Longhorn Network Names On-Air Team; Launch Plans Include ESPN College GameDay

Longhorn Network has named its core on-air team for its upcoming launch. Lowell Galindo, Samantha Steele, and Kevin Dunn will make their debuts Friday, Aug. 26, at 6 p.m. CT when Longhorn Network goes live from the South Mall on the UT campus. They will be joined on the set by the ESPN College GameDay crew – Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard, and Erin Andrews – for previews of the Longhorns’ upcoming football season and its home opener vs. Rice, which is slated for Saturday, Sept. 3, at 6 p.m. Texas coaches, players, and former student-athletes will also be on hand for the two-hour special.

“We are thrilled to have Lowell, Samantha, and Kevin join us,” said Stephanie Druley, vice president, production for Longhorn Network. “They will bring a fresh perspective and are passionate about college sports. Who better to introduce them than Chris Fowler and the GameDay cast, the most respected group in college football?”

The Houston-born and San Antonio-raised Galindo has served as ESPNU’s lead anchor since 2007, working primarily from its Charlotte, N.C., headquarters. He has hosted such network staples as SportsCenterU, ESPNU Inside the Polls, ESPNU Coaches Spotlight, and ESPNU Campus Connection, in addition to many studio pregame, halftime, and postgame shows. Reporting duties will go to Steele, who joins ESPN from Fox Sports. The Phoenix native hosted and reported coverage of college football and basketball primarily for the Pac-10 and Big 12 conferences. Dunn, a native of Austin, TX, and a UT grad, signs on from CBS College Sports. He will report and host for the channel.

Following the network’s debut, at 8 p.m., fans will see Texas’ first women’s volleyball match of the season. At 10 p.m., Texas All-Access will debut, providing unprecedented access to Coach Mack Brown and the Texas football team throughout the season.

“In true Texas fashion, we’re going to launch Longhorn Network in a big way,” said Dave Brown, vice president, programming, Longhorn Network. “We want fans to know that we will look for every opportunity to make their viewing experience a great one.”

The network’s two main studio sets will be housed at University Park. The network will occupy three floors of the eight-story building, which is located six blocks from Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium. Building for the production facilities has begun and staff members are expected to move in late July.

Approximately 50 staff members have been hired for the network. Thirty-one employees from ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, CT, will make the move to Austin – ten of whom are Texas graduates, as well as five more who are natives of the state.

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