Chris Fowler was born on August 23, 1962, in Denver, Colorado, and later grew up in Rockford, Illinois. He returned to Colorado as a teenager and graduated from Palmer High School in 1980. In 1985, he earned a bachelor’s degree in radio and television news from the University of Colorado. Fowler joined ESPN in July 1986 as the first host of Scholastic Sports America.

He became the anchor of College GameDay in 1990, a role he held for 24 years. He also hosted ESPN’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four coverage from 1992 to 2005. Fowler called horse racing’s Triple Crown from 1998 to 2007 and hosted The Home Depot College Football Awards through 2013. In 2003, he became ESPN’s primary host for Grand Slam tennis, a role that expanded to all four majors by 2009.

Since 2014, Fowler has been the play-by-play announcer for Saturday Night Football on ABC alongside Kirk Herbstreit. That role includes calling College Football Playoff semifinal and championship games each season. He continues to call tennis at the US Open, Wimbledon, and the Australian Open. In 2026, he has added hosting duties for the US Open Polo Championship and USPA Gold Cup Final.