Gayle Sierens, first woman NFL play-by-play

Gayle Sierens co-anchors WFLA-TV News Channel 8's Live at 5, 6 and 11PM newscasts in Tampa, FL. Sierens joined the Channel 8 staff in 1977 as a weekend sports anchor and reporter and became the 11PM weekday sports anchor in March of 1983.  In 1984, Sierens was honored with a Florida Emmy Award for sports reporting.  In addition to those responsibilities, she freelanced as a play-by-play announcer for ESPN, the cable sports network.  Then, in October of 1985, Gayle made the transition from sportscaster to news anchor.  In 1987 Sierens became the first women to do play-by-play for an NFL game and appeared weekly on "NFL Live" on NBC.  NBC offered her to call play-by-play for six NFL games the next season. Sierens declined and instead continued to be a full-time news anchor for WFLA.  Sierens is the first women to call NFL play-by-play and possibly the last.