Jac Collinsworth, a Ft. Thomas native, former Highlands High School football player and son of NBC Sunday Night Football analyst and former Cincinnati Bengals great Cris Collinsworth, will be part of NBC Sports’ 2021 Kentucky Derby coverage as a reporter live at Churchill Downs on Saturday (May 1) at 2:30 p.m. Eastern on NBC.
Jac will report on a number of topics - according to NBC - including horses set to race, food and drink, fashion and fun. He also will report from the Kentucky Oaks show Friday (April 30) at noon Eastern on NBCSN.
The University of Notre Dame graduate left ESPN last year to join his father at NBC Sports. A short time later, Jac hosted a series across NBC Sports' digital properties (including NBC Sports’ YouTube channel) titled, Distanced Training: Ready to Get Back in the Game.
Collinsworth took time for an exclusive Q&A with The Enquirer about looking forward to reporting from the Derby:
Describe your excitement for the upcoming Derby, given your role in NBC's coverage.
JC: "It's going to be electric. I grew up right down the road from Churchill Downs. Truthfully, I could spend all day, any day, at a race track, but there's only one Kentucky Derby."
What's your history and experience attending the Derby?
JC: "My favorite memories growing up are in the infield and parking lots of Churchill Downs. It's a horse race that writes history and a party unlike any other. Kentucky is buzzing already."
How special did the Derby feel every year as you grew up in Northern Kentucky?
JC: "It was the ticket I always wanted. Half of my friends went to school in Louisville so I never wanted to be on the outside of the action."
More from NBC Sports' release about Collinsworth's Kentucky Derby role:
Kentucky native Jac Collinsworth will join NBC Sports’ 2021 Kentucky Derby coverage as a reporter Saturday, May 1 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
From locations throughout Churchill Downs, Collinsworth will report on a wide-range of topics – from the connections of improbable Kentucky Derby qualifier Hot Rod Charlie to the food (and drink), fashion and fun that make the Kentucky Derby one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year.
Collinsworth, who has attended the Kentucky Derby many times as a spectator, will be part of NBC’s Saturday, May 1 Kentucky Derby broadcast at 2:30 p.m. ET, as well as the Kentucky Oaks show, Friday, April 30 at Noon ET on NBCSN.
Collinsworth joined NBC Sports as a host and reporter in March 2020, and serves as an on-site host for Football Night in America and NBC Sports’ Notre Dame football coverage. The son of NBC Sunday Night Football analyst Cris Collinsworth, Jac has also served as the play-by-play voice for NBC Sports’ Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball coverage and served as NBC Olympics’ first-ever social media correspondent at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
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