Paul Sunderland

Sunderland grew up in Sherman Oaks, in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. He attended Notre Dame High School, graduating in 1970. Sunderland played basketball and football at Notre Dame, and was a San Fernando Valley League All-League selection as both a wide receiver in football and as a forward in basketball. Between his freshman and sophomore college seasons, he began playing a great deal of beach volleyball, and he joined the University of Oregon's USVBA club team during his sophomore year. Sunderland states he set a goal to play on the United States national volleyball team. Following his sophomore year, he transferred to Loyola Marymount so he could play basketball and volleyball. Sunderland was invited to try out for the United States national team in 1975, and he made the cut for the developmental squad. Sunderland set winning an Olympic gold medal as a lifetime goal. Teammate Kiraly, said: "It is something that he really wanted, and it was really neat to see that one of the oldest guys on the team was also the most excited." ==Broadcasting career==

Following the completion of his playing career, Sunderland pursued a career in broadcasting. Sunderland's athletic career formed the base for a broadcast career, initially working as a volleyball commentator. Said Marlowe, "Early on I was working with broadcasters who may not have known a volleyball from a pineapple. When Paul moved into the color spot – that really clicked. We were old friends, played together on the national team for years, and our chemistry was fantastic." Said Marlowe: "I can ask Paul anything on the air, at any time, and he always has an answer." In 1995, Sunderland was working for Prime, NBC and ESPN. Since 2005, Sunderland has worked as an announcer for NBC and Universal Sports, covering the Pac-12 in the sports of basketball, volleyball, track and field and tennis. He has worked doing the NBC Sports Group's summer Olympics coverage since the 1992 Games in Barcelona. Sunderland currently serves as a play-by-play announcer for both volleyball and men's basketball on ESPN. ==Awards==

Sunderland earned All-America honors while at Loyola Marymount in 1975. Sunderland has twice won the Emmy Award for his play-by-play announcing with the Los Angeles Lakers. ==Personal life==

Sunderland lives in Southern California with his wife, Maud-Ann. He met his wife at the 1977 World University Games in Bulgaria. Maud-Ann Tesch was a two-time national fencing champion from Sweden. She and Sunderland were married in Sweden in 1978. They have two children. ==References==