Chris Collinsworth Bio
Anthony Cris Collinsworth is an American former professional football player and sports broadcaster who spent eight seasons as a wide receiver in the National Football League with the Cincinnati Bengals. Born on January 27, 1959, in Dayton, Ohio, he starred as a wide receiver for the Florida Gators, where he earned first-team All-American honors in 1980. After his playing career ended in 1988, he became a prominent television sportscaster, earning 17 Sports Emmy Awards, and is also recognized as the majority owner of Pro Football Focus.
Chris Collinsworth is widely regarded as one of the most recognizable voices in American football broadcasting, having worked across NBC, Fox, Showtime, and the NFL Network over a multi-decade career.
Early Life and Background
Anthony Cris Collinsworth was born on January 27, 1959, in Dayton, Ohio, to Abraham Lincoln “Abe” Collinsworth and Donetta Browning Collinsworth. His father was one of the top scorers in Kentucky high-school basketball history and later played for the Kentucky Wildcats “Fiddling Five” team that won the 1958 national championship. Both of his parents were educators, with Donetta working as a teacher and Abe serving as a high-school teacher, coach, principal, and eventually superintendent of schools for Brevard County.
His family moved from Ohio to Melbourne, Florida, in 1963, when he was four years old, and later settled in nearby Titusville in 1972. He and his younger brother Greg attended Astronaut High School, where their father served as principal. Collinsworth was a multi-sport athlete for the Astronaut War Eagles, winning the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 3A 100-yard-dash state championship in 1976 and earning high-school All-American recognition as a quarterback.
Path to American Football
Chris Collinsworth’s combination of height and speed attracted college football programs throughout the South, and he accepted an athletic scholarship from coach Doug Dickey to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville. Although he was recruited as a run-first quarterback for the Gators’ option offense, he threw a 99-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Gaffney against the Rice Owls in his first collegiate attempt, a play that remains tied for the longest touchdown pass in NCAA history.
Florida’s option attack struggled in his 1977 freshman season, so Coach Dickey transitioned the program to a more balanced pro set offense for 1978. Collinsworth was moved to wide receiver, where his new position coach was former Gator quarterback Steve Spurrier in his first season as a coach. He flourished in the role, earning first-team All-Southeastern Conference recognition in 1978, 1979, and 1980, and first-team All-American and Academic All-America honors in 1980. He capped his senior season as the MVP of the 1980 Tangerine Bowl, finishing his collegiate career with 120 receptions for 1,937 yards and 14 receiving touchdowns.
Chris Collinsworth Career
Early Career (1981–1982)
Cris Collinsworth was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round, 37th overall, of the 1981 NFL Draft. In his first season, he became the team’s leading receiver and set the Bengals franchise record for receptions by a rookie with 67, the most by an NFL rookie wide receiver in 21 years. He finished his debut campaign with more than 1,000 receiving yards and was named to the Pro Bowl.
He was selected to the Pro Bowl again in 1982 and 1983, earning Second-team All-Pro recognition in each of those three seasons. At 6 ft 5 in, he created significant mismatches against smaller cornerbacks and emerged as a legitimate deep threat.
Cincinnati Bengals Breakthrough (1981–1988)
Chris Collinsworth spent his entire eight-year NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals from 1981 through 1988. He surpassed 1,000 receiving yards four times, in 1981, 1983, 1985, and 1986, and was a featured player on Bengals teams that reached two Super Bowls. In Super Bowl XVI, he was the game’s leading receiver with five receptions for 107 yards, although a second-quarter fumble helped the San Francisco 49ers erase a deficit and win 26-21.
He returned to the Bengals for Super Bowl XXIII, the final game of his career, catching three passes for 40 yards. He retired with 417 receptions for 6,698 yards and 36 touchdowns across 107 games. In 1985, he had briefly signed with the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League, but the deal was voided after he failed the physical due to a bad ankle. He was later named to the Cincinnati Bengals 50th Anniversary Team.
NBC Sunday Night Football Era (2009–Present)
After his playing days, Collinsworth built a long broadcasting career that began on Cincinnati radio station WLW and as a reporter for HBO’s Inside the NFL in 1989. He joined NBC’s NFL broadcasts in 1990, moved to Fox’s lead game crew alongside Joe Buck and Troy Aikman in 2002, and returned to NBC in 2006 as a studio analyst.
In 2009, he was named the color commentator for NBC’s Sunday Night Football alongside Al Michaels, succeeding the legendary John Madden. As of 2025, he is in his seventeenth season of the high-profile Sunday Night Football telecast, paired with Mike Tirico following Michaels’ move to Amazon’s Thursday Night Football. He has also continued his work on Showtime’s Inside the NFL, Olympic coverage for NBC, and NFL Network assignments, and became the majority owner of Pro Football Focus.
Driving Style and Strengths
Although known primarily as a receiver, Collinsworth built his reputation on route running precision, reliable hands, and the ability to stretch defenses down the field. At 6 ft 5 in and 192 lb, he consistently won contested catches against shorter cornerbacks, and his deep speed made him a constant downfield threat for the Cincinnati Bengals throughout the 1980s.
Notable Events and Milestones
Key career moments include his 99-yard touchdown pass in his first collegiate attempt for the Florida Gators, his 67-catch rookie season with the Bengals, leading Super Bowl XVI in receiving, and earning 17 Sports Emmy Awards as a broadcaster. He was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991.
Chris Collinsworth Career Wins
Chris Collinsworth’s most decorated stretch came in his first three NFL seasons, when he earned three consecutive Pro Bowl selections and three Second-team All-Pro honors from 1981 to 1983. He also surpassed 1,000 receiving yards four times during his career and was later named to the Cincinnati Bengals 50th Anniversary Team.
Cincinnati Bengals Highlights
During his eight seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, Collinsworth posted 417 receptions for 6,698 yards and 36 touchdowns. His first major win came with his 1981 Pro Bowl selection after his record-setting rookie campaign, and his most recent milestone was his final appearance in Super Bowl XXIII following the 1988 season.
Other Wins & Performances
Beyond his NFL accomplishments, Collinsworth earned First-team All-SEC honors three times (1978-1980), a First-team All-American selection in 1980, and was named MVP of the 1980 Tangerine Bowl. He was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991.
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Chris Collinsworth Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Chris Collinsworth is the son of Abraham Lincoln “Abe” Collinsworth and Donetta Browning Collinsworth, both longtime educators in Florida. His father was a celebrated Kentucky basketball player and longtime coach and school administrator, giving the family a deep athletic and educational background.
Personal Life
Chris Collinsworth lives in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, with his wife, Holly Bankemper Collinsworth, an attorney. The couple has four children, including sons Austin and Jac. Austin played football at the University of Notre Dame, while Jac also attended Notre Dame and worked for ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown before joining his father at NBC as an on-site host for Football Night in America. Collinsworth received a juris doctor degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1991.
2025 Season Performance
Chris Collinsworth entered 2025 in his seventeenth season as the color commentator for NBC’s Sunday Night Football, paired with play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico. Sunday Night Football remained the most-watched program in primetime television, and Collinsworth continued to deliver analysis for NBC’s marquee weekly matchup.
He also continued his work on Showtime’s Inside the NFL and maintained his role as the majority owner of Pro Football Focus. With more than four decades in and around professional football, Collinsworth’s broadcasting calendar for 2025 reflected his standing as one of the most respected voices in the sport.
Looking ahead, Collinsworth is expected to remain with NBC Sunday Night Football alongside Tirico through the 2025 NFL season, with his Inside the NFL duties and Pro Football Focus ownership rounding out his portfolio of professional commitments.