For BU Grad and Fox Sports media personality Jenny Taft, settling back in Boston with husband, Matt Gilroy, as their careers -and family- continues to blossom has been a dream come true.
With a very focused collection of talented people descending on the Terrier Suite at Hotel Commonwealth in the heart of Kenmore Square, Jenny Taft soaks in each moment, warmly welcoming everyone on the crew with a handshake or hug, naturally showcasing the smile, congeniality and effervescence that have made her one of the nation’s most likable and trusted media personalities.
Less than 48 hours after wrapping up her most recent assignment, covering the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final for FOX Sports in Houston, TX, the 2010 Boston University grad is back in the city where her broadcasting journey began, taking time to reflect and share stories about a time when her future was uncertain and her will to succeed was established.
The BostonMan Magazine feature shoot is one of many things happening at Hotel Commonwealth on this day. Hours before the Red Sox are set to host the Rockies, players from both teams casually stroll the halls, our crew working around them as we artistically capture the beauty and essence of a superstar.
We’re less than a mile from where the most significant turning point in Jenny’s life took place, a fork in the road she points to with clarity as a moment the dominoes of fate began falling in the right direction.
“As a freshman in college, I got cut from the BU lacrosse team,” she said with a chuckle, an indication the story doesn’t end there, but is just beginning. “I ended up emailing the coach, Liz Robertshaw, who’s not there anymore, and I wrote something along the lines of, ‘Hey, I think I’m good enough. Just give me a month to earn your trust and show you I can play with these girls who’ve been playing lacrosse from their early days.’ Liz responded, ‘You know what? No one’s ever said that to me. Come by my office.’”
Jenny nervously made the walk, her cards now face-up on the table, internally summoning the confidence necessary to stand face-to-face while pleading her case, an early chance for an 18-year-old young woman from Minnesota to assert conviction and belief in herself. After a brief discussion, the meeting ended with Coach Robertshaw tossing an oversized practice tank top from the bottom of the pile, saying, “You’ve got a month. Let’s see what you can do.”
With the clock of opportunity ticking, Jenny spent day after day in that baggy #5 tank, working out with the team, focused on strengthening the ball-handling skills that were adequate in high school, but deficient at the collegiate level, particularly her weaker right hand. As summer turned into fall, she endeared herself to her potential teammates and coaching staff through a relentless work ethic, and 30 days after her initial meeting in Coach Robertshaw’s office, she returned for the final verdict.
“Yeah, you’re on the team,” said the coach.
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“If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” – Michael Jordan
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Jenny grew up in Edina, Minnesota, the daughter of Mary and John Taft, entrenched in a sports household since birth. Mary was a competitive speed skater, while John was the captain of the 1976 US Olympic Hockey Team, playing professionally for six seasons, including a 15-game stint with the Detroit Red Wings in the 1978-79 season.
Of course, Jenny laced up the skates, as did her brother, Charlie, and hockey remains her first love. Driven by a desire to achieve, she set her sights on a college experience on the east coast.
“The decision to go to BU ultimately came down to the fact that I wanted to be a girl from the Midwest who could play a sport out east, whether it was ice hockey or lacrosse,” she said. “During a tour of Boston with my dad, we passed Walter Brown Arena, and Dad told me he had played a game there once and it was an amazing atmosphere.”
Providence had already said “yes” to Jenny to play hockey for the Friars. Amherst College wanted her to do a post-graduate year, but Jenny wasn’t sold on the idea. Besides wanting to play a sport, she was focused on pursuing journalism, so the marriage of Boston’s electric atmosphere and one of the country’s most renowned Communications and Journalism programs was perfect.
“It was almost meant to be that Dad and I went on this drive and walked through Walter Brown. It was such a great fit,” she said, recalling the memory from almost 20 years ago.
Jenny’s cousin, KC, went to MIT, and KC’s sister, Hannah, went to Boston College, so the midwestern trio formed a special bond as they canvased The Hub, hanging out together as much as possible and providing each other a sense of family.
Mary, Jenny’s mom, was a flight attendant, and took advantage of her job perks so the whole Taft family could attend as many BU lacrosse games as possible.
“It didn’t feel like they were that far away, and I’m very grateful because traveling adds up, but the thought that my parents could be at my games and just be around made it less daunting to be away from home,” she said.
Before Jenny settled into a routine, she had to get used to life in the big city, surrounded by a buzz and level of activity she hadn’t experienced in Minnesota. Kenmore Square, and the area encompassing it, made an immediate impression.
“On the first day of school, I was with KC and we were walking along Bay State Road when we ran into a few hockey players, and guess who was part of the group? Matt.”
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“Meeting you was fate. Becoming your friend was a choice. But falling in love with you I had no control over.” – Teresa Conroy
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Matt Gilroy, Jenny’s husband, is one of Boston University’s most decorated hockey alums, a three-time All-American defenseman who finished his Terriers career with 92 career points. In 2009, he won the Hobey Baker Award and led BU to a dramatic 4-3 overtime win in the national championship game against Miami (OH), capping a stellar four-year career.
He played almost 450 games in the NHL and KHL before retiring from the game in 2019. Five years later, in 2024, he joined the Harvard coaching staff, working under Ted Donato with the Crimson.
“The lacrosse team and the hockey team at BU were pretty tight, which is how I got to know Matt,” said Jenny. “That part of the story is pretty wild, too. You just never know. It was meant to be that I was part of that lacrosse experience, and it was great. We were Top 10 in the country back then, and it was a fantastic four years.”
Many days during those four years were spent absorbing the beauty and sophisticated charm of Boston.
“I remember taking the T to Newbury Street and hitting the coffee shops, doing homework and thinking how glamorous it was, how lucky I was to go to school in Boston,” said Jenny. “Living here as a college kid is pretty awesome.”
Balancing the schedule of a Division 1 athlete with the rigors of a challenging academic program and the expectations of a demanding faculty made Jenny who she is today – a hustling multi-tasker who can find comfort in most situations. The skills that made her one of the nation’s top sideline reporters and interviewers were honed in the halls of 640 Commonwealth Avenue, home to BU’s College of Communications.
“Frank Shorr was a legendary professor, and he was tough on me, in a good way.” said Jenny. “His sports broadcasting class gave me my first taste of thinking that I really wanted to do this. In fact, I had to leave lacrosse practice 15 minutes early on Wednesdays to get to his class. I told my coach, Liz, this is what I want to do with my life, and she and I both agreed it was the right choice to let me go to that class on time.”
Shorr, who recently retired, was a longtime executive sports producer at WHDH, senior lecturer and Director of the Sports Institute at BU. His recollections of Jenny are consistent with what we heard from many.
“Jenny was always someone I could count on to bring a great attitude, a smile and a great story to our productions,” said Frank. “I’m very proud of how far she’s come and the way she approaches her job.”
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“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.” – Steve Jobs
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When Jenny graduated, in 2010, after spending some time in New York as Matt played with the Rangers, she went home to Minnesota and reached out to some colleagues at FOX Sports North, where she had previously interned.
“They were hiring for a new marketing role. They needed fan ambassadors to go to games, and because I played hockey, they loved the idea that I could do demos on the ice and be involved with the Minnesota Gophers and the Minnesota Wild,” she said. “I was an in-arena host for the Twins and Wild, so FOX Sports North really got me going. The people there were supportive of me and just helped along the way.”
What made Jenny stand out from the crowd and helped pave the way to a successful future in broadcasting was her ability to facilitate and interview, skills she refined while shadowing Marney Gellner at FS North.
“Marney told me as long as I brought her a white chocolate mocha from Caribou I could shadow her,” she said. “I was so grateful for her guidance, and I always thought she was the best interviewer because of how conversational she is. It’s never scripted. She’s such a good listener and that’s key.”
To this day, Jenny offers students who are interested the opportunity to shadow her as she works, all because Marney did it for her.
“As long as they bring you a coffee,” I joked.
“As good as everyone at FS North was,” said Jenny as we refocused, “I do remember thinking there wasn’t really a spot for me there because no one was going anywhere.”
Because of the logjam of talent in Minneapolis, Jenny reached out across the country and faced a crossroads in 2013 when a pair of equally enticing opportunities presented themselves at the same time.
NESN was looking for a Bruins reporter, and given Jenny’s background in hockey and knowledge of the sport, she was a natural. At the same time, FOX was launching Fox Sports 1 in Los Angeles and hiring a new collection of on-air talent. In the end, both networks wanted Jenny and she was forced to choose – a good position, for sure.
“I knew so much about ice hockey, and while that was the sport I felt most comfortable with, I felt if I went down the hockey route, I may never NOT do hockey,” she said. “Also, Matt was still playing and hockey was his world. I kind of wanted my own world. FS1 didn’t know exactly what they were going to do with me, but they wanted to hire me, so I moved to LA.”
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“Decision is a risk rooted in the courage of being free” – Paul Tillich
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Ryan Field, one of the original anchors for FS1 and the current Lead Sports Anchor at WABC-TV in New York, recalled meeting Jenny for the first time.
“I happened to be on set the day Jenny came in for her audition and let’s just say, you could tell she was destined for big things,” said Ryan. “Her desire to be great is matched by her warm smile and genuine demeanor, two things that jump off the screen every time you watch her. We shared the stage several times and I was always impressed by her work ethic and how she made everyone around her better.”
As the network gained traction, so did Jenny, earning early praise for her work covering Supercross motorcycle racing. “I didn’t know much about the sport, but I learned about it and it was one of the best opportunities to get reps.” FOX execs were impressed with her storytelling, and they wanted a reporter to be with the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team during the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. That’s where Jenny’s ability to foster relationships and earn trust set her apart.
“David Neal, an Executive Producer at FOX Sports, introduced me to the team, telling the players and coaches I was going to be with the team every single day,” Jenny said. “He wanted to make sure they were good with that, and Abby Wambach, the captain said, ‘She played a sport?’ and I told her, ‘Yeah, I played lacrosse at BU.’ Abby said, ‘Alright, she’s good. She gets it. She can hang.’ From there I felt like I was in – thank goodness I emailed Liz about getting that second shot with the lacrosse team, right?”
The FOX Sports schedule never stops, and Jenny’s calendar is always full. In addition to her duties covering soccer, she recently wrapped up the 2025 UFL season and is currently preparing for the latest college football campaign and her role as sideline reporter for FOX’s Big Noon Saturday. You can also catch her commentary during the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
Last year, Matt and Jenny returned to Boston when Harvard hired Matt to join the hockey coaching staff. Three-year-old daughter, Georgie “Gigi”, named in honor of her grandfather, George, is the center of their existence as they enjoy married life in the city their love first bloomed.
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“Some places stay with you, not because you never left, but because a part of you never did.” – Author Unknown
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“We went to a Red Sox game recently for the first time in a long time, and I was walking by the souvenir shop outside Fenway Park,” said Jenny. “I remember doing a report for that class I took with Frank Shorr. It’s all so vivid – taking the T, carrying the camera everywhere, setting up the tripod, recording it. I think I remember the entire script. And there I was, walking past that spot thinking, ‘This is it. I did that thing! I wanted this, and I’m doing it.’ I think Frank Shorr gave me an A.”
Fifteen years later, she’s still passing the course with flying colors, and her circuitous path filled with connections, memories and highlights has led ‘home,’ with a slew of stories to share and plenty of questions left in the tank.
“I’ve seen some incredible moments, and I’m so honored that I’m the one who gets to ask the first questions,” she said. “That’s not lost on me.”
When and if you ever doubt Jenny’s conviction and drive, remember the 18-year-old young woman who advocated for herself, changing her life story with one e-mail. No door is fully closed until you say it is.
