Anchors & Reporters

Larry Smith is a sports anchor for Headline News. Based in CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta, Smith joined Headline News in July 2001.

For Headline News and CNN, Smith reported about the return of the New Orleans Saints to the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina and the Boston Red Sox’s 2004 World Series victory that ended the "Curse of the Bambino." Smith has covered more than 30 major championship events for CNN, including nine Final Fours, four NBA Finals, three Super Bowls and the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy.

Smith joined CNN Worldwide in December 1993 as an anchor for CNN Sports and later for CNN-Sports Illustrated, the 24-hour sports news network. He served as host of Sports Tonight, Sports Latenight and This Week In The NBA.

A recipient of Eastern Illinois University's Distinguished Alumni Award in 2002, Smith started in broadcasting at WLBH AM & FM and WMCI-FM in his hometown of Mattoon, Ill. He began his television career at WICD-TV in Champaign, Ill., and later worked as a news and sports reporter at WBIR-TV in Knoxville, Tenn., and WPTV-TV in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Each year, Smith hosts the Larry Smith Celebrity Golf Classic, which has awarded tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships to top-level, college-bound students.

Smith earned his bachelor's degree in speech communication from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Ill.