About Me
Hello! My name is Kylen Mills and I'm a versatile sports broadcaster with a decade of experience. I'm a Chicago area native who was raised in a family of passionate sports fans. I also grew up a competitive athlete, playing every sport possible before deciding to play DII soccer in college. I've been fortunate enough to translate my passions for sports, storytelling and connecting with people into a career that I love. Thanks for stopping by to learn more about me!
My Story
I've loved sports for pretty much as long as I can remember. At 3-years-old my parents put me in our park district preschool soccer program a year early. I was one of just two girls who played "little dribblers" basketball at age 5. I will never forget sitting on my Dad's shoulders at the Chicago Bulls 1998 NBA Championship rally in downtown Chicago while Michael Jordan hoisted the trophy. At my parents house today you'll find a Chicago Cubs flag hanging by the front door, a framed newspaper article on the Bulls 3-peat repeat in the hallway and a Mia Hamm poster still hanging over my bed. My favorite memories from growing up are of the long weekends spent with teammates at travel soccer tournaments, basketball team sleepovers, and watching Cubs games with my Dad. Sports built my character, lifelong friendships, and I got to witness firsthand the way it brings people together. While I never did reach my goal of playing for the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team, covering sports for a living is pretty freaking cool.
I had never considered a career in broadcasting until high school when I opted to take the “intro to broadcasting” class instead of taking speech. Wow am I glad I did! I ended up anchoring my school’s morning announcements TV show. I got my hands on a camera for the first time, learned AVID and all the different roles that go into producing a newscast. I’ve been hooked ever since!
I majored in broadcast journalism at Lewis University in Romeoville, IL where I played 4 years of DII soccer and 1 season of tennis. In college I worked as a producer and anchor for the school’s TV station, and I was the only woman who called basketball and volleyball games for the school's radio and TV broadcasts. I hosted a radio show, wrote for the school newspaper, worked for the admissions office as a student tour guide, and took part in various community service projects. I also completed internships at ABC 7 News (WLS-TV) and WGN-TV in Chicago, and MTV.com in New York City. Yes, there was time for some fun mixed in there too. However, immersing myself in all things broadcast in college only confirmed that I was in the right field.
Since graduating from Lewis in December of 2012, my broadcasting career has taken me all over the country. 2 weeks after walking across the stage I packed my bags and moved a few hours west to the Quad Cities to get my start in TV News as a news MMJ. After 2 years of living on the Mississippi River I moved to Oklahoma City, then to Lexington and finally to San Francisco. I recently spent two years as a sports anchor and reporter at KRON 4 News where I covered the 49ers, Warriors, Giants, A's, Sharks and Earthquakes. I reported live at big games for every sport and worked hard to develop relationships in order to find unique feature story ideas that I wrote, shot and edited. I also anchored sportscasts on Fridays and Saturdays, co-hosted a 30-minute sports show called Sports Night Live and another 30-minute Warriors-focused show called Hoop Session during basketball season.
While at KRON, I also got a taste of working as a play-by-play broadcaster, analyst and sideline reporter on the side for some local college. In the fall of 2022 I decided it was time to take the leap out of local news to pursue my dream of working for a sports network and working on game broadcasts. A mentor told me some sage advice - you'll never regret betting on yourself. I now work for the PAC-12 Network as a play-by-play broadcaster and analyst on soccer and basketball broadcasts, as well as fill-in hosting studio cut-ins during football season. I got the chance to work as an analyst for NWSL broadcasts on Paramount+, and started working as a sideline reporter for San Jose State University football and basketball broadcasts airing on NBC Sports Bay Area, in addition to several other gigs.
When I'm not covering or calling a big game in the Bay Area, you can likely find me on the pitch. I've played in competitive coed soccer leagues my entire adult life. Aside from that, I am passionate about animals and volunteering. My fiancée and I are volunteer fosters for a local senior dog rescue organization. I volunteer delivering meals with the Salvation Army and before the pandemic I volunteered as an announcer at Special Olympics events. I'm also a strong advocate for women in sports, and I am a member of the Association for Women in Sports Media. In general, I'm a firm believer that we are all responsible for making the world a better place, and that starts with helping one person at a time.
I'm always looking for new opportunities and ways to continue growing my career. Thanks for stopping by, feel free to reach me at kylenmills@gmail.com!