Elise Woodward played basketball at Husky Stadium's neighbor, Hec Edmundson Pavilion, for four seasons in the 1990s.

On Sunday, September 6, she will call the 118th Apple Cup, UW's 2026 season opener against Washington State, from the Bob Rondeau radio booth as the first woman to serve as the full-time radio play-by-play voice of University of Washington football.

UW Athletic Director Pat Chun announced Woodward's hiring Tuesday, July 28. She starts September 6.

Woodward, a Eugene, Oregon, native who arrived in Seattle in 1993 as a recruit named Elise Niemela, spent 23 seasons as UW football's radio sideline reporter before earning the promotion.

"When I was on my recruiting trip to UW as a senior in high school, I had the chance to meet Don James in his office," Woodward said in the university's announcement. "He told me, 'I hope you become a Husky.' Now decades later, it is a full circle moment to get this opportunity to call UW football."

Woodward's playing career at Washington included three NCAA tournament appearances and a Sweet 16 run in 1995. She was a first-team All-Academic selection and team captain as a senior in 1997.

Her broadcasting resume since then stretches across Seattle sports. She spent 19 years as the Seattle Storm's color analyst, calling more than 600 games, according to Sports Business Journal.

She hosted her own radio show on KJR for more than a decade, worked as a TV sideline reporter for the SuperSonics, and served as a studio analyst for the Portland Trail Blazers on ROOT Sports.

Woodward will continue as the television play-by-play voice of the WNBA's Portland Fire expansion team, a role she took on in April 2026 after leaving the Storm. She also remains a national play-by-play broadcaster for men's and women's college basketball on FOX and the Big Ten Network. UW will hire a separate men's basketball radio voice.

Week ahead

Sunday, September 6 — Husky Stadium (3800 Montlake Blvd NE, Montlake). Washington vs. Washington State, 118th Apple Cup. Woodward's broadcast debut as the full-time voice of Husky football.