Ley called himself, Roberts and Steiner "The Mod Squad" during their time in BristolROBIN ROBERTS
Former ESPN host Bob Ley this morning joined former colleague Robin Roberts on ABC's "GMA" to reminisce about their careers in Bristol, with Roberts saying Ley is leaving a "lasting legacy in the sports world and beyond." Asked when he knew ESPN would be a "gamechanger" in the sports media space, Ley said, "Within our first six months, we had two events that really put us on the map, and they were the NCAA basketball tournament early rounds and our first year of coverage of the National Football League draft." Ley: "If you were a sports fan, if you didn't have it, you heard it and had to find out about it." Ley: "That changed the paradigm for us in the first six months." Roberts added she knew ESPN was becoming more influential when athletes were "wanting to be on a highlight on 'SportsCenter.'" Ley said ESPN "had trouble recruiting" athletes for "SportsCenter" commercials "beginning back in the mid-'90s." Ley: "Suddenly now the line's out the door." Later in the interview, Dodgers radio announcer and former ESPN anchor Charley Steiner surprised Ley on set. Ley called himself, Roberts and Steiner "The Mod Squad." Steiner said working with the two of them "was the best time I ever had" ("GMA," ABC, 7/18).
