August 2004

TODD BLACKLEDGE
(CBS Sports Broadcaster)

Todd Blackledge, a seven-year National Football League veteran and former Penn State starting quarterback, joined CBS Sports as lead analyst for the CBS Television Network's coverage of college football in 1999 after having been an analyst at ABC Sports for five years (1994-98). He was lead studio analyst for three years and also provided commentary for ESPN's Thursday-night college football broadcasts. He has recently called pre-season NFL games for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cleveland Browns.

Before joining ABC Sports, Blackledge provided analysis for the Big East Network, Indianapolis Colts pre-season football games and several bowl games for ESPN. He also hosted radio sports-talk shows in Cleveland (WKNR) and Canton, Ohio (WHBC).

He played in the NFL from 1983 to 1990. He was selected in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft by Kansas City and played for five seasons with the Chiefs (1983-87) before finishing his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers (1988-89). He was a three-year starting quarterback for Joe Paterno at Penn State and guided the Nittany Lions to a 31-5 record, including three New Year's Day bowl victories, as well as a national championship in 1982.

Blackledge, a 1983 graduate of Penn State, earned Phi Beta Kappa status in his junior year. In May 1997, he was inducted into the GTE Academic All-America Hall of Fame. He was born Feb. 25, 1961, in Canton, Ohio, where he lives with his wife, Cherie, and their four children.

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