History of Clay Travis in Timeline

Clay Travis is an American writer, lawyer, radio host, and television analyst. He is known as the founder of OutKick, a sports and political opinion website. Travis is recognized for his conservative viewpoints and outspoken commentary on sports, politics, and culture, often sparking controversy and debate. His career spans across various media platforms, establishing him as a prominent figure in the realm of sports and political media.

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Full Timeline

April 6, 1979: Clay Travis' Birth

On April 6, 1979, Richard Clay Travis was born. He later became a writer, lawyer, radio host, television analyst, and founder of OutKick.

1997: Graduation from High School

In 1997, Clay Travis graduated from Martin Luther King Magnet at Pearl High School in Nashville.

2000: Worked on Al Gore's Presidential Campaign

In 2000, Clay Travis worked on Al Gore's presidential campaign.

2002: Fired From Jim Cooper's Campaign

In 2002, Clay Travis was hired to work on U.S. Representative Jim Cooper's congressional campaign but was fired for wrecking Cooper's wife's car.

2004: Pudding Strike for NFL Sunday Ticket

In late 2004, while living in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Clay Travis gained media attention for his "pudding strike," where he ate only pudding for 50 days in an unsuccessful attempt to get DirecTV to carry NFL Sunday Ticket. He blogged about the experience.

September 2005: Begins Writing for CBS Sports

In September 2005, Clay Travis began writing online for CBS Sports, initially without pay.

2006: Quits Law, Starts MFA

In 2006, Clay Travis gave up his law practice and began an MFA program in fiction writing at Vanderbilt University.

2008: Works Out With NFL Prospects, Writes 'Rough Draft'

In 2008, Clay Travis worked out at D1 Sports Training with NFL prospects preparing for the NFL Draft, later writing a ten-part serial about the experience titled Rough Draft.

2010: Starts 3HL Radio Show

In 2010, Clay Travis began a daily sports radio show on Nashville’s 104.5 The Zone, 3HL.

2010: Named 'Best Sports Radio Host We Love To Hate'

In 2010, Clay Travis was named "Best Sports Radio Host We Love To Hate" by Nashville Scene in their "Best of Nashville" issue.

2011: Founds Outkickthecoverage.com

In 2011, Clay Travis founded Outkickthecoverage.com, which later became a popular college football website. He developed a reputation for contrarian opinions.

2014: Joins Fox Sports

In 2014, Clay Travis resigned from 3HL and was hired by Fox Sports for its weekly college football Saturday pre-game show.

2015: Signs Deal with Fox Sports to License Sports Media Brand

In 2015, Clay Travis signed a deal with Fox Sports to license his entire sports media brand, including Outkick the Coverage, which was integrated into Fox Sports' website.

2015: Called Out by DeMarcus Cousins

In 2015, DeMarcus Cousins called out Clay Travis for a 2010 prediction that Cousins would be arrested within five years. Travis offered to donate to a charity of Cousins' choosing in response.

August 2016: Criticizes Vanderbilt, Loses Jack Daniel's Deal

In August 2016, Clay Travis criticized Vanderbilt University for removing "Confederate" from Confederate Memorial Hall, leading to the loss of a $3,000 promotion deal with Jack Daniel's due to his Twitter commentary.

2016: Starts National Radio Show with Fox Sports Radio

In 2016, Clay Travis began a national radio show with Fox Sports Radio.

2016: Voted for Gary Johnson

In 2016, Clay Travis, a self-described "radical moderate," voted for Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party.

2016: Starts 'Outkick the Coverage' Radio Show

In 2016, after leaving 3HL, Clay Travis began the “Outkick the Coverage” radio show for Fox Sports Radio nationwide.

September 15, 2017: CNN Appearance on Free Speech

On September 15, 2017, Clay Travis appeared on CNN with Brooke Baldwin to discuss free speech and Jemele Hill's comments, leading to controversy when Travis used a phrase about "boobs" on national television, resulting in the interview being cut short.

September 20, 2017: Considering Running for U.S. Senator

On September 20, 2017, Clay Travis announced that he was considering running as an Independent for U.S. Senator of Tennessee in the 2018 election if incumbent Bob Corker decided not to run.

2018: Starts Daily Sports Gambling TV Show

In 2018, Clay Travis began a daily sports gambling TV show for Fox Sports on Fox Sports 1, which aired for four seasons.

2018: Criticizes Nike's Kaepernick Ad

In 2018, during the U.S. national anthem kneeling protests, Clay Travis criticized Nike's advertisement featuring Colin Kaepernick, predicting it would harm Nike's reputation. However, Nike's sales and stock value increased.

October 30, 2020: Announces First Republican Vote

On October 30, 2020, Clay Travis announced that he would be voting for Donald Trump in that year's presidential election, marking the first time he had ever voted for a Republican for president.

May 2021: Leaves Fox Sports Radio

In May 2021, Clay Travis left the “Outkick the Coverage” radio show for Fox Sports Radio nationwide after it was announced that he and Buck Sexton would take over Rush Limbaugh's time slot on Premiere Networks.

June 21, 2021: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show Debuts

On June 21, 2021, The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, a three-hour weekday conservative talk show, premiered as the replacement for The Rush Limbaugh Show on many radio stations.

2021: Nike Stock Price Peak

In 2021, Nike stock price reached peak value of over $160 a share, following Clay Travis's criticism of Nike's advertisement featuring Colin Kaepernick in 2018.

2021: Joins Big Noon Kickoff

Since 2021 Clay Travis has been on Fox Sports’s Big Noon Kickoff college football pregame show.

2022: Sports Gambling Show Ends

In 2022, Clay Travis's daily sports gambling TV show for Fox Sports ended after four seasons.

2023: OutKick YouTube Channel Reaches 1 Million Subscribers

In 2023, the YouTube channel for OutKick reached 1,000,000 subscribers.

April 15, 2024: Suggests Jury Tampering

On April 15, 2024, Clay Travis suggested on Twitter that New Yorkers sympathetic to Donald Trump should try to be selected for jury service and hide their sympathies during the selection process for the former president's "hush money" trial. This post was criticized as potentially being jury tampering.