The Musselman family has become the stars of the 2018 NCAA tournament. From Nevada coach Eric Musselman’s shirtless celebrations with his team to his daughter Mariah’s sideline reporting during games, the Musselman family has stolen the show during March Madness. Eric’s wife, Danyelle Sargent, worked in sports media for a number of networks including ESPN and NFL Network.
Eric is the son of former NBA coach Bill Musselman, and has brought things full circle with his family’s love for sports. Eric also has two sons, Michael and Matthew, from a previous relationship. Nevada is on a historic run in the NCAA tournament, but it will be remembered by many fans for the introduction of Eric’s eight-year-old daughter’s interviewing skills. Eric admitted to Sporting News his daughter has become the star of the family.
I said, ‘Mariah, can you move? I have got to put my tie on and make the team bus. And she goes, ‘Dad, I have to do sideline reporting tonight.’ I could not get the mirror to put my tie on because my daughter thought her two-minute game cameo was much more important than what I was about to do…Every time I get an email or a text now about doing something media-related, I immediately think they really want her to appear. We got an email that she needs to be at the Final Four on Sunday night for some taping, and she is now coming back to Atlanta a day earlier to go into the studio and do something. My wife is now a manager for our second-grade daughter. It’s crazy.
Learn more about Danyelle and Mariah.
1. Danyelle Has Worked as a TV Anchor For a Variety of Sports Networks Including ESPN & NFL Network
Danyelle graduated from Florida State, and has experience working in sports television for a variety of networks. Danyelle has worked for a number of networks including ESPN, NFL Network, Fox Sports, Yahoo Sports and Comedy Central. She worked on the former ESPN morning show Cold Pizza, and was a news update anchor on NFL Network.
According to the Reno Gazette Journal, the couple got married in 2009, and met when Danyelle was moderating a panel on coaches handling media responsibilities.
“He was in the audience,” Danyelle told the Reno Gazette Journal.
2. Mariah’s Interview With Her Father Went Viral During March Madness
During the 2018 NCAA tournament, CBS aired a feature of Mariah interviewing her father.
“Hi, my name is Mariah Musselman, and I am not going to go easy on my dad,” Mariah exclaimed at the start of the interview.
“What’s harder, waking me up or going into a game in overtime?” Mariah asked in one of the funniest moments of the interview.
“Probably, waking you up is a little bit harder than trying to win a game in overtime in the NCAA tournament,” Eric responded.
Other topics covered in the interview included Cincinnati’s defense, who ruled the house and Nevada’s ability to shoot from the three-point line. “You’re pretty good at hitting threes,” Mariah admitted at the end of the interview.
Danyelle noted on Instagram that their daughter now wants her own Instagram account.
3. Danyelle Dropped an Expletive During a Live Broadcast & the Same Thing Happened to Eric in the 2018 NCAA Tournament
During her days at Fox Sports, Danyelle was filming a segment about former San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh. She thought her mic was cut off, and was heard yelling “What the f— was that?”
She spoke with The Dan Patrick Show about how she was able to move on from the incident.
Yesterday was bad. I had a migraine headache and stayed in bed for five hours … but there’s people in the world with real problems, and I am pathetic if I keep on dwelling over this. It’s embarrassing, but I can’t sit around and give up because of this … I didn’t even realize I misspoke. The producer said something in my ear, and we did it again. I spent that night in San Francisco with my boyfriend who lives up in that area. When I got back to LA, I got a text message saying, “oh, hang in there” and I said, ‘what are you talking about?’ And I called them and said, ‘how did that make air?’ I tried to avoid the internet like the plague for the next five hours.
A similar incident occurred with Eric during the 2018 NCAA tournament as the Nevada coach was celebrating in the locker room after defeating Texas. CBS decided to shoot the Nevada celebration live, and Eric was heard using the f-word multiple times.
4. Eric Celebrates Big Wins by Taking His Shirt Off & Admits He Tries to Stay in Good Shape to Keep Up With His Wife
Confused fans wondered why there was a shirtless Nevada coach celebrating with his team during March Madness. What once happened as an accident has now become a tradition after big Nevada victories.
“The first year I was at Nevada, we won a CBI championship and, as I was taking my dress shirt off to put on the championship T-shirt, the guys grabbed me and picked me up,” Musselman said on The Dan Patrick Show (via The Washington Post). “And I was mid-stream of getting the T-shirt on, and then it just kind of became a tradition.”
Many fans have commented that Eric looks to be in pretty good shape. He admitted on The Rich Eisen Show that he tries to stay in good shape to keep up with Danyelle.
“Well, I had been tipped off that there was going to be a lot of water sprayed in my direction,” Musselman told Eisen (via The Washington Post). “I had a really expensive shirt on, and I had a good tie, and I work out every day because I’ve got a very, very, very beautiful wife, and so I have no problem taking my shirt off with the camera around. I guess because my wife’s really, really good-looking, I’ve got to try to stay in as good as possible shape as I possibly can.”
In addition to her other responsibilities, Danyelle teaches spin classes, and told Renown Health her husband normally does a two-hour workout each morning.
5. Danyelle Tries to Be the Nevada Players Second Mom
Danyelle is very much involved with the Nevada team, and is often asked to emcee the athletic department’s charity events given her television background. Nevada athletic director Doug Knuth spoke with the Reno Gazette Journal about what it’s like having Danyelle involved with the team.
“She is a huge part of the Musselman brand,” Knuth told the Reno Gazette Journal. “It has been a neat thing for our fans to see that personal relationship with his wife. It reminds our fans that Muss is a family man, and he has a wife who is pretty powerful and personable.”
Nevada cheer coach Kim Anastassatos believes Danyelle gives the Wolf Pack a major recruiting advantage with the way she relates to the players.
“She lights up a room,” Anastassatos told the Reno Gazette Journal. “Recruiting is such a huge aspect of college athletics. When she meets with families, these young men considering college here look at her as part of this great partnership.”
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