American sports commentator and radio personality Dan Patrick and Susan White have created a tight-knit family of six, including their four children.
Susan from Virginia has always had an interest in gathering news and stories since her early days. It was her interest that led her to venture into television production after school.
By the 1980s, she landed a job at CNN as a producer on the show Inside Politics. That’s where she first crossed paths with Dan.
During that time, Dan was a young sports reporter covering major events, including the World Series and NBA Finals.
As clichéd as it sounds, they started dating. Soon after, Dan popped the question with an old Russian ring he’d picked up on a trip.
The longtime married couple has created a tight-knit family of six, including his four children: a son named Jack and three daughters named Molly, Georgia, and Grace.
Speaking of her career, Susan is no stranger to the world of media and education. She started out producing news segments, but she’s climbed higher.
She began her career as a producer at CNN, contributing to news shows such as Inside Politics in the 1980s.
Later, she transitioned into education and became the president and CEO of iNACOL, a group that enhances online learning for students.
Dan reflected on how Susan’s Clarity Helped Him Reject ESPN’s offer: “She saw things clearly when I was completely blind to it.”
Dan has spent decades calling plays and cracking jokes on the air, making fans laugh during big games and late-night shows. However, off the mic, he is a family man.
His wife, Susan, has had his back through all ups and downs. She clearly influences and gives him a reality check if he gets off the track.
One instance of how she positively influenced his choices was in 2006, when he was at ESPN, anchoring SportsCenter and earning a substantial amount.
During his appearance on Kyle Brandt’s “10 Questions” podcast, he said that he was about to sign a fat five-year deal until Susan brought him to his senses about why that may not be his best decision.
Susan sat him down one morning and gave him some perspective.
She pointed out that their kids were getting older. Georgia was hitting her teens, and the little ones needed Dad around more. And that hit him like a fastball.
He recalled the moment, saying:
That’s when it hit me: She had perspective, I had none,” Patrick said. “I’m on TV, making great money. She’s raising the kids. I was so blind to it. And thank God I came home.
Dan Patrick
He walked away from ESPN in 2007. Then, he started his own radio show, The Dan Patrick Show, which let him work closer to home.
Dan still credits her for that talk. Without it, he says, he’d have missed too many school plays and soccer goals.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Dan Patrick, born Daniel Patrick Pugh in Zanesville, Ohio, in 1956, grew up as one of six children in Mason, Ohio.
- His father, Jack Pugh, worked in the computer science department at the University of Dayton until he passed from cancer in 1981, when Dan was 24.
- Before sports fame, Dan started as a DJ under the name “Dan Pugh” at rock stations WVUD and WTUE in Dayton, Ohio, from 1979 to 1983, spinning albums while honing his on-air chops.
