Attention sports fans: We’ve found the girl of your dreams.
By Adam Linehan, Photo by Rudy Arocha
If you’re a fan of UT sports, chances are you’re familiar with this lovely young lady from Baton Rouge, La. At 27, Kaylee Hartung has already made quite a name for herself in the behemoth world of sports broadcasting, beginning with a stint as a sideline reporter for the CBS Sports Network and now with a job as one of the Longhorn Network’s sports anchors, where she covers a range of UT sports and hosts Longhorn Extra several nights a week.
Before delving into sports journalism, Kaylee covered politics in Washington, D.C., working as an associate producer for CBS’s Face the Nation hosted by Bob Schieffer, a job that allowed her to hone the skills crucial to her becoming the versatile reporter she is today. While at CBS, Hartung’s reputation as a talented young journalist with a stunning camera presence and a fierce passion for sports eventually got the attention of the CBS Sports Network president, and it wasn’t long before she was putting her talents to work moonlighting as a sideline reporter.
Ultimately, she was offered a full-time gig right here in Austin with the Longhorn Network in 2012. It’s rare that a person as young as Hartung is given a chance to do precisely what it is they’ve dreamed of doing their whole life, so, needless to say, she couldn’t be more thrilled about her situation.
“One of the first questions I always get from people— being that I’m a sports reporter—is, ‘Do you even like sports?’” Hartung says. “I grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. You would have to try not to like sports in a college town that saw the success LSU did while I was growing up.”
As far as sports anchors go, Kaylee Hartung is, without a doubt, the real deal: charming, exuberant and sincerely dedicated to covering one of Austin’s most beloved pastimes—the University of Texas Longhorns. ATX Man sat down with Hartung to find out ho w she’s taken to her new life in the heart of the Lone Star State.
On living in Austin “I love Austin. I mean, who doesn’t love Austin? Everyone knows Austin has this reputation for being such a cool city, and by ‘cool,’ I mean it in the best sense of the word, without being cliché. That is, unless you’re talking about the temperature.”
On love for college sports “For some of these kids, it’s the last time they will ever play that game—the one they’ve grown up loving, the one they’ve dedicated their lives to. And there’s something so special about being able to witness that.”
On where you can usually find her “Let’s see…West Sixth—that’s where I frequent. Star Bar and Woodrow’s are two great spots. And I love Rainey Street. Any time you put me in front of live music with a cold beer, I’m probably going to be pretty happy.”
On what makes a man attractive “I definitely need to date someone who enjoys watching sports and talking about sports. I go for a pretty classic look. I’m not going to say that I’m married to a polo-and-khakis or a button-down-and- khakis look, but I just like someone who is put together. Whatever their style may be, as long as it’s clear they’re put together and put a little thought into it, and that they take pride in their appearance…I am a Southern girl, in heart and in mind.”
On where you should take her on a date “Somewhere not too loud. I like to have a good conversation. If you manage to find a bad restaurant in Austin, this date is clearly going nowhere.”
