Chris Russo, the American sports radio personality best known as Mad Dog, has his longtime wife, Jeanne Marie Lavelle, by his side as a constant supporter.
The former Mike and the Mad Dog co-host, Chris Russo first met his wife Jeanne Lavelle in 1993 when he was working at WFAN and she was a public relations firm worker.
The couple met through a mutual friend and dated for two years before tying the knot on May 6, 1995.
Chris and Jeanne, exchanged vows in a Catholic ceremony officiated by Rev. Lawrence C. Inzeo at the Church of the Resurrection in Rye, New York.
At the time of their wedding, Jeanne was 28 years old and working as a saleswoman at Greeley House, a gift shop in Rye, while Chris, then 35, was co-hosting Mike and the Mad Dog on WFAN-AM.
For almost thirty years, Jeanne Lavelle Russo and Chris Russo have supported each other through good times and bad.
Talking about his wife, Jeanne graduated from Stonehill College. Very little information about her professional life is available as she prefers to maintain a private life away from the public’s eyes.
Jeanne Lavelle Is A Native Of Rye, New York!
Jeanne Marie Lavelle was born in 1967 in Rye, New York, to father James and mother Maureen Anne Donohue Lavelle.
Her father, James, was the owner and agent of State Farm Insurance Agency in New York City, established in 1962.
Jeanne comes from a religious family and has her ancestry in Manhattan. Her father, James J. Lavelle, was born and raised in Yorkville, Manhattan, in OLGC Parish to father Bernard and mother Anne.
Similarly, after graduating from Rice High School and St. John’s University, her father served in the U.S. Marine Corps before establishing his own company.
James J. Lavelle passed away on May 23, 2005, at 74. He was a member of Legatus, K of C, and the N.Y. Archdiocese Assembly of Stewards and also served as President of Rye Little League.
Furthermore, Jeanne Lavelle has five siblings: Maureen Anne Bittman, Kathleen Mary, Thomas John, James B., and Myles P.
Chris Russo And His Wife Jeanne Lavelle Are Proud Parents Of Four Children
Jeanne is not just a great wife to Chris but also an amazing mother to their four children.
The couple is blessed with four children: three sons, Timmy, Colin, and Patrick, and a daughter named Kiera.
While very little information about their children is available, Jeanne often shares glimpses of her children and husband on social media, expressing her love for them.
Chris and Jeanne raised all their children to be successful; their son Colin is following in his father’s footsteps in media and is pursuing his career at ESPN.
Moreover, Colin has also been the co-host of Good Karma Brands’ ESPN West Palm 106.3 WUUB Jupiter, Florida’s afternoon drive talk show since September 2024.
On ESPN West Palm’s PM Drive show, Colin partners with Mike Rizzo, son of a sports talk host, Good Karma ESPN Cleveland WKNR’s Tony Rizzo.
He is also the anchor of an NFL Sunday pregame show and a Friday night high school football show.
Prior to co-hosting the West Palm Drive show, Colin worked as a host and producer at ESPN Madison’s WTLX while attending the University of Wisconsin.
He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a communications and media studies major in 2024.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Chris Russo was born Christopher Michael Russo on October 18, 1959, in Syosset, New York, as the only child of Anthony Michael Tony and Vera Molly Russo.
- Chris’s father, Anthony, was from Flushing, Queens, and his mother, Vera, was from England. Chris’s father passed away in 2013.
- He began his career in 1984, working for WKIS in Orlando.
- Radio Hall of Fame inducted Russo on November 1, 2022.
