Sports have been a part of Marney Gellner’s life for as long as she can remember.

Growing up in Minot, N.D., she played four sports at Bishop Ryan High School, then went on to the University of Mary where she was part of the volleyball team for four years and the Marauder softball team for two years.

While in college, Gellner majored in communications and she found a way to incorporate sports into her professional life as an on-air sports reporter. In 1996 she started her career as a weekend sports anchor and sports reporter for KXMB-TV in Bismarck, N.D., and held that same position at WDAZTV in Grand Forks, N.D., and later WISC-TV in Madison, Wis.

In 2002, Gellner joined Fox Sports North in Minneapolis, and she’s been there ever since. She still remembers her first broadcast because the clipboard with her script fell off of her lap just as the broadcast started. 

More than 20 years later, Gellner has become a familiar face in front of the camera, and a popular TV personality for Twin Cities sports fans. She has served in a variety of roles including sideline reporter for the Minnesota Twins and Timberwolves, and play-by-play for the Minnesota Lynx and many of the Gopher women’s sports, including volleyball and basketball.

Gellner made history in 2018 when she became the second woman ever to serve as the lead television play-by-play announcer of an NBA game when she called a Timberwolves game against the Chicago Bulls with analyst Jim Petersen. She downplayed the significance of her role at the time - saying that women calling NBA games should be happening more frequently - and she approached the job like any other: professional, prepared, and with her well-known quick wit.

The following spring, Gellner made history again, this time becoming the first woman to call a Twins’ game in the club’s history. She called games for Fox Sports North and WCCO Radio for three days in a row, and went viral for her catchphrase “better call mama” when Twins players hit home runs.

While Gellner can be seen at sporting events at all levels across the Twin Cities, her most consistent gig has been with the Lynx. For 14 seasons, she has worked as the play-by-play announcer for Minnesota’s WNBA team, and called the game for fans across the country as the Lynx won four WNBA titles. 

While Gellner is a staple on the sidelines and in the booth at local sporting events, she also tries to be present at home for her two children. She avoids 10-day West Coast road trips with the Timberwolves, and missed Derrick Rose’s 50-point game in 2018 so she could go trick-or-treating with her family.

Whether she’s on the sidelines or in the booth, Gellner knows that girls around the Metro - and the country - are watching her, and she understands how important it is for those girls to see a woman on TV talking about sports. Gellner has a career doing what she loves, and while she’s entertaining and informing sports fans about their favorite teams, she’s also helping young girls see that if sports are their passion, there are no boundaries to where they can go.