Veteran radio play-by-play announcer, Kevin Harlan, and his daughter, Olivia Harlan Dekker, are carving a new chapter in sports history.
The duo marks the first father-and-daughter partnership ever to bring live coverage for a Super Bowl game, an event eagerly anticipated by millions across the globe.
“You think of it like the accolades of your career that will end up meaning anything, when all of this is said and done and something you’ll tell grandchildren about and that they’ll tell grandchildren about, and that’s really something to be proud of generationally,” Harlan Dekker said. “No one will care about the midseason games you work or how many seasons you even work. But everyone will remember this in our family. So it means the world to me and to make history doing it. I like to think that there’s some little girl out there that is going to catch wind of this story in some way, and just think: ‘I never thought of that.’”
Kevin Harlan, the 63-year-old master sports announcer, is entering his 39th consecutive season as a NFL play-by-play announcer.
He boasts an illustrious career. With 37 seasons of NBA play-by-play under his belt, his involvement in this year’s Super Bowl game is historic.
The Chiefs-49ers Super Bowl on Sunday will mark Kevin’s 14th consecutive one for Westwood One Radio.
Being the lead NFL radio voice for Westwood One and “Monday Night Football” since 2009, he also calls preseason games for his beloved hometown Green Bay Packers.
Already. Fired. Up.#SBLVIII gameday coverage begins Feb 11th at 2p ET.
Kevin Harlan, @kurt13warner and @DeanBlandino in the booth.@LauraOkmin & @golic on the sidelines.@ScottWipeOut & @devinmccourty pre/half/post
Also contributing: @RossTuckerNFL & @JasonMcCourty pic.twitter.com/gxrNLFS9wa
— Westwood One Sports (@westwood1sports) January 29, 2024
Continuing the Harlan tradition, 30-year-old Olivia Harlan Dekker has secured a formidable position as a reporter.
After covering NBA and NFL games for reputed networks like ESPN, CBS, and Fox Sports, she currently serves Sky Sports and Westwood One Radio’s NFL and NCAA coverage as an in-studio host, presenter, and analyst in addition to her role as a sideline interviewer.
Meet your @SkySportsNFL Super Bowl LVIII broadcast team!@neilreynoldsnfl and @Phoebe_Schecter will be joined LIVE in Las Vegas by Ryan Fitzpatrick, Christian Wilkins and Olivia Harlan Dekker! Coverage begins at 10pm on Sunday night 📺 pic.twitter.com/xniS2prEWd
— NFL UK (@NFLUK) February 5, 2024
Kevin perceived that his daughter would follow his footsteps into the broadcasting profession from an early age when she exhibited a keenness for it.
Her diligence and commitment at the University of Georgia solidified Kevin’s belief that she would succeed in the broadcasting industry.
“I told her, I said: ‘You’ll be judged on a different scale than the men. They’re going to look at your earrings and your lipstick and your hairstyle and what you’re wearing, as opposed sometimes to what you’re saying, and so you’ve got to be a great reporter,’” Harlan said.
“She would miss a lot of social events at her sorority and would be involved in covering games, but not just games, equestrian, swimming, all the events, male and female, that were going on in that campus. And she was a tireless worker and was a perfectionist. She’s always been a perfectionist.”
The unique father-daughter combination for the Super Bowl is set to define a new era in broadcasting.
