Gayle Sierens
{{Short description|American sports announcer (born 1954)}}
{{cleanup biography|date=December 2010}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Gayle Sierens
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1954}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| education =
| alma_mater = Florida State University
| occupation = News anchor
Sports anchor
| spouse = Mike Martin
| children = 3
| parents =
| nationality = American
}}
Gayle Sierens (born 1954) is an American former broadcast journalist and television news anchor on WFLA-TV.
Early life and career
Sierens joined the Tampa NBC affiliate in 1977 as a weekend sports anchor and reporter after working with WFSU in Tallahassee while she was attending Florida State University. She became the first female sportscaster in the Bay Area and quickly made a reputation for herself as someone who always got the big story and interviewed the top professional sports players despite being a woman. In 1981, she was recognized by Tampa Bay Metro Magazine as the Bay Area's best sports reporter.
In 1984, Sierens was honored with a Florida Emmy Award for sports reporting and in 1991, she won her second Emmy for news reporting.[https://web.archive.org/web/20060317164025/http://wfla.com/personalities/sierens.htm WFLA Biography] Archived.
Career at WFLA and NBC Sports
In an effort to curb declining ratings, WFLA promoted Sierens to co-anchor of the 6 & 11 p.m. newscasts with Bob Hite in October 1985, a move that was criticized at first. The move later paid off as Sierens was regarded as being likeable and just as intuitive doing news as doing sports.
In 1987, through a short stint with NBC Sports, Sierens became the first woman to do play-by-play for an NFL regular season football game when she called the December 27 game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Kansas City Chiefs.{{cite news |last1=Sandomir |first1=Richard |title=First Woman to Call N.F.L. Play-by-Play, and the Last |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/sports/football/29women.html |access-date=27 October 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=28 January 2009}} She was originally to be a regular play-by-play announcer for the season, but a contract dispute with WFLA prevented her from continuing in that role beyond her lone game.{{cite news |last1=Calhoun |first1=Anthony |title=Catching up with Gayle Sierens, the first woman to ever do play-by-play for an NFL game |url=https://www.wishtv.com/sports/catching-up-with-gayle-sierens-the-first-woman-to-ever-do-play-by-play-for-an-nfl-game/ |access-date=27 October 2022 |work=WISH-TV |date=4 February 2021}} In 2017, Beth Mowins became only the second woman to call an NFL game and first woman to call a Monday Night Football broadcast. Here, the game was between the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos.{{cite news |last1=Tanier |first1=Mike |title=Beth Mowins: From Backyard Quarterback to MNF's 1st Woman in the Booth |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2732311-beth-mowins-from-backyard-quarterback-to-mnfs-1st-woman-in-the-booth |access-date=27 October 2022 |work=Bleacher Report |date=11 September 2017 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Fortier |first1=Sam |title=Syracuse native Beth Mowins will be 2nd-ever woman to call 'Monday Night Football' |url=https://dailyorange.com/2017/09/syracuse-native-beth-mowins-will-be-2nd-ever-woman-to-call-monday-night-football/ |access-date=27 October 2022 |work=The Daily Orange |date=11 September 2017}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.si.com/tech-media/2017/05/14/media-circus-beth-mowins|title = Media Circus: Beth Mowins to call Sept. 11 MNF| date=14 May 2017 }}
January 10, 2007 was designated as "Gayle Sierens Day" by Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio to commemorate Sierens' 30th year with the station, a rarity in television news.
Sierens retired from WFLA-TV NewsChannel 8 in May 2015, after 38 years in the broadcast journalism industry.{{cite journal |last=Johnston |first=Joey |title=Tampa Bay's Title IX Trailblazers: Gayle Sierens |url=https://www.tampabaysports.org/News/2022/TitleIX/Gayle_Sierens |website=TAMPA BAY SPORTS COMMISSION |access-date=27 October 2022 |language=en |date=11 June 2022}}
Personal life
Currently,{{when|date=October 2022}} Sierens is on the board of directors for Village Partners International, an advisory board for the Boys' and Girls' Clubs of Greater Tampa, serves as chairperson for the Big Brother's/Big Sister's annual "Bowl for Kids' Sake" fundraiser, and is a member of the board of directors of the Judeo-Christian Health Clinic.
She is married to Mike Martin, former linebacker for the Chicago Bears and the New England Patriots, who owns the Mike's Pies in Tampa.[http://www.sptimes.com/2003/11/21/Citytimes/The_upper_crust.shtml St. Pete Times - The upper crust]
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20060317164025/http://wfla.com/personalities/sierens.htm WFLA Biography]
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Category:American sports announcers
Category:Florida State University alumni
Category:Television anchors from Tampa, Florida
Category:American women sports commentators
Category:American women television journalists