Overland Park-raised actor Jason Sudeikis will serve as ESPN College GameDay’s celebrity guest picker Saturday, Nov. 7, when the show broadcasts from Notre Dame ahead of the No. 11 Fighting Irish’s game against No. 1 Miami.
ESPN announced the appearance Thursday, Nov. 5. The actor, who grew up in Overland Park and is the star of "Ted Lasso," told Pat McAfee on The Pat McAfee Show the gig represents "the pinnacle of my Notre Dame (fandom)."
The picks segment typically airs around 10:45 a.m. CT on ESPN, according to KCTV5. The full GameDay broadcast begins at 8 a.m. CT from the Notre Dame campus.
Family ties to Notre Dame
Sudeikis explained his connection to the Fighting Irish during his McAfee appearance.
"Big in my family growing up," Sudeikis said of Notre Dame fandom. "My folks are from Chicago; my mom is from the South side. Her father, my grandfather, was a graduate from Notre Dame. I have another uncle, my Uncle Jim; he's a graduate from Notre Dame in 1975."
His other uncle is actor George Wendt, known for his role on "Cheers." Wendt also attended Notre Dame. "Dropped out after his junior year because he skipped all his finals," Sudeikis explained.
The Notre Dame athletics account, @FightingIrish, announced Sudeikis as the guest picker on X, citing his "deep family roots" at the university.
Overland Park roots
Sudeikis graduated from Shawnee Mission West in 1994, where he competed on the forensics team under longtime teacher Sally Shipley, according to Fox 4 Kansas City. Fellow actor Paul Rudd also competed on Shipley's forensics team, graduating in 1987.
KCTV5 described Sudeikis as known for his ties to Kansas City and his fandom of local teams, including the Kansas Jayhawks.
Sudeikis named a character in "Ted Lasso" after Shipley, who taught speech, forensics, theater, English and radio/television at Shawnee Mission West for 31 years.
