Cris Collinsworth biography covering his age, wife, children, Cincinnati Bengals career, move into broadcasting, NBC Sunday Night Football role, Pro Football Focus and net worth.
The Cris Collinsworth biography spans two unusually successful careers in professional football. He first became nationally known as a wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals before developing into one of American television’s most recognisable NFL analysts. His playing career included three Pro Bowl selections and two Super Bowl appearances, while his broadcasting work has earned numerous Sports Emmy Awards.
Collinsworth is now best known as the longtime analyst on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. In 2026, he began his 18th season in the programme’s broadcast booth and continued working alongside play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico. He also has major business interests in football analytics through Pro Football Focus.
Cris Collinsworth Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Anthony Cris Collinsworth |
| Date of Birth | January 27, 1959 |
| Age | 67 years old as of 2026 |
| Birthplace | Dayton, Ohio, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Sports broadcaster, businessman and former NFL player |
| NFL Position | Wide receiver |
| NFL Team | Cincinnati Bengals |
| College | University of Florida |
| Education | Accounting degree; Juris Doctor |
| Wife | Holly Bankemper Collinsworth |
| Children | Katie, Austin, Ashley and Jac Collinsworth |
| Current Role | NBC Sunday Night Football game analyst |
| Business Interest | Majority owner of Pro Football Focus |
Early Life and Athletic Background
Cris Collinsworth was born on January 27, 1959, in Dayton, Ohio. His parents, Abraham and Donetta Collinsworth, both worked in education.
The family moved to Florida when Collinsworth was young. He eventually attended Astronaut High School in Titusville, where his father served as principal.
Collinsworth was an exceptional multi-sport athlete. He played football, basketball and baseball and also competed in track and field.
His speed became particularly noticeable on the track. In 1976, he won a Florida state championship in the 100-yard dash.
Football, however, became his main sport. Collinsworth played quarterback in high school and earned All-State and high-school All-American recognition.
His combination of height and speed attracted the University of Florida, where his eventual position would change significantly.
University of Florida Career
Collinsworth attended the University of Florida on a football scholarship.
He initially played quarterback for the Florida Gators. One of the memorable moments of his freshman season came when his first collegiate pass resulted in a 99-yard touchdown.
The coaching staff later moved the 6-foot-5 athlete to wide receiver, where his speed and height created difficult matchups for opposing defensive backs.
The decision proved successful.
Collinsworth became a three-time First-Team All-SEC selection from 1978 through 1980 and earned First-Team All-American honours in 1980.
During his college career, he caught 120 passes for 1,977 yards and 14 touchdowns.
His academic record was also strong. Collinsworth earned a degree in accounting from the University of Florida and received Academic All-America recognition.
He was later inducted into the Academic All-America Hall of Fame.
Cincinnati Bengals NFL Career
The Cincinnati Bengals selected Collinsworth with the 37th overall pick in the second round of the 1981 NFL Draft.
He made an immediate impact.
As a rookie, Collinsworth caught 67 passes for 1,009 yards and eight touchdowns. He became the first player in Bengals history to record a 1,000-yard receiving season.
His performance helped Cincinnati reach Super Bowl XVI against the San Francisco 49ers.
Collinsworth was one of the Bengals’ best offensive players in the game, finishing with more than 100 receiving yards. Cincinnati ultimately lost 26-21.
The rookie season established him as one of the NFL’s leading young receivers.
Collinsworth earned Pro Bowl selections in each of his first three seasons. He went on to record four 1,000-yard receiving seasons during his eight-year NFL career.
One of his strongest later seasons came in 1986, when he produced 1,024 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
Career Statistics and Second Super Bowl
Collinsworth spent his entire NFL career with Cincinnati.
Across 107 regular-season games, he caught 417 passes for 6,698 yards and 36 touchdowns. His average of more than 16 yards per reception reflected the downfield ability that had made his combination of size and speed valuable.
When Collinsworth finished playing, he was the Bengals’ all-time leader in career receptions.
His final season came in 1988, when Cincinnati returned to the Super Bowl.
The Bengals again faced the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIII. Cincinnati came close to winning before Joe Montana led the 49ers on a late game-winning drive.
Collinsworth’s final NFL reception came during that Super Bowl.
He finished his playing career with three Pro Bowl appearances, four 1,000-yard receiving seasons and two trips to the Super Bowl.
Studying Law While Playing Football
Collinsworth’s education did not end with his accounting degree.
While still associated with professional football, he began studying law at the University of Cincinnati.
Balancing the demanding schedule of professional athletics with law school took several years, but Collinsworth eventually earned his Juris Doctor degree in 1991.
He did not go on to build his primary career as a practicing lawyer.
Instead, his ability to explain complicated ideas clearly helped him find another profession shortly after leaving football.
That profession was broadcasting.
From NFL Player to Broadcaster
Collinsworth entered sports media almost immediately after his playing career ended.
He began working with HBO’s Inside the NFL in 1989, initially as a reporter before moving into the programme’s studio team.
NBC Sports hired him in 1990.
His early assignments included NFL games and college football coverage. Collinsworth later moved into studio analysis and won his first Sports Emmy in the late 1990s.
He joined FOX Sports in 1998 and became part of FOX NFL Sunday. By 2002, he was working in the network’s leading NFL broadcast team alongside Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.
Collinsworth also worked on NFL Network broadcasts before returning to NBC.
His career developed during an era when former players increasingly became central figures in football broadcasting. Collinsworth distinguished himself by explaining formations, matchups and individual technique rather than relying only on his reputation as a former player.
Sunday Night Football
Collinsworth became the game analyst for NBC’s Sunday Night Football in 2009, succeeding legendary broadcaster John Madden.
For his first 13 seasons in the booth, Collinsworth worked primarily with Al Michaels.
Mike Tirico later became the programme’s lead play-by-play announcer, creating a new broadcast partnership with Collinsworth.
By August 2026, Collinsworth had begun his 18th season in the Sunday Night Football booth. That gave him more seasons as an analyst on the NFL’s primetime broadcast package than any previous analyst.
His longevity has made his voice closely associated with some of the NFL’s most important weekly games.
In November 2025, Collinsworth reached another milestone when he called his 500th NFL game as an analyst.
Super Bowl LX and Broadcasting Awards
Collinsworth’s television career has also included numerous Super Bowls.
On February 8, 2026, he served as NBC’s game analyst for Super Bowl LX alongside Mike Tirico.
It was Collinsworth’s sixth Super Bowl assignment as a game analyst, placing him among the most experienced Super Bowl television analysts in American broadcasting history.
His work has earned extensive industry recognition.
Collinsworth has won numerous Sports Emmy Awards, including multiple awards for Outstanding Event Analyst and studio work.
He was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame as part of its 2023 class.
His broadcasting résumé has also extended beyond the NFL. Collinsworth has contributed to NBC’s coverage of several Olympic Games and has worked on major college football broadcasts.
Pro Football Focus
Collinsworth’s influence on football extends into analytics through Pro Football Focus, commonly known as PFF.
The company was launched in 2007 and developed a system for analysing and grading individual players on every play.
Collinsworth acquired a majority interest in PFF in 2014.
The company later established its headquarters in Cincinnati and expanded considerably. Its data and analysis have been used by NFL teams, college football programmes, broadcasters, player agencies and other organisations.
PFF has become especially known for player grades, advanced statistics and detailed play-by-play evaluation.
Collinsworth’s involvement connects his media work with the broader growth of analytics in professional football.
His son Austin has also worked within the company, including serving as its chief operating officer.
Cris Collinsworth Wife
Cris Collinsworth is married to Holly Bankemper Collinsworth.
Holly is a lawyer and graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Law.
The couple met in Cincinnati during the 1980s and married in 1989.
Holly has maintained her own legal career while also becoming involved in charitable and community initiatives.
Cris and Holly have spent much of their family life in the Northern Kentucky area, across the Ohio River from Cincinnati.
Their long connection to the region reflects Collinsworth’s continuing relationship with the city where he spent his entire NFL playing career.
Cris Collinsworth Children
Cris and Holly Collinsworth have four children: Katie, Austin, Ashley and Jac.
Several of their children have pursued careers connected to sports.
Austin Collinsworth played college football at Notre Dame before moving into business. He later became an executive at Pro Football Focus.
Jac Collinsworth followed his father into sports broadcasting.
After working at ESPN, Jac joined NBC Sports in 2020. His assignments have included NFL coverage, college sports, the Olympics and other major events.
The Collinsworth family therefore has an unusual connection to both professional football and sports media across two generations.
Cris and Holly are also grandparents.
Charity and Community Work
Collinsworth and his wife have supported charitable causes through the Cris Collinsworth ProScan Fund.
The organisation has focused on breast cancer awareness and services as well as programmes benefiting children.
One of its initiatives has used chess as an educational tool to encourage critical thinking and development among young people.
The couple has also supported education and community projects in Northern Kentucky and the Cincinnati area.
Their charitable activities have generally remained separate from Collinsworth’s television profile, but they form a longstanding part of the family’s involvement in the region.
Cris Collinsworth Net Worth
Cris Collinsworth’s exact net worth has not been publicly verified through authoritative financial disclosures.
He has several significant sources of wealth.
His first major earnings came from his eight seasons as an NFL player, although football salaries during the 1980s were far below the levels earned by today’s leading players.
Broadcasting later became a much larger and longer-lasting part of his career. Collinsworth has worked for major networks including NBC and FOX for more than three decades.
His ownership interest in Pro Football Focus may also represent an important part of his financial position.
Various websites publish specific figures for Cris Collinsworth’s net worth and annual broadcasting salary, but many of those estimates do not provide enough reliable documentation to be treated as confirmed facts.
It is reasonable to describe him as a wealthy broadcaster, former athlete and business owner. A precise current net-worth figure, however, should not be presented as established without reliable financial evidence.
Conclusion
Cris Collinsworth has achieved something relatively unusual in American football: his broadcasting career has become at least as significant as his successful playing career.
He was a three-time Pro Bowl receiver who spent eight seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, produced four 1,000-yard seasons and played in two Super Bowls.
After retiring, he built a second career that eventually placed him in NBC’s premier NFL broadcast booth and the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame.
The Cris Collinsworth biography continues in 2026 with his 18th season as a Sunday Night Football analyst, following his sixth Super Bowl assignment earlier in the year. His ownership of Pro Football Focus further extends his influence into the way modern football performance is analysed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Cris Collinsworth?
Cris Collinsworth is an American sports broadcaster, businessman and former NFL wide receiver. He played eight seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals and is now the longtime game analyst for NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
How old is Cris Collinsworth?
Cris Collinsworth was born on January 27, 1959. He is 67 years old as of 2026.
Who is Cris Collinsworth’s wife?
Cris Collinsworth is married to lawyer Holly Bankemper Collinsworth. They married in 1989.
How many children does Cris Collinsworth have?
Cris and Holly Collinsworth have four children: Katie, Austin, Ashley and Jac.
Did Cris Collinsworth win a Super Bowl?
No. Collinsworth played in Super Bowls XVI and XXIII with the Cincinnati Bengals, but the Bengals lost both games to the San Francisco 49ers.
Does Cris Collinsworth own Pro Football Focus?
Collinsworth acquired a majority interest in Pro Football Focus in 2014. The company provides football data, analytics and player-grading services.
What is Cris Collinsworth’s net worth?
Cris Collinsworth’s exact net worth has not been publicly verified. His wealth comes from his NFL career, decades in sports broadcasting and business interests including Pro Football Focus, but no authoritative public disclosure confirms a precise current figure.
