Woods Cross, Utah, Holly Rowe grew up in a supportive family environment that helped her develop her love for sports and broadcasting.
Her father, Del Rowe, played a significant role in shaping her career and outlook on life.
Highlights
- Holly Rowe credits his father, Del Rowe, for making her love sports and bringing her great joy.
- Her desmoplastic melanoma, a rare and aggressive form of skin cancer, spread to her lungs and became stage IV metastatic melanoma.
- Holly’s mother and her son rode two hours daily to take her to her for chemotherapy, and she is now cancer-free.
Holly Rowe began her broadcasting journey as a news anchor for the campus TV station KBYU-TV at Brigham Young University.
Later, she transferred to the University of Utah and worked as a sportswriter for the university’s Daily Utah Chronicle and the Davis County Clipper.
After graduating with a journalism degree, she interned at CBS Sports and got her first broadcasting role as an affiliate relations coordinator with the Blue and White Sports Network.
Holly has been with ESPN since 1995 and became a full-time college football sideline reporter in August 1998. She also served as a part-time sideline reporter with ABC Sports in 1995 and 1996.
She covered the College Football Playoff, the NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament, the Women’s College World Series, and the NCAA Division I women’s volleyball tournament.
On October 22, 2021, she made Utah Jazz history as the first female commentator on a game against the Sacramento Kings.
Holly Rowe’s Parents Fostered Her Passion For College Football
Holly Rowe, Del Rowe’s daughter, was born on June 16, 1966, in Woods Cross, Utah. She has an older sister who is four years older than her.
Her parents strongly influenced their children, encouraging them to pursue their passions and not impose limits on themself.
Game coverage starts now! pic.twitter.com/xlYDrrYbJx
— Holly Rowe (@sportsiren) January 20, 2025
Del Row played a significant role in building a close-knit and supportive family environment that helped her develop her career path.
The Rowe siblings love sports and played every sport while growing up. Sports was a part of their family’s fabric, and they often talked about sports with each other.
Holly faced a dilemma in the fifth-grade classroom when she realized her future job wasn’t on the list of what careers might suit her someday.
I just always grew up wanting to be like Shelley Thomas, who was so good. She was warm and friendly and classy and good at her job. So I had a very clear vision as a young person of what I wanted to do.
Holly Rowe
Del used to take her to the Rose Bowl while growing up and developed her passion for College Football.
Unfortunately, he passed away, and Holly shared the last football game they went to together, where he was in the stands, and she was working the sideline.
Nonetheless, Holly praises her father for encouraging her passion for sports and misses him daily.
I have to really thank my dad, Del Rowe, for making us love sports because it has brought me a lot of joy in life. But you are right, I do learn stuff. I am interviewing and dealing with some of the greatest coaches of all time, Geno Auriemma, who has led UCon Women’s Basketball to ten national championship.
Holly Rowe
Holly Rowe Was Diagnosed With Desmoplastic Melanoma
An American sports telecaster, Holly Rowe, has been open about her battle with desmoplastic melanoma, a rare and aggressive form of skin cancer.
She was diagnosed in 2015, and the cancer eventually spread to her lungs, becoming stage IV metastatic melanoma.
2023 Curt Gowdy award winner Holly Rowe talks about her cancer diagnosis in 2015, her treatment, and how those in the basketball media world have helped her along the way. pic.twitter.com/8GIVecsAMY
— NBA (@NBA) August 12, 2023
Despite the severity of her condition, Holly has undergone surgeries, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy, and she is now cancer-free.
She has become a tireless advocate for cancer research and prevention after a Stage IV Metastatic Melanoma diagnosis.
She used her experience to raise awareness about the dangers of skin cancer and the importance of sun protection. Moreover, she emphasizes that no tan is worth the pain and surgeries she went through.
I ended up with one small spot on my chest that I thought was not a big deal, and it almost killed me. It went to my lungs and literally almost killed me, just from wanting to tan and wanting to look good.
Holly Rowe
Holly’s mother and her son, McKylin Rowe, rode two hours daily to take her to her first round of chemotherapy.
In addition to her faith and family, she expressed that her job helped her endure the sickness and that she only took ten days off.
Additional Information
- 58-year-old Holly Rowe has been profiled by other media and news organizations as a woman in the sports broadcasting industry.
- She worked as a broadcaster for Fox Sports in 1993 and was an analyst for the now-defunct WNBA’s Utah Starzz before joining ESPN.
- She joined the Utah Jazz broadcast team as an analyst in 2021.
- She has amassed an estimated net worth of $3 million as of 2025.
