NFL sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung will be on the call of Super Bowl 60 on Sunday evening.
The former ESPN reporter, 40, is one of two sideline reporters working the game. She and Melissa Stark will be on the call of the game on Sunday evening. NBC is excited for their broadcasting team.
"Melissa Stark (second Super Bowl) and Kaylee Hartung (first Super Bowl assignment) will serve as the game’s sideline reporters, while three-time Super Bowl referee Terry McAulay will provide expert rules analysis for his second Super Bowl with NBC Sports," NBC Sports announced.
© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.
Hartung, from Louisiana, had an unspeakable family tragedy occur when she was growing up. Her father was killed in a plane crash.
The NFL sideline reporter was only 10 years old when her father died in a plane crash, and she talked about the experience during an appearance on Jay Glazer’s podcast, “Mental Wealth.”
“There’s a lot to unpack about the emotions of watching a plane crash happen when it’s the man you love the most and he’s the only one in the plane,” Hartung said.
“But in that moment, thinking back on it at 10 years old, I didn’t think he was dead. Because to me, he was invincible. I saw the plane hit the ground and I remember all the feelings.”
Hartung wasn't happy at the time of how the death was reported.
“This report was not about the man who died. My father’s death was treated as an event,” Hartung said.
“Watching it at 10 years old, I didn’t understand why that’s the way the story was told or why his life wasn’t honored.”
Kaylee Hartung reflects on family tragedy
In 2022, she honored her family on social media.
"Would have loved nothing more than to celebrate my dad’s 70th birthday with him today. When you lose a loved one - some days, especially the birthdays and anniversaries, are harder than others. My dad died 25 years ago, but the older I get and the longer he’s been gone, the harder I try to draw inspiration from him on these special days - to ensure I’m living my life in a way that would make him proud. Dad, I’m trying my hardest. I love you," she wrote.
Hartung's family is surely watching with a close eye on Sunday.