Ryen Russillo
| Ryen Russillo | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 5, 1975 Laramie, Wyoming |
| Alma mater | University of Vermont |
| Occupation | Radio personality |
| Notable credit(s) |
Russillo and Kanell (2015-Present) SVP & Russillo (2009–2015) ESPN Radio College GameDay (2008–2014) The NBA Today Podcast (2009–2012) |
Ryen Russillo (born August 5, 1975) is an American is a sports host. As of August 31, 2015, he is the main host of Russillo and Kanell on ESPN Radio. [1] He previously worked for ESPN Radio as the main host of SVP & Russillo (previously titled The Scott Van Pelt Show) from May 2009 until August 31, 2015.
Career
Russillo is a native of West Tisbury, Massachusetts.[2] 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.[3] He was a play-by-play man for the Trenton Thunder for six months before the team relocated.[3]
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.[4] (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.[4][5]
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."[3]
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.[6] 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 welcomes the former NFL player Danny Kanell as the new co-host for his Russillo Show, after Scott Van Pelt's departure from ESPN Radio.
Russillo will not shave his face or his beard until Dan Marino makes an NFL comeback,when Marino comes back, Russillo will completely shave all hair on his (Russillo's) face and never grow a large beard again. Russillo has stated this numerous times. ESPN and other tv networks will use CGI effects to make it look like Russillo has shaved his beard when he hasn't since ESPN doesn't want to gross people out.Russillo will only shave his beard/face when Dan Marino plays a full NFL game again.
References
- ↑ "Ryen Russillo". search.espn.go.com. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
- ↑ "Ryen Russillo". espnmediazone.com. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
- 1 2 3 "RYEN RUSSILLO ’97 - Talking Sports". The UVM Connection > Vermont Quarterly (Burlington, Vermont: University of Vermont). Summer 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
- 1 2 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