Andrew Cotter
{{short description|Scottish sports broadcaster}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Andrew Cotter
|image = Andrew_Cotter.jpg
|caption = Cotter in May 2020
|birth_name = Andrew Douglas Millar Cotter{{cite web |title=Statutory registers - Births |url=https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/record-results?search_type=People&surname=Cotter&forename=Andrew&forename_so=starts&from_year=1973&to_year=1973&surname_so=exact&record_type=stat_births |website=Scotland's People |publisher=National Records of Scotland and the Court of the Lord Lyon}}
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1973|7|20|df=y}}
|birth_place = Troon, Ayrshire, Scotland, UK
|death_date =
|death_place =
|nationality = Scottish
|education = University of Glasgow
|occupation = Sports commentator
|employer = BBC Sport, Sky Sports, BT Sport
|title =
|spouse =
|partner =
|children =
|website = {{URL|www.andrewcotter.co.uk}}
|footnotes =
}}
Andrew Douglas Millar Cotter (born 20 July 1973) is a Scottish sports broadcaster working primarily for the BBC, covering mainly golf and rugby union, but also tennis, athletics and the Boat Race.{{Cite web|url=http://bbc.com/historyofthebbc//research/the-boat-race|title=The Boat Race - 80 Years Through the Lens|website=bbc.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/golf/8655617/Rising-star-of-BBC-sports-commentary-Andrew-Cotter-is-not-jack-of-all-trades-...-but-could-be-a-master-of-them.html|title=Rising star of BBC sport's commentary Andrew Cotter is not 'jack of all trades' ... but could be a master of them|first=Des|last=Lynam|date=22 July 2011|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}
Personal life
Cotter is from Troon in Ayrshire and has a degree in French and Philosophy from the University of Glasgow.{{Cite web|url=http://www.andrewcotter.co.uk/about-andrew/|title=About Andrew » Home|website=www.andrewcotter.co.uk}} He played golf for Scottish Schools and Scottish Universities.{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/biographies/biogs/sport/andrewcotter.shtml|title=BBC profile}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.andrewcotter.co.uk/page-not-found/|title=Sorry there was a problem...|website=www.andrewcotter.co.uk}} He now lives in Cheshire.
Videos of Cotter commentating on his two Labrador dogs went viral in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.{{Cite news|last=Harmon|first=Steph|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/apr/10/coronavirus-stars-bbc-sports-commentator-andrew-cotters-dogs-olive-and-mabel-go-viral|title=Coronavirus stars: BBC sports commentator Andrew Cotter's dogs Olive and Mabel go viral|date=10 April 2020|work=The Guardian|access-date=15 April 2020|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}
Career
=Radio=
Cotter started his broadcasting career at Scot FM, a commercial radio station based in Edinburgh, in 1997. In 2000 he moved to London to work at both BBC Radio 5 Live and Sky News. It was at BBC Radio that he began his commentary career, in both rugby and golf covering The Six Nations and Rugby World Cup as well as the Masters Tournament, The Open Championship,{{Cite web|url=https://www.todaysgolfer.co.uk/news-and-events/tour-news/2016/july1/andrew-cotter-knows-troon-better-than-anyone/|title=The Open 2016: BBC's Andrew Cotter knows Royal Troon better than anyone|website=Today's Golfer}} the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup. At the same time he was presenting sports bulletins across BBC Radio.
=Television=
Cotter's work in television began in 2001, presenting sports bulletins on BBC News 24. In 2003 he began commentating on golf for BBC Television,{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/golf/13586680|title=Access all areas with commentator Cotter|date=28 May 2011|via=www.bbc.co.uk}} covering the Masters Tournament and The Open Championship,{{Cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/sport/rugby-union/interview-bbcs-andrew-cotter-art-commentating-1473571|title=Interview: BBC's Andrew Cotter on the art of commentating|website=www.scotsman.com}} as well as other events on the European Tour. That year he also began commentating on rugby union for BBC Sport, primarily covering the Six Nations Championship.
In 2008, he began commentating on tennis and is a regular voice for the Wimbledon Championships on the BBC, whose commentating is also used for the tournament’s English language coverage on Eurosport.{{Cite web|url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/tennis/bbc-commentator-andrew-cotter-andy-5954200|title=Andrew Cotter: Andy Murray doesn't have to worry about independence backlash|first=Paul|last=English|date=27 June 2015|website=Daily Record}}
Since 2013, Cotter has been part of BBC Sport's commentary team for athletics, working on several European Athletics and World Athletics Championships, as well as the Olympic Games.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2016/31/rio-2016-opening-ceremony|title=BBC - Rio 2016: Opening Ceremony - Media Centre|website=www.bbc.co.uk}} He has attended four Olympics, initially as a multi-sport commentator, but since 2016 as part of the athletics team and also as commentator on the opening and closing ceremonies.
Cotter took over as lead commentator on the Boat Race, when it returned to BBC from ITV in 2011.{{cite web | title=Sport Editors: Boat Race returning to the BBC | website=BBC | date=2009-01-27 | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/sporteditors/2009/03/boat_race_returning_to_the_bbc_1.html | access-date=2020-08-19}}
Publications
- Olive, Mabel & Me: Life and Adventures with Two Very Good Dogs. Edinburgh: Black & White, 2020. {{ISBN| 978-1785303227}}.
- Dog Days: A Year with Olive & Mabel. Edinburgh: Black & White, 2021. {{ISBN|978-1785303654}}.