She changed the game. She’s a trailblazer. She is the Mount Rushmore for broadcasters. She’s the first lady of football.
These are just some of the ways industry colleagues described FAMU School of Journalism & Graphic Communication (SJGC) alumna Pam Oliver in a video celebrating her induction into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, which took place Dec. 12 at the New York Hilton Midtown Hotel. Oliver is a FOX Sports senior correspondent and a history-making NFL reporter who has broken barriers for women in sports broadcasting.
According to Hall of Fame Chairman Ken Aagaard, the goal of the annual induction ceremony is “to honor those from across the entire spectrum of the sports-broadcast industry who have had an impact, directly or indirectly, on the way sports television is produced.”
Above: Pam Oliver is respected across the industry for her pre-game, post-game and sideline reporting. Below: Oliver covers one of many Super Bowls.
“Pam Oliver singlehandedly raised the status of the NFL sideline reporter,” said David Hill, a Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer and former FOX Sports chairman, in a written tribute. “She opened up a whole new dimension of the game.”
Oliver was among 10 industry icons, notably the only woman, inducted into the 18th class of the Hall of Fame. Other honorees included:
- Glenn Adamo – 40-year sports broadcasting veteran
- Lee Corso – beloved ESPN college football analyst
- Curt Gowdy Jr. – longtime ABC producer and SNY production pioneer
- Greg Gumbel – iconic studio and play-by-play announcer
- Marc Herklotz – industry-leading technical director
- Jerry Jones – Dallas Cowboys owner
- Hiroshi Kiriyama – longtime Sony Professional chief technology officer
- David Levy – former Turner Broadcasting president
- Bill Rasmussen – ESPN founder and visionary
“I’m proud to be standing in front of you tonight as someone who has more than lived her career dream, but who has also tried to just be about the work,” Oliver said during the ceremony.
In 2023, she was inducted into the Sports Emmys Silver Circle in recognition of more than 25 years of outstanding service. In 2022, Oliver was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame, which enshrines the state’s greatest sports figures.
A former multisport athlete at Niceville High School, she went on to become a college All-American in the 400-meter and mile relays while pursuing her journalism education at FAMU, an achievement highlighted during her induction into the FAMU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2015, SJGC unveiled the Pamela D. Oliver Production Hall to honor her contributions and to remind students of the possibilities of their careers. The hall serves as the entryway to the school’s broadcast production studio and edit suites.
Oliver has long been recognized as one of the top sports reporters in network television history. At FOX Sports, she has covered multiple Super Bowls, served for years as the lead feature reporter on “FOX NFL Sunday,” and co-anchored FSN South’s “Southern Sports Report.” Before joining FOX, Oliver reported for ESPN, covering NFL playoffs, NFC championship games and “Monday Night Football” as a feature reporter on “NFL Prime Monday.”
