Pac-12 Networks Yogi Roth & Steve Lavin sign multiyear extensions

SAN FRANCISCO – Pac-12 Networks today announced that veteran football analyst Yogi Roth and veteran basketball analyst Steve Lavin have both signed multiyear extensions as the Networks retain two of its top talent in football and men’s basketball. Roth will continue to provide color commentary for the Pac-12 Networks’ football telecasts along with regular in-studio appearances on Pac-12 Sports Report and special football programming. In addition to his on-camera work, Roth will continue his role as a producer on Pac-12 Networks’ docu-series The Drive. Lavin will continue to provide color commentary during the Networks’ coverage of men’s basketball.

Yogi Roth

Yogi Roth, an award-winning filmmaker, New York Times best-selling author and media personality, has brought both a unique and multidimensional perspective to his role with the Pac-12 Networks since its launch in 2012.

This past season, Roth contributed to several special presentations for Pac-12 Networks including live on-site coverage of Pac-12 Football Media Days from Los Angeles, Pac-12 Football Training Camp coverage, and pre and postgame coverage of the 2017 Rose Bowl. The veteran analyst also played an integral role in the Networks’ 2017 NFL Draft coverage with Pac-12 All-Access: Path to the Pros and Pac-12 Sports Report: NFL Draft Special. Roth called several Spring Football games ahead of the upcoming season for Pac-12 Networks in addition to the 11 regular season Pac-12 games he called last season.

 “I’m thrilled to continue here and honored to help tell the stories of our incredible student-athletes and teams who represent our 12 universities,” said Roth. “I truly believe the people here at Pac-12 Networks are innovators, competitors and game-changers. I am extremely fortunate and proud to be a part of this team.”

Prior to Pac-12 Networks, Roth was a coach and member of Pete Carroll’s staff at USC, which developed Pac-10 champion quarterbacks Matt Leinart, John David Booty and Mark Sanchez. As a former walk-on football student-athlete at the University of Pittsburgh, Roth earned a scholarship and graduated magna cum laude prior to earning his master’s degree in communication management from the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at USC.

Roth has several media credits to his name across multiple mediums. He made his film directorial debut with the feature-length documentary “Life in a Walk,” an award-winning film which follows Roth and his father along the famous Camino de Santiago and that has been shown across the globe. He also co-wrote the book “Win Forever” (2010) with Carroll, which reached #7 on the New York Times best-seller list, as well as his own book, “From PA to LA” (2010). Roth has also directed the “Elite 11” documentary series, which was distributed by Bleacher Report and NFL Network. Roth regularly speaks around the nation and hosts a podcast titled “Life Without Limits." He is a consistent voice on all Pac-12 campuses speaking to student groups on the concept of storytelling.

Steve Lavin

Steve Lavin joined Pac-12 Networks in September 2015 as a game analyst. Over the past two seasons, he has called more than 35 men’s basketball games for Pac-12 Networks. The San Francisco Bay Area native will continue to play a key role in the Networks’ coverage of men’s basketball.

“The opportunity to contribute to Pac-12 Networks’ basketball coverage for the past two seasons has been a tremendous joy,” said Lavin. “I consider it both a privilege and honor to continue on as an analyst and I look forward to being part of the Pac-12 Networks’ broadcast teams calling games for the Conference of Champions in the years to come.”

Lavin’s perspective as an analyst is shaped by 20 years of Division I coaching experience with stints at Purdue University, UCLA and St. John’s University.  In a combined 11 years as a men’s basketball head coach at UCLA and St. John’s, Lavin led teams to 10 postseasons, including nine campaigns of 20+ wins, eight NCAA Tournament appearances and an overall record of 226-131. He joined the UCLA staff in 1991 as an assistant coach, serving in the capacity for five years before being promoted to head coach of the Bruins in 1996.  During his 12 years on the staff at UCLA, the Bruins appeared in 11 NCAA Tournaments.  Over his seven-year tenure as head coach of the Bruins he guided the program to six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and five regional semifinals. 

Following his time with UCLA, Lavin served as a college basketball analyst for ABC Sports and ESPN from 2003-10, establishing himself as one of the game’s top commentators.  He returned to the sidelines in 2010 when he was named head coach at St. John’s.  From 2010-15 he led the Red Storm to four postseasons including two NCAA Tournament appearances and a combined record of 81-53.  In addition to his work with Pac-12 Networks, Lavin also works as a game and studio analyst for FOX Sports and FS1 and served this past season as a game analyst for CBS Sports and Turner Sports’ coverage of the 2017 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.

About Pac-12 Networks

Pac-12 Networks is the innovative TV and multimedia company of the Pac-12 Conference and is the first such company to be wholly owned by 12 universities. Pac-12 Networks incorporates one national and six regional television networks, plus extensive digital content accessible through social media, university websites and Pac-12 Now, its TV Everywhere service. Each year, Pac-12 Networks offers live coverage of 850 sporting events, making it one of the top live sports producers in the country. In addition, Pac-12 Networks creates extensive original programming, provides visibility for marquee football and basketball events as well as traditionally under-served women’s and Olympic sports. Pac-12 Networks also provides training and paid internships for thousands of students of the Pac-12’s member universities, preparing them for careers in media. With headquarters in San Francisco’s SOMA District, Pac-12 Networks draws on the creative, entrepreneurial and technological culture of the Bay Area and nearby Silicon Valley. For more information, go to http://pac-12.com/networks.

– Pac-12.com –