Holly Bankemper: Law Career, Fort Thomas Schools and Cris Collinsworth

On fall Sundays, millions of NFL fans hear Cris Collinsworth call the action. Back in northern Kentucky, his wife has spent years doing work that rarely makes a TV highlight reel. Holly Bankemper Collinsworth trained as a lawyer and has helped local schools get more support. Her story is rooted in Fort Thomas, a town where football, families, and public schools often meet.

She has been part of the Collinsworth family for decades, but that is not the full picture. Her law studies, ties to her hometown, and long work for education give readers a much richer view of her life.

Who Is Holly Bankemper?

Holly Bankemper is an American attorney from Kentucky and the wife of former Cincinnati Bengals player and NFL broadcaster Cris Collinsworth. She earned a law degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1988. The couple married in 1989 and have four children: Katie, Austin, Ashley, and Jac.

She is also known for her work with the Fort Thomas Education Foundation. Her role with the group links her legal career and family life to a long drive to help schools in her hometown.

While her husband works in football media, Bankemper has focused on law, family, and community projects in northern Kentucky.

Roots in Fort Thomas, Kentucky

Fort Thomas sits across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. It has its own schools, neighborhoods, and sports culture. For Holly Bankemper, the city was home long before people knew her as the wife of a national sports figure.

She went to Highlands High School, a school with deep ties to local families. The Fort Thomas Education Foundation lists her as a member of the school’s class of 1981. She later returned to help support the school system that had shaped her own youth.

That local tie is one of the main parts of her story. She did not have to move far away to build a useful career or take part in civic life. Some of her most lasting work has been close to home.

College Years and a Path Into Law

After high school, Holly Bankemper went to the University of Kentucky. She was also a cheerleader there, which gave her an early link to college sports. A few years later, her studies took a more formal turn.

She earned a law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1988. Law school is hard work. Students must learn how rules apply to real cases, how to read long texts, and how to make a clear case for a client.

Her education also brought her into Cincinnati at a time when Cris Collinsworth was playing for the Bengals. The couple met during the 1980s, before she had finished her law studies.

Holly Bankemper went on to practice law. Holly Bankemper’s law career has been part of her life for years, even though most national news stories focus on her husband’s work in football.

Meeting Cris Collinsworth in Cincinnati

Cris Collinsworth was a wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals in the 1980s. He was known for his speed, height, and skill at making tough catches. At the same time, Holly was building her future in law.

They met in Cincinnati and formed a relationship while their careers were taking shape. In 1988, the year she finished law school, they became engaged. The wedding followed in 1989.

Their marriage began as Holly Bankemper’s husband was nearing the end of his football career. He would soon become known for his work as a sports analyst. She built her own career, and both stayed linked to the Cincinnati area.

The local setting matters. Cincinnati and Fort Thomas are close, yet each has its own feel. It meant the couple could build a home near Holly’s family roots while his work took him across the country.

A Marriage That Spans More Than Three Decades

Holly Bankemper and Cris Collinsworth married in 1989. By October 2026, they had been married for more than 37 years. That is a long stretch of shared life through careers, children, and major shifts in the sports world.

Cris made the move from playing in the NFL to speaking about games on television. Over time, his voice became familiar to people who watch Sunday night football. The job often means travel, late nights, and a packed schedule.

The couple also raised four children. Holly Bankemper and her family lived in the Cincinnati and northern Kentucky area, where school and sports became part of the household’s daily life.

In a 2001 interview with Cincinnati Magazine, Cris spoke with warmth about his wife and the strength she brought to their family. The remark reflects a long partnership that continued well after his NFL days.

Their Four Children and the Paths They Chose

The Collinsworths have two daughters, Katie and Ashley, and two sons, Austin and Jac. All four grew up in a family where sport and media were part of the picture. Yet their adult lives have taken different turns.

Katie worked in television production, including roles linked to NBC and Golf Channel. She has also built a family of her own. Her work has been behind the camera rather than in a sports booth.

Austin played college football at Notre Dame. He served as a team captain and later moved into sports business. He has worked as chief operating officer at Pro Football Focus, a firm known for data and analysis of the game.

Ashley took part in track and field at Harvard. Her life shows another part of the family’s sports ties, this time in college athletics away from football.

Jac followed a path into broadcasting. He worked with ESPN and NBC Sports and took on roles at football games and other major events. The move put him in a field close to his father’s, but his own career grew through work on screen.

These are four distinct lives. They also show how a home full of sports and school life can lead to many kinds of work, not just one job passed from parent to child.

Work for Fort Thomas Public Schools

Holly Bankemper’s civic work offers a different view of her adult life. She has been involved with the Fort Thomas Education Foundation, a group that raises funds to help the city’s public schools.

The foundation’s official board page lists Holly Bankemper Collinsworth on its advisory council. It also notes her ties to the Highlands High School class of 1981.

The foundation helps pay for school needs that are hard to cover with normal budgets. It has supported building work, teacher grants, and materials for classrooms. Those efforts can help children long after a single event or fundraiser is over.

Holly Bankemper’s part in that work fits with her roots in the town. The schools that served one generation can grow with help from people who once sat in their classrooms. For Holly, community ties and public education have remained closely linked.

A Library View That Became a Fundraiser

One small moment from her school work helps show how local ideas can grow. Years ago, foundation members visited the new Highlands Middle School. The library looked out over the football field.

Holly Collinsworth and Ron Dill saw that the view could give fans a new way to enjoy games. The idea became part of the foundation’s Friday night fundraising efforts. The library also gained a $25,000 grant for books.

What started as a look through a window led to a project that served both sports fans and students. That is the kind of local detail that gets lost when someone is known only through a famous marriage.

The story also says something about school funds. A good idea may come from seeing how a room, a game, and a community fit together. It does not always start with a large plan.

Support for Health and Youth Programs

In 2002, the couple helped launch the Cris Collinsworth ProScan Fund. The nonprofit has worked on breast cancer support and programs for children. Some of its projects use chess as a way for young people to learn and build skills.

Those two goals serve different needs. Health programs aim to help people get care and support. Youth projects can give children a safe place to grow, learn to plan, and spend time with friends.

Holly has been linked to the work of the family foundation as well as local schools. The focus on care and education has given the Collinsworth family ways to help outside the sports world.

This matters in a region where many families know the couple through football. Community work creates a more direct link with neighbors who may never attend a big NFL game.

Her Place in the Fort Thomas Community

The Fort Thomas Education Foundation has helped renovate schools and support teachers. It says its wider efforts have given back millions of dollars to local education. Holly Bankemper is one of many people who have helped push that mission forward.

According to the foundation’s own website, the group has backed work at all five schools in the district. It has also helped place new learning materials in classrooms. Those projects show how a community can back public schools across many years.

For Holly, her work is personal as well as civic. She attended local schools, raised a family in the area, and stayed linked to the same district through community service.

People often think a well-known sports family must be based in a large media city. The Collinsworths have kept strong ties to northern Kentucky, where daily life moves at a very different pace from a national TV broadcast.

How Her Life Differs From a Sports Celebrity Story

Cris Collinsworth’s work takes place in front of a vast audience. Fans hear him explain plays, judge key moves, and talk through close games. His career is built on public speech.

Holly Bankemper’s work has had a lower profile. She studied law, worked as an attorney, raised children, and served local schools. Those jobs call for different kinds of skill and care.

It is easy to tell only the football side of this family. But her life shows how a spouse can have a career and interests of their own, even when one partner is seen on TV most weeks.

Her work with education groups is especially telling. It puts time and effort into something people in Fort Thomas use every day: their schools.

An Ongoing Link to Home

Some careers take people far from the places where they grew up. Holly Bankemper’s life has kept returning to Fort Thomas. From Highlands High School to law school, family life, and school support, the town has remained part of her story.

She is an attorney, mother of four, and longtime partner of one of football’s best-known voices. Her community work adds a part that has its own value beyond national sports news.

For readers who enjoy learning about the families behind familiar sports voices, explore Rich Orosco’s work in sports marketing and his life with Julie Benz on Turquoise Moon Homes.