By Megan Sullivan
Features Editor
In high school, she could be found center stage, performing in Mira Costa’s latest play, or on the sidelines of the football field, covering each play for the school newspaper; today, she can be found on a different sideline, for NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.”
Today, Costa alumna Michele Tafoya (‘83) is a well-known sports broadcaster who has worked for a series of popular television and radio talk shows. Tafoya launched her career in 1991 and has since worked for various news networks including ABC and CBS. She has covered the 2016 Olympics and is currently working as a reporter for NBC. Tafoya is seen as a pioneer for women in sports broadcasting, as she is one of the first female reporters to be allowed inside the NFL locker room, according to National Public Radio.
“It would be impossible for me to pick one moment that was the most rewarding,” Tafoya said. “There were so many emotional and exciting moments during the 2016 Rio Olympics at the swimming venue, and it never felt like work. It was a professional gift.”
While at Mira Costa, Tafoya participated on the school newspaper, Associated Student Body, yearbook and S Club, which focuses on giving back to the community. She was also a lead in the Drama and Tech Department’s production of “Oklahoma!” Tafoya said that becoming involved in drama while in high school helped her discover what path she wanted to take in the future while also allowing her to become more comfortable around cameras and an audience.
After graduating from Costa in 1983, Tafoya pursued her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mass Communications at University of California, Berkeley, and continued to the University of Southern California where she received a Master’s Degree in business.
“Of all of my high school activities, I would have to say that being involved in theater productions may have been the most influential,” Tafoya said. “Those productions taught me how to memorize lines, perform in front of an audience, and basically be a professional every single show.”
Tafoya now works alongside other decorated sportscasters at NBC, such as Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth. In addition to “Sunday Night Football,” she hosts her own talk show on KQ Music that airs in Minneapolis. Along with the other members of “Sunday Night Football,” Tafoya has won two Emmys for Outstanding Personality and is the only sports reporter to be nominated six times in a row for the award.
“No one produces sports programming like NBC Sports, and the incredibly high standards have motivated me to work harder than ever,” Tafoya said. “The Olympic production has taught me how many hard working individuals it takes to document such a mammoth event.”
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