Play-By-Play Announcer Beth Mowins
Beth Mowins' busy agenda just got a little bit busier.
Not only has the versatile play-by-play announcer been a fixture on ESPN's docket of college football matchups the past several seasons, she's also called both men and women's college basketball, volleyball, softball - all in addition to the Oakland Raiders slate of preseason games.
Now, per ESPN, she's set to call the second game of the Monday Night Football doubleheader to kick off the 2017 regular season, a clash between the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium, adding another chapter to an already impressive working résumé.
"I haven't missed much over the years, but I have been able to whittle it down now to football, basketball, and softball," said Mowins. "That makes things a little less taxing, but it's what I've always wanted to do, so I love it. I just love it. Of course, adding this now on Monday night, I grew up watching Monday Night Football, it's one of the most iconic brands in all of television, so I'm just thrilled to get going, and excited about the Raiders preseason too. I think there's certainly an awful lot to be excited about with the Raiders."
Mowins has been a part of the Raiders preseason broadcast team since 2015 – she'll be returning for her third season with the team in 2017 – and that familiarity with the NFL will serve her well come September 11, when she becomes the first woman to call an NFL game since Gale Sierens did so in 1987.
"The Raiders organization has been so great," added Mowins. "Working with our crew, just a good group of people, real easy to work with. I've learned so much from being alongside Tim [Brown] and Matt [Millen], and certainly with JT [The Brick] and Nicole [Zaloumis]. I really think we've got one of the best preseason crews in the NFL.
Historically, the Raiders have prided themselves on their organizational inclusiveness, as well as their willingness to be at the forefront of multiple civil rights issues, and Mowins – who is now set to become the first female announcer to *ever *broadcast a nationally-televised game – sees her new job as a career come full circle.
"I think it's one of the most special aspects of this, just going back to Al [Davis'] affiliation with Syracuse, and the fact that that's where I grew up, and [it] sort of all coming full circle," Mowins said. "It's always been a place if you did your job, and if you performed, you were welcome. It didn't necessarily matter what went on before, it was what you did when you became a Raider, or part of the Raiders family, and that's definitely something that I take with me."
