University announces alumna Allie LaForce as 2018 Spring Commencement speaker
Photo courtesy of: Allie LaForceAllie LaForce
Allie LaForce, a 2011 51ĀŅĀ× graduate and Emmy-nominated reporter and anchor for CBS Sports and Turner Sports, will deliver 51ĀŅĀ×ās 2018 Spring Commencement address next month.
LaForce graduated magna cum laude from OHIOās nationally recognized Honors Tutorial College with a bachelorās degree in journalism.
āItās truly an honor to be given the opportunity to visit OHIO and speak to this yearās graduating class,ā said LaForce. āI canāt wait to return to where it all started and share this once-in-a-lifetime experience with family, friends and colleagues.ā
LaForce, who has worked as a color analyst, sideline reporter, studio host and more, has quickly evolved into a nationally-known personality for her insightful sports coverage and commentary, most recently during the 2018 NCAAĀ® Division I Menās Basketball Championship.
One of LaForceās crowning professional achievements arrived early in her career when she was selected to join CBS Sportsā āWe Need to Talk,ā televisionās first all-sports show hosted completely by women, in 2014. She currently serves as a host and panelist for the groundbreaking sports show.
āAllie LaForce has quickly become one of the most respected and recognizable personalities in sports. More importantly, her professional path serves as a shining example for women looking to break barriers within the broadcast industry,ā said 51ĀŅĀ× President M. Duane Nellis. āWeāre proud to call her a Bobcat.ā
LaForce has been CBS Sportsā lead college football reporter for the āSEC Game of the Weekā for the past five years. Since 2013, she has served as a college basketball reporter for regular season games on CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network, including the NCAAĀ® Division I Menās Basketball Championship since 2013.
In January 2016, LaForce began working as a womenās college basketball analyst during games on the CBS Sports Network. She also serves as a sideline reporter for the NBA on TNT.
Allie LaForce joined CBS Sports in October 2012 as a cohost for the nightly sports show āLeadoffā and as a reporter for the networkās coverage of college basketball and football.
Prior to joining CBS Sports, she was an anchor and reporter for Fox 8 News in Cleveland, Ohio. LaForce also served as a sports anchor and host of the channelās Emmy Award-winning football show, āFriday Night Touchdown.ā
LaForce began her broadcasting career as a womenās college basketball analyst for 51ĀŅĀ×ās flagship radio station, WOUB-FM. From 2010-11, she served as a sideline reporter at SportsTime Ohioās coverage of Mid-American Conference (MAC) football and the MAC menās basketball tournament. She also served as an analyst for the stationās high school basketball coverage.
LaForce and her husband, Houston Astros relief pitcher Joe Smith, currently reside in Texas.
51ĀŅĀ×ās undergraduate commencement ceremonies will be held Saturday, May 5, at 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio.