ESPN Anchor
In 1979, one month after ESPN started broadcasting, a 24-year old sportscaster named Chris Berman made his debut at the Worldwide Leader. In his early years at ESPN, he regularly anchors the network's flagship sports news and information program SportsCenter for 11 years, one of his favorite moments at ESPN was when he reported on Joe Montana's unbelievable catch at the 1981 NFC Championship game at Candlestick Park, the 1989 earthquake during the Game 3 of the World Series in San Fransisco and he had the honor to call the Wednesday Night Baseball game on Cal Ripken's 2,131st consecutive game passing Lou Gehrig's record. On the eve of ESPN's 30th Anniversary, Berman co-hosted the SportsCenter's 30th Anniversary Special with Bob Ley and John Saunders on Sunday, September 6, 2009.
In 1987, when ESPN started broadcasting the National Football League games, NFL Primetime was launched as the pregame show for Sunday Night Football and Berman was the host, teaming with Tom Jackson (who just retired after playing the Denver Broncos) and the duo of Boomer & TJ has been providing scores, highlights and analysis for now 26 years. Berman was named the studio host for ABC's Monday Night Football in 1996 (the year when ESPN's parent company ABC was brought by The Walt Disney Company), he hosted the halftime show for five seasons including three Super Bowls for the ABC network and when ESPN acquired Monday Night Football from ABC, Berman hosted the halftime show in addition of his hosting duties on Monday Night Countdown (the pregame show prior to the game). Before NFL fans can watch their games, they turn to Sunday NFL Countdown every Sunday morning in which Berman has been the host of that show since its inception back in 1985. Since 2006, Berman and Tom Jackson host a daily segment on the 11 p.m. ET Sunday night edition of SportsCenter during the NFL regular season know as The Blitz, which featured highlights and analysis from each game. Berman has generally hosted the annual NFL Draft from New York City in prime-time for the first two rounds since 1980. In 2012, Berman called his first ever NFL game for ESPN, calling a preseason game between the Tennessee Titans and the Arizona Cardinals along with analyst Trent Dilfer and reporter Rachel Nichols, he also called the second half of the ESPN Monday Night Football doubleheader on the opening week of the NFL season when the San Diego Chargers took on the Oakland Raiders. On September 7, 2012 (ESPN's 33rd anniversary), Berman signed a mulit-year extension with the Worldwide Leader, when this new deal ends, Berman had been working for ESPN for nearly 40 years. On June 6, 2013, Berman hosted an one-hour ESPN special Lombardi's Legacy to celebrated the 100th anniversary of the late Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombard.
Berman also called Major League Baseball games on ESPN since 1990, he is the play-by-play announcer for some Monday Night Baseball and Wednesday Night Baseball games, Baseball Tonight, the annual Home Run Derby and two Division Series games (on ESPN from 1990-2006 and on ESPN Radio since 2007). Berman also hosted other sporting events, including the Stanley Cup Finals on ABC Sports and ESPN (2003-2004), hosting the U.S. Open highlight show since 1985 in addition of calling that event since 2003.
Berman has won many awards during his time at ESPN, including six National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association National Sportscaster of the Year awards, three American Sportscasters Association, three CableACE's Best Cable Sportscaster awards, seven Sports Emmy Awards for Sunday NFL Countdown, as well as received the Pete Rozeele Radio-Television Award, inducting Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson Jr. at the 2010 Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Canton, his own Hollywood Walk of Fame and even the CableFAX Programming Hall of Fame (who inducted at the inaugural event in 2008, joining fellow ESPN colleague Linda Cohn, who also inducted in 2010).
Chris Berman has been at ESPN for 33 years now, he is the anchor of ESPN's flagship sports news and information program SportsCenter since its launched in 1979, as well as the face of ESPN's coverage of the National Football League, including Sunday NFL Countdown, Monday Night Countdown, The Blitz on SportsCenter and NFL Primetime during the playoffs including the Super Bowl, along with select Major League Baseball games including the annual Home Run Derby and ESPN Radio's coverage of the Division Series. He also hosted the U.S. Open and annually appears at the ESPYs Awards since 1993.
Name: Chris Berman
Network: ESPN
Born: May 10, 1955
Debut: October 1979
Title: SportsCenter anchor, NFL studio host,
MLB play-by-play and ESPN Radio
