Providence, Rhode Island [Brown University] — Emmy Award-winning ESPN sportscaster Chris Berman, ’77, P ’08, ’P09, will speak at Brown University on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at 4:00 p.m. in the Salomon Center for Teaching, Room 101.

The event, sponsored by the Brown Sports Foundation and the Department of Athletics and Physical Education, is free and open to the public.

During his talk, Berman will go back to his days on College Hill with a lecture entitled "WBRU to ESPN: What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been." Berman will share his perspective based on more than 30 years in the sports and entertainment industry and tell how his Brown experience gave him the confidence to follow his passion for sports broadcasting.

A member of the Brown Athletics Hall of Fame, Berman was known as the voice of Brown football, basketball, ice hockey and baseball as sports director for WBRU radio in the late 1970's. Since joining ESPN in 1979, one month after its inception, Berman has become one of television's most popular sportscasters, serving as a host, anchor, and commentator on numerous programs on ESPN, including NFL Countdown, NFL Primetime, SportsCenter, and Baseball Tonight. Berman is also known for his prognosticating alter-ego, "The Swami."

Berman's broadcast style combines extensive knowledge of sport with ample amounts of humor and ebullience. He has covered 21 World Series, 25 Super Bowls, and U.S. Open golf tournaments since 1986 for the cable network. The members of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association have selected Berman six times as National Sportscaster of the Year. Berman and his various shows have won seven Emmy Awards and 12 CableACE Awards.

In 2007, Berman received an honorary degree from Brown.

###