If there’s one thing FOX and all of its affiliates are known for, it’s courting controversial figures. And on the FOX Sports series of networks, few figures are as good at courting controversy as Doug Gottlieb.
The longtime host of The Doug Gottlieb Show is perhaps more well-known now (for better or worse) for his occasional fill-in host work on The Herd with Colin Cowherd and other FOX shows. But older sports fans might also recall his short and eventful time at Notre Dame followed by his college basketball stardom at Oklahoma State.
Gottlieb proved to be one of the best assist-makers in college basketball history during his time at Oklahoma State. But while his college basketball success didn’t lead to a long career in the pros, his passion for the game followed him to his second career: Broadcasting.
So let’s take a look at the rise of Doug Gottlieb and what he’s up to now:
How did Doug Gottlieb rise to prominence?
Douglas Mitchell Gottlieb was born in 1976 and raised in a basketball-loving family. His father, Bob Gottlieb, was the head coach at Jacksonville University and later at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and went 97-91 in seven years of head coaching.
Bob Gottlieb also served as an assistant to some of the all-time greats before and after his head coaching runs. He formed connections with the likes of Jack Hartman, Tex Winter, Ralph Miller and – most importantly for young Doug Gottlieb – Eddie Sutton.
With a basketball coach for a father, it should have been no surprise that basketball was a big part of Doug’s youth. He signed a letter of intent to Notre Dame in 1995 and quickly established himself as a solid guard for the Fighting Irish, leading them with 154 assists in the 1995-96 season.
But his time at Notre Dame was cut short by credit card scandal that has now become synonymous with him.
What was the credit card scandal all about?
In fall of 1996, Doug Gottlieb was charged with felony theft for stealing fellow Notre Dame students’ credit cards to buy around $1,000 worth of merchandise. Gottlieb eventually pled guilty to a misdemeanor, paying a $500 fine, around $2,500 in restitution, and $5,000 in court costs – but not before a falling out with Notre Dame head coach John MacLeod.
Gottlieb transferred to Golden West College in California but chose to sit out the transfer year and wait to go to another school. The following year, he seized his opportunity with a chance to play for Oklahoma State and head coach Eddie Sutton – his father’s former boss.
Oklahoma State proved to be a perfect fit for Gottlieb and over the next three years he proved to be one of the best assisting guards the Cowboys ever had. He recorded 201 assists in 1998, shattered the school record with 299 assists in 1999, and had another 293 assists in 2000.
By the time his college basketball career had ended, Gottlieb had shattered the Oklahoma State assists record and still holds their career, single season and single game records in the category.
Mandatory Credit: Al Bello /Allsport
Who are Gottlieb’s wife and children?
It was while he was at Oklahoma State that Gottlieb met his future-wife Angie Collier. The two met in 1998 and were married in 2000.
Doug and Angie have had three children together: twin daughters Harper and Grace, and son Hayes.
Did Doug Gottlieb ever play professional basketball?
While the NBA didn’t come calling after Gottlieb’s run at Oklahoma State, the United States Basketball League (USBL) did. Gottlieb was drafted No. 1 overall in the 2000 USBL draft by the Oklahoma Storm, who were heading into their first season.
As it turns out, Gottlieb was able to carry over his success with the Cowboys to the Storm. He led the USBL in assists that year, helping the Storm to the second-best record in the league.
But Gottlieb decided to take his career elsewhere and spent the next few years playing overseas. He left the Salina Rattlers of the International Basketball Association to pursue stints with Clermont in France, Ural Great Perm in Russia and Maccabi Ra’anana in Israel.
At the international level, Gottlieb represented the United States at the 2001 Maccabiah Games. He won a Gold medal at the event, helping the US beat Israel 82-71 in the championship game.
How did Gottlieb get into broadcasting?
By 2002, Gottlieb’s career in professional basketball was already winding down. He co-hosted a midday radio show in Oklahoma City and soon caught on with ESPN and ESPN Radio, calling college basketball games.
Within a year, he was a full member of ESPN Radio and the co-host of GameNight, ESPN Radio’s longest running show at the time. Over the next few years, his profile would continue to rise as he received prominent fill-in gigs, numerous basketball calls, guest appearances as an analyst and helped launch ESPNU.
Gottlieb stayed with ESPN until 2012, when he moved to CBS Sports and took his popular radio show with him. Over the next few years he did just about every type of work CBS asked of him, ranging from CBS Sports Minute to commentary to guest appearances.
In 2017, Gottlieb moved to FOX Sports, where he has been ever since.
Today’s show – Russell Wilson’s mistake plus @JoeBanner13 Matt Light https://t.co/uUj5Jx4VdH
— Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) February 10, 2021
Has Gottlieb ever coached basketball?
In 2009, Bruce Pearl invited Gottlieb to join his staff for the Maccabiah Games. Just like in 2001, Gottlieb helped the United States beat Israel to win a Gold medal.
Eight years later, Gottlieb returned to the Maccabiah Games – this time as Team USA’s head coach. And once again, Gottlieb left the country as a Gold medal winner with a victory over France.
The NBA and NCAA aren’t exactly lining up to get Gottlieb on their benches. But he’s said he felt greater satisfaction from coaching than playing. Maybe it’s a path he’ll pursue in the distant future.
Doug Gottlieb tells Mike Francesa he’d leave broadcasting for right coaching opportunity. Listen: https://t.co/mFXoQEvo2G pic.twitter.com/OsCTwWqLoe
— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) March 27, 2017
Of course, he’ll need to stop getting on peoples’ last nerves on The Doug Gottlieb Show first…
What happened to The Doug Gottlieb Show?
There have been three iterations of The Doug Gottlieb Show dating back to his runs at ESPN, CBS Sports and now FOX Sports.
When Gottlieb originally debuted his show with ESPN, it was a caller-based show similar to so many others on just about every radio show in the country. But over time, Gottlieb decided to make some massive changes to the structure of the show.
In recent years, Gottlieb has eschewed taking calls for the most part in favor of injecting his own opinions on every subject a la Colin Cowherd. As a result, he’s made some pretty controversial statements. Those have landed him in hot water with just about everyone he’s ever talked about.
The show is available on FOX Sports Radio and in podcast form online.
What was the worst thing Gottlieb ever tweeted?
Retiring cause rehabbing is “too hard” is the most millennial thing ever #AndrewLuck
— Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) August 25, 2019
It’s hard to get a ratio as bad as this. 8,600 likes versus nearly 30,000 comments and 17,000 retweets.
Suffice it to say, Doug Gottlieb won’t be getting any invitations to Luck family get-togethers anytime soon.
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Doug Gottlieb has left his mark on basketball as a player, analyst, commentator, broadcaster and coach. And at 44 years of age, there’s still years left for him to make a big impact.
The post Doug Gottlieb: What Is The Former College Basketball Star Up To Now? appeared first on The Spun.
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