Dana Jacobson

Dana Jacobson

Dana Jacobson is the co-host of the ESPN2 weekday morning program ESPN First Take, interviewing guests, participating in discussion segments and sharing hosting duties for the show's “1st and 10” debate segments.  She joined the show, then called Cold Pizza and based in New York, in March 2005.  In May 2007, the show moved to ESPN’s high-definition studio in Bristol, Conn., and was rechristened ESPN First Take.  The two-hour program, which mixes lighter sports stories with analysis of the day’s news, airs at 10 a.m. ET, and is repeated immediately at noon or continues live as breaking news warrants.  Jacobson originally joined ESPN in 2002 as an anchor on ESPNEWS and SportsCenter.  She also often filled in as host on ESPN Radio’s Mike and Mike In The Morning and The Dan Patrick Show. 

In 2006 Dana had her first taste of the Summer X Games, serving as the host for XCenter.  One show and she was hooked….which was why she jumped at the chance to fill the same role for the Winter X Games.  While her skateboarding abilities haven’t improved, she has started snowboarding and has hosted XCenter in both seasons ever since. 

From skydiving with the Army’s Golden Knights to performing on the trampoline with members of Cirque du Soleil, Dana never turns down a challenge.  One of her latest work endeavors: writing for ESPN.com in the summer of 2010.  A Midwest ballpark excursion turned into a chance for Dana to take readers with her on the road for the ultimate fan experience, a baseball road trip. 

Since beginning her broadcast career, Dana has always believed that her most important job is to tell viewers a story with pictures and words. She is a passionate sports fan who isn't afraid to go toe to toe with the guys at work or on the playing field, but still manages to keep her feminine side visible at all times.  Just check out her shoes! 

Prior to joining ESPN she served as a weekend sports anchor at KXTV-TV, ABC’s affiliate station in Sacramento, Calif. (1998-02).  In addition to hosting KXTV’s News10 Red Zone, Jacobson served as a sports reporter for the station’s post -Monday Night Football Show (1996-98) and as co-host of NBA Insiders, a weekly two-hour radio show for the Sacramento Kings flagship station, KHTK-AM (2000-02).  While at KXTV-TV, Jacobson won two regional awards including the Edward R. Murrow Award (2000) and the National Headliner Award (1998) for sports reporting. 

Jacobson was graduated from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor with a bachelor of arts in English and communications.  She landed her first television job in Traverse City, Mich., at WPBN/WTOM-TV, where she spent two years as a producer, editor, and fill-in news anchor.

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