Darius Behzad "Dari" Nowkhah (born June 23, 1976) is the lead anchor at

SEC Network The SEC Network is an American multinational sports network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which operates the network, through its 80% controlling ownership interest) and Hearst Communications (which holds ...

, an American sports television network. On August 21, 2014, The SEC Network began airing, and Nowkhah was chosen to be the head anchor. Nowkhah hosts extensive college football and college basketball programming for the collegiate network. Nowkhah also provides play-by-play for the network's college basketball and college baseball coverage. Nowkhah's move to ESPNU's Charlotte, NC headquarters came after seven years in Bristol, CT where he hosted a variety of shows for ESPN. Among the shows Nowkhah hosted were SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight and College Football Live. He fills in as a host on a variety of other ESPN Radio programs. Before working at ESPN, Nowkhah worked at KCFW-TV in

Kalispell, Montana Kalispell (, Montana Salish: Ql̓ispé, Kutenai language: kqayaqawakⱡuʔnam) is a city in, and the county seat of, Flathead County, Montana, United States. The 2020 census put Kalispell's population at 24,558. In Montana's northwest region, ...

as well as

KLKN-TV KLKN (channel 8) is a television station in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States, affiliated with ABC. Owned by Standard Media, the station maintains studios on 10th Street south of downtown Lincoln and broadcasts from a transmitter located near ...

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

and KOTV in Tulsa. Nowkhah graduated from Union High School in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

, and then from the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

in 1998 with a degree in broadcast journalism.

Personal life

Nowkhah and wife Jenn have four children. On Tuesday, September 20, 2011, Dari announced his infant son, Hayden, died from complications arising from

myocarditis Myocarditis, also known as inflammatory cardiomyopathy, is an acquired cardiomyopathy due to inflammation of the heart muscle. Symptoms can include shortness of breath, chest pain, decreased ability to exercise, and an irregular heartbeat. The ...

, a viral infection that compromised the heart. Nowkhah and his wife have since set up Hayden's Hope, a foundation dedicated to helping families cover expenses due to their children's organ transplants. Nowkhah is the son of Cy Nowkhah, a 1975 University of Tulsa graduate who immigrated to the United States from Iran in 1969.

Controversy

In a live televised interview after the 2019 semi-final game, Nowkhah asked

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

quarterback

Joe Burrow Joseph Lee Burrow (born December 10, 1996) is an American football quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). Following a stint with Ohio State, Burrow played college football at LSU, where he won the Heisma ...

about the death of Carley McCord, daughter-in-law of LSU offensive coordinator

Steve Ensminger Steve Ensminger (born September 15, 1958) is an American football coach and former player. He is an offensive analyst at Louisiana State University (LSU). Early years and playing career Ensminger was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and attended ...

. Burrow was surprised by the news of the death, having not known beforehand, and Nowkhah drew criticism and apologized on Twitter.

References

External links

ESPN Bio
Living people 1976 births American television sports anchors College basketball announcers in the United States College football announcers American people of Iranian descent Sportspeople from Tulsa, Oklahoma College baseball announcers in the United States {{US-tv-journalist-stub