by Sean McDonald
In her senior year at Mira Costa High School (class of ‘83) Michele Tafoya was torn between attending Stanford and UC Berkeley. Her mother and father had attended Cal and her older sister Meg was a senior at Cal. But like many 17 year olds, Tafoya wanted to buck the trend. She leaned toward Cal’s biggest rival.
That fall, on her way to visit Stanford, Tafoya stopped at Cal to visit her sister and witnessed what became known in the annals of college football as “The Play.” Cal was playing Stanford. Stanford took the lead with a field goal, with only seconds remaining. Stanford’s band, in anticipation of victory, took the field as Cal took the kickoff. Five laterals later, Cal defensive back Kevin Moen (today a Palos Verdes Realtor), wove through the Cardinal’s special team and Cardinal tromboners and trumpeters into the endzone.
“Everyone asks if ‘The Play’ is why I ended up choosing Cal over Stanford. It’s not the reason, but let’s just say it didn’t hurt,” Tafoya said.
Tafoya studied mass communications at Cal Berkeley because of her interest in radio and television.
This week, she will be in Rio de Janeiro with NBC to cover the 2016 Olympic swimming events, marking her fourth Olympic Games as a reporter. Rio will mark Tafoya’s first stint in the natatorium, and she expects plenty of fireworks. She is currently the head sideline reporter for NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
“Michael Phelps will be appearing in a record fifth games and he may be swimming better than ever,” Tafoya said. “His presence and personal story are both compelling. I also think Katie Ledecky, who won Gold in London in 2012 in the 800 meters, will be a revelation in Rio.”
Tafoya’s rise to the spotlight of national television began with a supportive family. She was the youngest of four children, with whom she maintains very close relationships. She followed in the footsteps of brother Matt and sisters Juli and Meg, who excelled in either athletics, academics, or both. She described being the youngest as both good and bad.
“I had the blessing (and curse) of being the youngest,” Tafoya said. “My brother was my idol because he was tall, handsome and a great student-athlete. Meg was the one who set the bar academically — and none of us raised it any higher. Juli was one of my best friends (in spite of the fact that when we were kids we fought like crazy).”
Tafoya attended Aviation High School for three years before its closure in 1982. She spent her senior year at Mira Costa High School, where her mother Wilma was a Spanish teacher. It was not an easy transition, but she made the most of it by becoming involved in drama, cheerleading and student government.
After graduating from Cal, she earned an MBA from USC, just in case her career as a broadcaster didn’t work out. Her MBA would prove unexpectedly helpful. “One thing I did not foresee was my MBA giving me an edge when I covered sports business stories early in my career,” Tafoya said. “I would not have had the success I’ve had without my business education.” Shortly after college, Tafoya began working at KFAN radio in Minneapolis/St. Paul, covering Minnesota Vikings games and University of Minnesota women’s basketball games. At the time, there was a significant shift in the sports broadcasting world. CBS lost the NFL coverage to Fox and with it announcers Pat Summerall, John Madden, and Lesley Visser. Tafoya saw this as her opportunity to land a big job at CBS, which was looking for young talent. She set up an interview in New York with Rick Gentile, CBS Sports’ executive producer. She was offered a job the next day.
“Timing is everything,” Tafoya said.
Tafoya went on to cover the 1998 Olympics in Nagano and college sports. During her time with CBS, she worked with veteran broadcast personalities, including Jim Nantz, Billy Packer and Andrea Joyce. After five years with CBS, Tafoya moved to ESPN/ABC, where she covered the NBA with Doc Rivers and Al Michaels. After a brief period covering the NBA, she received a call from “Monday Night Football” producer Fred Gaudelli, who offered her the job of sideline reporter.
That was the biggest turning point in her career, she said. “I’m fairly certain that had I not worked with Al, I never would have been considered for MNF,” Tafoya said.
Tafoya spent 10 years at ESPN/ABC before moving to NBC after the 2010-2011 NFL season. In May of 2011, Tafoya was named the new sideline reporter for NBC Sunday Night Football, where she rejoined former coworker and old friend Al Michaels.
Tafoya continues to take inspiration from her family.
“I’m not looking too far beyond the Olympics and the 2016 NFL season,” Tafoya said. “My goal is to improve at what I do every single day. And I am trying endlessly to be the best mom I can possibly be to my 10 year old son and 7 year old daughter. If I wind up half as accomplished as my amazing mother, I’ll be doing just fine.”
