The Truth About Cris Collinsworth's Wife, Holly Bankemper
Cris Collinsworth will return for his third Super Bowl. Well, kind of. Collinsworth played wide receiver during the Bengal's first two trips to the Super Bowl in the 1980s, and now he will commentate their third on February 13 when the Cincinnati Bengals face off against the Los Angeles Rams for Super Bowl LVI. This will be his fifth Super Bowl as a game analyst, though. "I'm kind of filling out the trifecta here for them," Collinsworth told the New York Post during an interview.
Collinsworth might be happy to be back in the booth, but fans are divided. Diehard NFL fans might remember a few years ago when Collinsworth called the Eagles-Patriots game and subsequently came under fire for what some perceived as unfair commentary. Of course, criticism comes with his job, and Collinsworth is fully prepared to deal with it. Regardless, he's in a bit of a lose-lose situation this year, as he told the outlet. Either he will be accused of favoring the Bengals, or Bengals fans will be angry at Collinsworth for not favoring the team more. "You know, even when I do a regular-season Bengals games, the question always comes back, 'Why do you hate the Bengals?'" he said.
As a commentator, Collinsworth spends a lot of time on the road. He splits approximately half his time between Cincinnati and Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Holly Bankemper. So, what's her deal? What does Bankemper do while Collinsworth is on the road?
Holly Bankemper has an impressive career
If you were worried that Cris Collinsworth's wife, Holly Bankemper, would get bored while he travels during football season, don't be. She has definitely found a way to keep busy. Collinsworth's other half is a successful attorney who practices in their home base of Kentucky. Surprisingly, a love of the law is something that Collinsworth and Bankemper actually bonded over in their younger years, according to The Sun.
The pair were first introduced through friends when Bankemper was in college. They started dating and, a few years later, even enrolled in the University of Cincinnati College of Law around the same time. But, as it turned out, Bankemper's passion for the law far outweighed her husband's. While Bankemper went on to practice, Collinsworth quickly realized the life of a practicing attorney was not for him, and he decided to pursue a job in media.
The couple eventually decided to settle in Kentucky because of Bankemper's close ties to the area. "My wife is very happy here," Collinsworth told the Cincinnati Enquirer in 2002 (via Heavy). "Her parents are five minutes away. Her brother and sister are nearby. With me being away so much, it really does help that they're around to help. And I like it here, too."
Holly Bankemper is a busy mom
As if being a practicing attorney wasn't enough, Holly Bankemper also has her hands full with her four kids. Bankemper and Cris Collinsworth share Katie, Austin, Ashley, and Jac. Of course, these days, the kids are all grown up (some even have some kids of their own), but that doesn't mean that Bankemper is any less attentive to them. After all, they're doing some pretty big things.
All four kids seemed to have inherited their father's athleticism, as Ashley ran track at Harvard, Austin played football at Notre Dame, and Jac and Katie work in sports media. Jac followed in his father's footsteps and became a sports commentator. He's slated to make his Super Bowl debut in the premiere show of LVI, per The Sun.
Though Bankemper isn't very active on social media, you can see just how devoted she is to her kids thanks to their loving posts dedicated to their mother. In 2019 Jac posted a family photo with the caption: "Gave us a backbone & a heart. Owe you one. We love you Mama."