Linda Cohn is an American sportscaster, and it is thought that she is one of the most influential sportscasters of all time. Best known for his work as anchor of ESPN’s flagship program, SportsCenter, for more than 40 years, Cohn is the longest-serving SportsCenter anchor in the program’s history.
She was hired by ESPN in 1992 and has hosted more SportsCenter shows than any other anchor, exceeding the 5,000-show mark in 2016. In June 2026, she announced officially that she’ll step away from ESPN after a fantastic 34-year run, which helped pave the way for women into sports media and journalism.
Quick Info |
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| Real Name: | Linda Cohn |
| Birth Date: | November 10, 1959 |
| Age (as of 2026): | 66 Years |
| Birth Place: | Long Island, New York, USA |
| Height: | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) |
| Husband: | Stew Kaufman |
Early Life
Linda Cohn was born on 10th November, 1959, in Long Island, NY. She has had a passion for sports from a young age, due to her family’s love of sports. Her father was a sports lover, and she used to watch the games with him; this helped to develop her love for sports and sports journalism.
As a teenager, she became fascinated with ice hockey and played goalie for boys’ hockey when the sport was not an easy one for women. Her perseverance and talent eventually led to her signing up for boys’ hockey with her high school.
She attended Selden, NY’s Newfield High School and SUNY Oswego. There, she played hockey and graduated with a degree in communications in 1981. As a competitive athlete, her life experiences would come in handy in her future as a sports journalist.
Career
After college in 1981, Linda Cohn started broadcasting as sports anchor for WALK-AM, New York. For the next few years she labored at various radio stations and gradually built up her reputation as an accomplished radio announcer.
In 1987, she left to break into ABC Radio as her first full-time, national female sports anchor. It was a great step for women sports journalists and played a pivotal role in ushering in the next generation of female journalists in sports journalism.
In the late ’80s and early ’90s she turned to television by serving as anchor for SportsChannel America and, later, KIRO-TV in Seattle. Eventually, she achieved greater prominence and got a job working for ESPN, which hired her in July 1992. Her first appearance on SportsCenter was on July 11, 1992; and she had been a part of the network for over 30 years.
One of the most popular faces on ESPN in the days of ESPN. Linda Cohn led thousands of SportsCenter broadcasts and covered many of the major sporting events in a vast number of leagues, and particularly in hockey. In 2016, she set a new record as host of SportsCenter, where she opened her 5,000th edition—a record no other ESPN anchor has surpassed.
In 2017, she was inducted into the National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame, a formal recognition of her contributions. She has worked on television and wrote the memoir Cohn-Head: A No-Holds-Barred Account of Breaking Into the Sportscaster’s World about her groundbreaking career as a representative for women.
In June of 2026, it was announced that Cohn would step down from ESPN after a 34-year tenure with the network, bringing an end to one of the most successful sports broadcasting careers of all time.
Personal Life
Linda Cohn married Stew Kaufman while at college at SUNY Oswego. The couple got married in 1980 and divorced in 2008 after nearly 30 years together. They were blessed with two children, one daughter named Sammy, and one son named Dan.
After their divorce, Cohn was made publicly associated with professional hockey coach Matt Voity. Multiple media reports indicate that the relationship had been an ongoing one lasting for several years. In general, however, she has kept her romantic relationships to herself and hardly ever commented on them publicly.
Social Media
Linda Cohn is active on social media, on Instagram under the name @lindacohn, with over 70K followers, connecting with sports fans and providing news and views from the sports community. She regularly posts updates on NHL hockey, big sporting events, her own experiences and her broadcasting career.
Linda Cohn Net Worth
The good fortune of Linda Cohn is amongst one of the longest and most successful sports broadcasting careers. Since she began her career in broadcasting more than 40 years ago and then joined ESPN 34 years ago, she has made a ton of money in her trade with broadcasting, speaking fees, media appearances and book sales. The sources vary, but her net worth is estimated at $10-12 million, and it’s rumored that she made $3 million a year in her later years working for ESPN.
