Costas’ stature at NBC is such that before Matt Lauer emerged, he was eyed as a successor to Bryant Gumbel on Today. “Bob would have been a fantastic morning show host,” says Jeff Zucker, former president and CEO of NBCUniversal. “But let’s just say, waking up early is not among Bob’s best skills.”
“Apple pie is to America as Bob Costas is to sports,” says the fencer and former seventh-grade teacher from the Bronx, who aims to improve on the silver medal he earned in Beijing in 2008.
Tim Morehouse is on a quest to bring his sport into the mainstream: He parried with Jane Eyre star Mia Wasikowska for a fashion shoot, has a book about fencing just out and he’s represented as a model by Wilhelmina (he was naked except for one white glove in ESPN The Magazine’s annual “Body” issue).
Bob Costas and "Melo" both left Syracuse University early — the sportscaster for an announcer job with the Syracuse Blaze minor-league hockey team during his senior year, the basketball star for the NBA after leading the Orangemen to an NCAA championship as a freshman.
Bob Costas had Carmelo Anthony and coach Jim Boeheim on his HBO show On the Record in 2003. When a reporter asked Anthony, 28, if he was nervous before the big interview, Costas, standing next to the New York Knicks star, scoffed, “He just won the national title!” Says Anthony now: “Nah, I wasn’t nervous. Bob’s always been cool.”
Costas is very comfortable in his own skin, routinely dropping self-deprecating comments about his height (he's 5-foot-6½). Told he'll be shot with New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (6-foot-8 and who also attended Syracuse University), he does not bat an eye. "Oh, I see what you're going for," says Costas with a wry grin. "It's all about the contrast — tall, short, black, white."
Franklin, known for her closing kick in races, is some specimen: She’s 6-foot-2 and wears a woman’s size 13 shoe. “Middle school was my awkward phase,” she told Costas during the trials. “But I’ve started wearing heels now. I realize that my height is such an advantage, and I love being tall.” Of course, Costas couldn’t resist responding, “Maybe you can let me know what that’s like.”
From her spot at center midfield, Lloyd has been in the middle of the two biggest U.S. women’s soccer games in recent years.
The 30-year-old from Delran, N.J., scored the gold medal-winning goal in overtime against international powerhouse Brazil at the 2008 Olympics, but three years later Carli Lloyd missed a penalty kick in a loss to upstart Japan in the World Cup final.
“He makes watching sports even more fun. His ability to pull a viewer into a wide variety of sports and share the stories of the athletes and the drama of competition is remarkable,” says Carli Lloyd of Bob Costas. “Hopefully he’ll have some nice things to say about women’s soccer during the Olympics!”