Bob Varsha - Early Years

Early Years

Varsha graduated from Dartmouth College in 1973 with a bachelor of arts degree in foreign language. While attending Dartmouth, Varsha won varsity letters in cross country and track. He even made the finals of the U.S. Olympic Trials marathon event twice, doing so while attending Emory University School of Law. Varsha then went on to practice law in Atlanta, but his life took a different direction when TBS asked him to cover the Peachtree Road Race, which he headed as part of the Atlanta Track Club in 1980. He did so well that TBS offered him a part-time job. In 1986, Varsha joined ESPN, where he not only became their host of Formula One coverage, but also hosted many other international sports events including gymnastics, figure skating, track & field and 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 1999, Varsha moved to SPEED, then known as SpeedVision.

Varsha also won the inaugural Peach Bowl Half Marathon in 1980, winning at a time of 1:08:23. (In the mid-1970s, until 1980, the Atlanta Marathon was aligned with the Peach Bowl; in 1981, the race moved to its present Thanksgiving date, and the half-marathon was restored in 1984.)