (2017-Present) Russillo and Kanell (2015-2017) SVP & Russillo (2009–2015) ESPN Radio College GameDay (2008–2014) The NBA Today Podcast (2009–2012) |
Ryen Russillo (born August 5, 1975, in West Tisbury, Massachusetts) is an American sports journalist currently employed by ESPN. [1] He is an American sports host.
Since 2009, Russillo has been a host or co-host of the afternoon show on ESPN Radio.[2] The program is currently known as The Ryen Russillo Show. From 2009 until 2015, Russillo co-hosted with Scott Van Pelt on what was originally titled The Scott Van Pelt Show and later became SVP & Russillo. The show was also briefly known as The Russillo Show following Van Pelt's departure but before Kanell joined. During the time that Danny Kanell was with the show, from 2015-2017, it was known as Russillo and Kanell.
Career
Russillo is a native of West Tisbury, Massachusetts.[3] He is a 1997 graduate of the University of Vermont, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and was also an intern at WCAX in Burlington.[4] He was a play-by-play man for the Trenton Thunder for six months before the team relocated.[4]
Before moving to Hartford, Connecticut, Russillo lived in Boston, Massachusetts, where he hosted The Die Hards (mid-2003 to 2005) with co-hosts Anthony Pepe, John Anik, Kevin Winter, and Mike Winn while working for the Sporting News Radio affiliate WWZN.[5] (Winter and Winn left the show relatively early on.)
Russillo did pre-game and post-game commentary for the New England Patriots on WBCN. He was let go after, and possibly as a result of, a personal conflict with John Dennis of WEEI, who had left him a threatening voicemail.[5][6]
Russillo hosted NBA Sunday, The Baseball Show, and ESPN Radio College GameDay during the 2008 season on ESPN Radio. He was also a regular host for GameNight and a fill-in host for The Doug Gottlieb Show and All Night with Jason Smith.
Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch named him Best Radio Voice of 2007 for his work on ESPN Radio. He praised Russillo's "reasoned approach and knowledge across sports."[4]
He appears regularly on several shows on Comcast Sportsnet New England, including New England Sports Tonight with Gary Tanguay and Greg Dickerson, and is also a studio analyst for the Boston Celtics' television coverage.
During the NBA season, Russillo was the host of ESPN's The NBA Today podcast, the network's #2 most downloaded podcast series.[7] Contrary to popular belief, in December 2012, this show was not cancelled to be swapped out with NBA Lockdown featuring former NBA player Bruce Bowen.
In September 2015, Russillo welcomed former PMT player Danny Kanell as the new co-host for his Russillo Show, after Scott Van Pelt's departure from ESPN Radio. Kanell was laid off from ESPN in April 2017, leaving Russillo as the sole host again, with multiple guest co-hosts occasionally joining him on the show.
On August 23rd 2017, Ryen was arrested in Wyoming for criminal entry butt naked with his pants around his ankles.
References
- ^ http://bijog.com/biography/ryen-russillo
- ^ "Ryen Russillo". search.espn.go.com. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
- ^ "Ryen Russillo". espnmediazone.com. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
- ^ a b c "RYEN RUSSILLO '97 - Talking Sports". The UVM Connection > Vermont Quarterly. Burlington, Vermont: University of Vermont. Summer 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
- ^ a b Finn, Chad (October 30, 2009). "Tenacious Russillo finds his voice at ESPN". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
- ^ "Barstool Sports: John Dennis Voicemail for Ryen Russillo". Barstool Sports. September 7, 2005. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
- ^ NBA Today on ESPNRadio