Rock Riley - Sports Anchor

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There's no denying it -- Tampa Bay is a sports town! And when it comes to covering Tampa Bay area sports, Bay News 9 is fortunate to have a veteran like Rock Riley on its team.

In a career that has spanned two decades, Rock has just about done it all. He majored in communications in college, but says he "never set foot in a TV or radio station" while in school. In fact, Rock's first job was in a factory in his home state of New Jersey. Not long after taking that first job, Rock had an opportunity to cover high school football for the local cable company. That venture into broadcasting was all it took to convince Rock that this was the career for him.

Since then, Rock has traveled across the country covering sports. He was a national sports reporter for FNN, covering Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies; the NBA finals; the MLB All-Star Game and numerous Super Bowls before covering the biggest of them all -- the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' big win in January 2003 in Super Bowl XXXVII.

Rock attended St. Leo College here in the Bay area and William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J. His background in broadcasting includes stints at Bay area radio stations 970 WFLA and 620 WDAE before coming to Bay News 9 in 1997 as the weekend host of the "Sports Connection." In 1999, Rock lost a friend and colleague with the death of Bay News 9 sports anchor and former Tampa Bay Buccaneer David Logan. Rock met the challenge of stepping into Logan's weekday slot on what is now the "Toyota Sports Connection," and has lived up to Logan's legacy ever since.

A true fan of the games he covers, Rock especially loves playing baseball. He is the proud dad of one son.

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