The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia

Broadcast Pioneers Member Beasley Reece
Official CBS 3 Publicity Photo

Former National Football League Player Beasley Reece became CBS 3’s lead sports anchor in July, 1998. Reece is a three-time Emmy award winner and has earned 12 Associated Press Awards.

In addition to anchoring both CBS 3 and The CW Philly’s weekday sportscasts and serving as sports director, Reece hosts Sunday Kickoff, the station’s football pre-game show and CBS 3 Sports Zone, the station’s popular Sunday night sports program. Since coming to Philadelphia, Reece has covered everything from Little League to the Pros, but lists his favorite Philly broadcasting experiences as anchoring live from Jacksonville, Florida during the Eagles 2005 appearance at Super Bowl XXXIX and covering the Phillies breathless journey to the World Series Championship in 2008.

After a stellar college football career at the University of North Texas, Reece was drafted by the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys in 1976. In 1977 Reece moved on to the New York Giants. During his six and a half highly successful seasons with the Giants, Reece served as the team’s defensive captain and was one of the League’s fastest runners. In 1983, Reece continued his outstanding career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

After retiring from the NFL in 1985, Reece began his sports broadcasting career at WTOG-TV in St. Petersburg, Florida as a sports reporter and anchor. After three years at WTOG, Reece went to WVIT-TV in Hartford, Connecticut where he earned four local Associated Press awards. He rejoined WTOG as sports director in 1997.

In addition to being an NFL game analyst for many years on NBC and then CBS, Reece also served as a boxing commentator for the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics.

Active in the community, Reece has long supported a variety of charities, including the Boy Scouts, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Special Olympics and the American Heart Association. Reece is an Eagle Scout and on the Board of Directors for the Cradle of Liberty Council. In addition, he hosts the Jersey Shore Boys Scouts Council Golf Tournament and the Urban Promise Golf Tournament, which raises money for youth summer programs in Camden, New Jersey. Reece also serves on the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Sports Congress.

A native of Waco, Texas, Reece is married with two children. A talented singer who plays classical piano, Reece has also sung the National Anthem at several NFL games and for the Philadelphia 76ers. Beasley Reece is a member of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia and on Friday evening, November 16, 2012, we inducted him into our Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame.

The e-mail address of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia is pioneers@broadcastpioneers.com