This Cris Collinsworth biography details the life of the American former professional football player and sports broadcaster who transformed the industry through elite on-field performance and innovative business ventures. Born on January 27, 1959, in Dayton, Ohio, Collinsworth spent eight seasons as a wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals before becoming one of the most recognizable voices in American sports broadcasting. The article explores the career milestones, financial achievements, and family connections that define Cris Collinsworth.
Demographic Data and Core Attributes of Cris Collinsworth
Cris Collinsworth was born on January 27, 1959, in Dayton, Ohio, and currently resides in the United States of America. The birth sign for Cris Collinsworth is Aquarius, reflecting the zodiac period associated with the late January birth date.
As of the current year, Cris Collinsworth is 67 years old. The individual holds United States nationality and has maintained a public presence in the sports industry for over four decades.
Cris Collinsworth attended Astronaut High School in Titusville, Florida, where the individual excelled in multiple athletic disciplines. The educational background of Cris Collinsworth includes studies at the University of Florida and the University of Cincinnati College of Law.
Professional Career and American Football Player History of Cris Collinsworth
The professional trajectory of Cris Collinsworth began in high school football before transitioning to the collegiate level at the University of Florida. The individual initially played quarterback during the freshman season, throwing a 99-yard touchdown pass against Rice that tied the NCAA record for the longest touchdown pass at that time.
The coaching staff at the University of Florida moved Cris Collinsworth to the wide receiver position, a decision that fundamentally altered the trajectory of the football career. Standing at 6-foot-5, Cris Collinsworth combined unusual size with elite speed to become one of the Gators’ top offensive weapons. The college career concluded with 120 receptions for 1,937 yards and 14 receiving touchdowns, earning first-team All-American honors.
The Cincinnati Bengals selected Cris Collinsworth in the second round of the 1981 NFL Draft with the 37th overall pick. The rookie season produced 67 passes for 1,009 yards and eight touchdowns, establishing the player as a primary target for quarterback Ken Anderson. The Bengals reached Super Bowl XVI following the 1981 season, where the team lost 26-21 to the San Francisco 49ers.
Cris Collinsworth surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in each of the first three NFL seasons and was selected to the Pro Bowl three consecutive times from 1981 through 1983. The player’s combination of height, speed, and route-running made the wide receiver particularly difficult for defensive backs to cover during an era when 6-foot-5 athletes were uncommon.
In 1985, Cris Collinsworth signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League. The agreement was voided after a physical examination raised concerns about an ankle injury, resulting in the return to Cincinnati. The player spent the entire eight-season NFL career with the Bengals, culminating in a Super Bowl appearance following the 1988 season.
The Bengals lost to the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 20-16 in that championship game.
Cris Collinsworth retired following the 1988 season with career totals of 417 receptions, 6,698 receiving yards, and 36 touchdowns. These statistics remain among the most productive in Bengals franchise history, cementing the legacy of the player within the organization.
Broadcasting Career
The broadcasting career of Cris Collinsworth began almost immediately after retiring from professional football. The individual worked in sports radio in Cincinnati before joining HBO’s “Inside the NFL,” where the ability to explain football in conversational language established a natural television analyst persona.
NBC hired Cris Collinsworth in 1990, marking the start of a long-standing partnership with the network. During the first stint with NBC, the analyst worked both NFL games and studio coverage, while also contributing to broadcasts of college football, tennis, and other major sporting events.
In 1998, Cris Collinsworth moved to Fox Sports, initially working on “Fox NFL Sunday” before moving into the booth as a game analyst. The individual eventually became part of Fox’s lead NFL broadcast team and worked Super Bowl XXXIX following the 2004 season.
Cris Collinsworth returned to NBC in 2006 as an analyst for “Football Night in America.” When John Madden retired from broadcasting in 2009, Collinsworth replaced him alongside Al Michaels on “Sunday Night Football.” This pairing lasted through the 2021 NFL season, after which Michaels moved to Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football.”
Mike Tirico became NBC’s lead play-by-play announcer following the departure of Michaels, with Cris Collinsworth remaining in the analyst chair. By the beginning of the 2026 season, Collinsworth had entered the 18th season in the “Sunday Night Football” booth, representing the longest tenure by an analyst on the NFL’s primetime television package. The analyst called the 500th NFL game in November 2025 and served as the analyst for the sixth Super Bowl when NBC broadcast Super Bowl LX in February 2026.
Business Ventures
The most significant business venture of Cris Collinsworth is Pro Football Focus, commonly known as PFF. Founded in 2007, the football analytics company built its reputation by grading individual players on virtually every snap of NFL and major college football games. This data creation went far beyond traditional box-score statistics, providing a comprehensive database for the sport.
Cris Collinsworth first discovered PFF while using its data to prepare for broadcasts. Convinced that teams, broadcasters, fantasy players, bettors, and fans would increasingly demand sophisticated football data, Collinsworth purchased a majority interest in the company for $6 million in 2014. The individual helped relocate PFF’s operations to Cincinnati and oversaw a major expansion of the business.
Over the following decade, PFF grew from a niche football-analysis service into one of the sport’s most important data providers. The customer base of Pro Football Focus eventually included all 32 NFL teams, more than 100 major college football programs, television networks, player agencies, and professional leagues.
In September 2021, private equity firm Silver Lake invested $50 million in Pro Football Focus. This transaction valued PFF at $160 million, representing a significant increase from the $6 million Collinsworth paid for majority control seven years earlier. The investment helped fund expansion into consumer subscriptions, fantasy football, sports betting products, and other areas beyond the traditional NFL data business.
In March 2026, sports technology company Teamworks acquired Pro Football Focus’s enterprise business, including the proprietary game-event data and analytics platform. The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but Collinsworth and PFF’s other investors received equity in Teamworks as part of the transaction. Cris Collinsworth also became an adviser to Teamworks.
Less than a month after the PFF acquisition, Teamworks announced a major investment led by private equity firm Hg. This investment valued Teamworks at more than $1.5 billion. The exact ownership percentage of Collinsworth in Teamworks has not been disclosed, but the individual became a shareholder in a company carrying a valuation more than nine times higher than PFF’s previous valuation.
Importantly, Teamworks did not acquire all of Pro Football Focus. The consumer business of PFF remained independent and continued operating products aimed directly at football fans, including fantasy football tools, draft analysis, betting information, player rankings, and subscription services. Cris Collinsworth emerged from the transaction with interests in two separate businesses: equity in Teamworks and continued ownership exposure to PFF’s independent consumer operation.
Family, Brand, and Organization Connections of Cris Collinsworth
The personal life of Cris Collinsworth centers on a long-standing marriage and a family deeply involved in the football industry. The individual is married to attorney Holly Bankemper, whom Collinsworth met while living in the Cincinnati area.
The couple married in 1989 and have four children together. They have spent much of their married life in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, located just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. The family purchased five acres of undeveloped property in Fort Thomas in 2000 for $100,000.
The family developed the property into a private compound that includes a 7,000-square-foot main residence, a swimming pool, pool house, barn, and extensive grounds. Cris Collinsworth has held this property for decades rather than treating it as a short-term real estate investment.
The sons of Cris Collinsworth have followed distinct but related paths in the sports world. Austin Collinsworth played football at Notre Dame and became the team captain. Jac Collinsworth followed the father’s path into sports broadcasting and has worked for ESPN and NBC Sports. By 2026, Jac Collinsworth was hosting NBC and Peacock football coverage, including “Sunday Night Football Final.”
Cris Collinsworth has also built connections with major brands and media platforms outside of traditional NFL duties. The individual provided commentary for several editions of the “Madden NFL” video game franchise, joining a broadcasting legacy strongly associated with John Madden. This collaboration introduced Collinsworth to a younger generation of football fans through the digital gaming platform.
Other broadcasting connections for Cris Collinsworth include work for Showtime and the NFL Network. The analyst has also appeared on television programs outside traditional sports coverage and hosted “Guinness World Records Primetime.” These diverse engagements demonstrate the broad reach of the Collinsworth brand within the entertainment and sports industries.
Awards, Rankings, and Achievements of Cris Collinsworth
Cris Collinsworth has become one of the most decorated broadcasters in sports television history, accumulating significant recognition for on-air performance. By 2026, the individual had won 17 individual Sports Emmy Awards across work as both a studio personality and game analyst.
The specific breakdown of these accolades includes nine Sports Emmys for Outstanding Event Analyst and eight for studio analysis. The “Sunday Night Football” program has also repeatedly won the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Live Sports Series during the tenure of Collinsworth.
The longevity of Cris Collinsworth in the industry is particularly notable, as the individual has remained NBC’s lead NFL analyst across multiple generations of quarterbacks, coaches, broadcast partners, and network executives. More than three decades after calling the first NFL game for NBC in 1990, Collinsworth remains in the network’s top football booth.
The financial achievements of Cris Collinsworth reflect the success of the dual career in athletics and broadcasting. The net worth of the individual is estimated at $100 million, with an annual salary of $12.5 million from NBC. This income places Collinsworth among the highest-paid sports broadcasters in the United States.
In 2025, Cris Collinsworth signed a four-year extension with NBC that keeps the analyst with the network through the 2029-30 NFL season. The financial terms of this specific extension were not disclosed, but the base salary of $12.5 million per year remained consistent. Earlier in the broadcasting career, the annual salary was $4 million, but the market for elite NFL announcers increased dramatically during the late 2010s and early 2020s as networks competed for high-profile talent.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cris Collinsworth
How old is Cris Collinsworth?
Cris Collinsworth is 67 years old. The individual was born on January 27, 1959, in Dayton, Ohio, and has maintained a prominent career in American football broadcasting.
How many Sports Emmy Awards did Cris Collinsworth win?
Cris Collinsworth has won 17 individual Sports Emmy Awards. These include nine awards for Outstanding Event Analyst and eight for studio analysis, recognizing the individual’s contributions to sports television over several decades.
What is the net worth of Cris Collinsworth?
The net worth of Cris Collinsworth is estimated at $100 million. This wealth stems from broadcasting salaries, and the successful acquisition and growth of the football analytics company Pro Football Focus.
Who are the children of Cris Collinsworth?
Cris Collinsworth has four children with attorney Holly Bankemper. Their sons include Austin Collinsworth, a former Notre Dame football player, and Jac Collinsworth, a sports broadcaster for NBC Sports and ESPN.
What college did Cris Collinsworth attend?
Cris Collinsworth attended the University of Florida. The individual played for the Florida Gators, where the player earned first-team All-American honors after transitioning from quarterback to wide receiver.