Kenny Mayne
Encyclopedia
Kenneth "Kenny" Wheelock Mayne (born September 1, 1959) is a sports journalist
and comedian
for ESPN
.
, Mayne is a former honorable mention junior college All-American quarterback in 1978 at Wenatchee Valley Community College in Wenatchee, WA. Kenny graduated from University of Nevada, Las Vegas
in 1982, with a degree in Broadcasting, where he was the back-up quarterback and ahead of future NFL
star Randall Cunningham
on the depth chart. While at UNLV, Mayne played football for two years and later signed as a free agent with the Seattle Seahawks
.
He has been the manager for the American League team in the Legends and Celebrity All Star Softball Game since its inception in 2001. In 2010, he chose not to appear in the game.
Mayne started at ESPN in 1994 as a SportSmash anchor on ESPN2
, and soon moved over to the main network. He became well known for his dry sense of humor
and his unique home run calls.
For a time, he served as co-anchor of the 11PM SportsCenter
with Dan Patrick
after Keith Olbermann
left ESPN. He left SportsCenter
two years later, moving to an assortment of late night ESPN shows which were usually re-aired throughout the next morning. Included in his repertoire was the game show
2 Minute Drill
. Mayne is now most often seen as the host for ABC and ESPN's horse racing
events, as well as providing offbeat feature stories on Sunday NFL Countdown
in a weekly segment called "The Mayne Event."
On January 17, 2007, ESPN
signed Mayne to a one year contract to do features and cover horse racing, as well as return to SportsCenter
for about 50 shows in 2007.http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2007-01-16-hiestand_x.htm
Beginning October 2, 2008, Mayne starred in ESPN's first scripted web series, Mayne Street, playing a fictionalized version of himself.
Mayne doubles as an outfielder and on-the-field commentator annually in the Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game
, broadcast exclusively on ESPN
.
's Dancing with the Stars with partner Andrea Hale, but after a disastrous cha-cha
, Mayne was the first contestant to be eliminated. In an interview with Brian Falvey in the Spring of 2007, Mayne joked that he left the 2006 Rose Bowl
at halftime in order to get up early the next day to practice for "Dancing with the Stars." Subsequent seasons have seen Mayne return to the show infrequently during the Results nights for "DanceCenter," a parody of SportsCenter alongside former contestant Jerry Rice and judge Len Goodman.
Mayne was also in the 1998 film BASEketball
which featured the creators of South Park
Trey Parker
and Matt Stone
. He was alongside Dan Patrick
and appeared on SportsCenter
to cover the latest BASEketball
playoff competition.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0131857/ In 1999, he played himself on The Drew Carey Show
in the episode titled "Tracy Bowl".http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0566527/
Before agreeing to the deal with ESPN
, Mayne had talks with Comedy Central
about doing a sports-themed The Daily Show
-style program and was a finalist to be the host of the syndicated version of Deal or No Deal
. He confirmed both discussions.http://www.nypost.com/seven/01192007/sports/fox_building_its_bench_sports_andrew_marchand.htm
Mayne has recently appeared in commercials for Progressive auto insurance, and Top Flite golf balls.
In November 2006, Mayne hosted the pilot episode of the CBS Primetime game show Power of 10
which would later be hosted by Drew Carey
. Power of 10 producer Michael Davies
was impressed with his performance on 2 Minute Drill, and wanted him to host one of his other game shows. After Mayne hosted the pilot, he decided to decline this hosting opportunity and it was given to Drew Carey.
In 2008 Mayne penned his first book, An Incomplete And Inaccurate History Of Sport, a collection of offbeat musings on sports and pop culture.
In 2010 he appeared in the animated film Kung Fu Magoo
as himself.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
for ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
.
Sports career
A native of Kent, WashingtonKent, Washington
Kent is a city located in King County, Washington, United States, and is the third largest city in King County and the sixth largest in the state. An outlying suburb of Seattle, Kent is also the corporate home for companies such as REI and Oberto Sausage...
, Mayne is a former honorable mention junior college All-American quarterback in 1978 at Wenatchee Valley Community College in Wenatchee, WA. Kenny graduated from University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada-Las Vegas is a public, coeducational university located in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada, USA. The campus is located approximately east of the Las Vegas Strip. The institution includes a Shadow Lane Campus, located just east of the University Medical Center of...
in 1982, with a degree in Broadcasting, where he was the back-up quarterback and ahead of future NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
star Randall Cunningham
Randall Cunningham
Randall W. Cunningham is a former American football quarterback.After playing college football at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, he was selected in the second round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, with whom he remained through the 1995 season...
on the depth chart. While at UNLV, Mayne played football for two years and later signed as a free agent with the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
.
He has been the manager for the American League team in the Legends and Celebrity All Star Softball Game since its inception in 2001. In 2010, he chose not to appear in the game.
KSTW
After beginning his television career with a brief stint as a reporter for KLVX-TV in Las Vegas, Nevada, Mayne spent seven years (1982-9) at KSTW-TV in Seattle, Washington. Eventually he became a weekend sports anchor and weekday news reporter. Mayne resigned from KSTW in 1989.ESPN
ESPN hired Mayne in 1994 after Mayne had sent ESPN a note inquiring whether the network would hire him. The note simply asked to check a box, including one option which read, "We'll hire you when there's an ESPN5."Mayne started at ESPN in 1994 as a SportSmash anchor on ESPN2
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
, and soon moved over to the main network. He became well known for his dry sense of humor
Deadpan
Deadpan is a form of comic delivery in which humor is presented without a change in emotion or body language, usually speaking in a casual, monotone, solemn, blunt, disgusted or matter-of-fact voice and expressing an unflappably calm, archly insincere or artificially grave demeanor...
and his unique home run calls.
For a time, he served as co-anchor of the 11PM SportsCenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
with Dan Patrick
Dan Patrick
Daniel Patrick Pugh , professionally known as Dan Patrick, is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and actor from Mason, Ohio...
after Keith Olbermann
Keith Olbermann
Keith Theodore Olbermann is an American political commentator and writer. He has been the chief news officer of the Current TV network and the host of Current TV's weeknight political commentary program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, since June 20, 2011...
left ESPN. He left SportsCenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
two years later, moving to an assortment of late night ESPN shows which were usually re-aired throughout the next morning. Included in his repertoire was the game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
2 Minute Drill
2 Minute Drill
2 Minute Drill is an ESPN game show based on the general knowledge UK game show Mastermind. The program aired from September 11, 2000 to December 28, 2001...
. Mayne is now most often seen as the host for ABC and ESPN's horse racing
Thoroughbred Racing on ESPN
ESPN and ESPN2's coverage of Thoroughbred racing currently consists of NTRA Racing to the Kentucky Derby, The Breeders' Cup on ESPN. In addition, ESPN on ABC broadcasts a portion of the Breeders Cup. Among its regulars on its horse racing telecasts are hosts Joe Tessitore and Kenny Mayne, along...
events, as well as providing offbeat feature stories on Sunday NFL Countdown
Sunday NFL Countdown
NFL GameDay redirects here. For the video games series, see NFL GameDay Sunday NFL Countdown is a pregame show of all the NFL action for that week. The official name is Sunday NFL Countdown presented by IBM. The show airs on ESPN, ESPN HD, TSN and TSN HD from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern time every...
in a weekly segment called "The Mayne Event."
On January 17, 2007, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
signed Mayne to a one year contract to do features and cover horse racing, as well as return to SportsCenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
for about 50 shows in 2007.http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2007-01-16-hiestand_x.htm
Beginning October 2, 2008, Mayne starred in ESPN's first scripted web series, Mayne Street, playing a fictionalized version of himself.
Mayne doubles as an outfielder and on-the-field commentator annually in the Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game
Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game
The Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game is an annual game that brings former Major League Baseball all-stars and celebrities in a friendly exhibition. The game is played the day before the Home Run Derby....
, broadcast exclusively on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
.
Other ventures
In January 2006, Mayne participated in the second season of ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Dancing with the Stars with partner Andrea Hale, but after a disastrous cha-cha
Cha-cha-cha (dance)
The Cha-cha-cha is the name of a dance of Cuban origin.It is danced to the music of the same name introduced by Cuban composer and violinist Enrique Jorrín in 1953...
, Mayne was the first contestant to be eliminated. In an interview with Brian Falvey in the Spring of 2007, Mayne joked that he left the 2006 Rose Bowl
2006 Rose Bowl
The 2006 Rose Bowl Game, played on January 4, 2006, was a football game that served as the national championship of the 2005-2006 Bowl Championship Series...
at halftime in order to get up early the next day to practice for "Dancing with the Stars." Subsequent seasons have seen Mayne return to the show infrequently during the Results nights for "DanceCenter," a parody of SportsCenter alongside former contestant Jerry Rice and judge Len Goodman.
Mayne was also in the 1998 film BASEketball
BASEketball
BASEketball is a 1998 American David Zucker comedy starring South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, along with Dian Bachar, Robert Vaughn, Ernest Borgnine, Yasmine Bleeth, and Jenny McCarthy...
which featured the creators of South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
Trey Parker
Trey Parker
Trey Parker is an American animator, screenwriter, director, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of the television series South Park along with his creative partner and best friend Matt Stone.Parker started his film career in 1992, making a holiday short...
and Matt Stone
Matt Stone
Matthew Richard "Matt" Stone is an American screenwriter, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of South Park along with creative partner and best friend, Trey Parker....
. He was alongside Dan Patrick
Dan Patrick
Daniel Patrick Pugh , professionally known as Dan Patrick, is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and actor from Mason, Ohio...
and appeared on SportsCenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
to cover the latest BASEketball
BASEketball
BASEketball is a 1998 American David Zucker comedy starring South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, along with Dian Bachar, Robert Vaughn, Ernest Borgnine, Yasmine Bleeth, and Jenny McCarthy...
playoff competition.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0131857/ In 1999, he played himself on The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004. The show was set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized version of the actor....
in the episode titled "Tracy Bowl".http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0566527/
Before agreeing to the deal with ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, Mayne had talks with Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
about doing a sports-themed The Daily Show
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
-style program and was a finalist to be the host of the syndicated version of Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal is the name of several closely related television game shows, the first of which was the Dutch Miljoenenjacht produced by Dutch producer Endemol. It is played with up to 26 cases with certain sums of money...
. He confirmed both discussions.http://www.nypost.com/seven/01192007/sports/fox_building_its_bench_sports_andrew_marchand.htm
Mayne has recently appeared in commercials for Progressive auto insurance, and Top Flite golf balls.
In November 2006, Mayne hosted the pilot episode of the CBS Primetime game show Power of 10
Power of 10
Power of 10 is an international Sony Pictures Television game show format featuring contestants predicting how a cross-section of local people from the host broadcaster's country responded to questions covering a wide variety of topics in polls conducted by the broadcaster and production...
which would later be hosted by Drew Carey
Drew Carey
Drew Allison Carey is an American actor, singer, comedian, photographer, sports executive, and game show host. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, Carey eventually gained popularity starring on his own sitcom, The Drew Carey Show, and serving as...
. Power of 10 producer Michael Davies
Michael Davies (television producer)
Michael Davies is a British producer of television game shows in the United States. As president and CEO of Embassy Row, a New York-based television production company that is a unit of Sony Pictures Television, he was the executive producer of the U.S. version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire...
was impressed with his performance on 2 Minute Drill, and wanted him to host one of his other game shows. After Mayne hosted the pilot, he decided to decline this hosting opportunity and it was given to Drew Carey.
In 2008 Mayne penned his first book, An Incomplete And Inaccurate History Of Sport, a collection of offbeat musings on sports and pop culture.
In 2010 he appeared in the animated film Kung Fu Magoo
Kung Fu Magoo
Kung Fu Magoo is a 2010 direct-to-video animated film from Anima Studios and Classic Media, and written by Emmy Laybourne, Sam Laybourne, Rob Sosin, and Bob Mittenthal and directed by Andrés Couturier...
as himself.
External links
- Kenny Mayne bio ESPN MediaZone
- Kenny Mayne
- Extensive audio interview with Mayne on public radio program The Sound of Young AmericaThe Sound of Young AmericaThe Sound of Young America is a public radio program and podcast based in Los Angeles, California and distributed by Public Radio International...