Chris Berman
NFL Prime Time
Since joining ESPN cable network in 1979, Chris Berman has redefined sports broadcasting. With his booming voice and distinctive style, sprinkled with clever nicknames and rock-and-roll lyrics, Berman serves as ESPN's host for Sunday NFL Countdown; NFL PrimeTime, cable television's highest-rated studio show; and halftime of ESPN's Sunday Night Football; as well as "The Swami," predicting NFL games every Friday on SportsCenter. He also hosts ABC Sports' NFL Playoff telecasts, including Super Bowl XXXIV and next year's Super Bowl XXXVII.
Bob Sudyk of the Hartford Courant described Berman as "an easily lovable guy that the world has taken to its bosom...an everyday, upbeat, natural, unaffected kind of guy who materializes before us in our living rooms or favorite sports taverns."
Tonight, the Maxwell Football Club recognizes Berman's 16 years breaking the record of 15 set by Brent Musberger at CBS - of stellar workanchoring ESPN's NFL coverage by presenting him with the Reds Bagnell Award for Contributions to the Game of Football. Previous winners include former Miami coach Don Shula, Penn State coach Joe Paterno and the late NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle.
"What makes the studio show work is Chris, his enthusiasm is infectious," said Maxwell Football Club president Ron Jaworski, a regular contributor to ESPN's football coverage. "(Viewers) see him as a buddy, a guy watching the games with them and saying, 'Hey, did you see that?' He loves sports, he's a fan and he connects with the audience on that level."
The 46-year old Berman approaches each show exactly the same way. As he told the Courant in his 1997 interview: "When I look into the camera lens, I don't see millions of people. I see a friend. I simply have a fun conversation with that friend."
Sunday NFL Countdown, which previews each week's games, has won four Sports Emmy Awards and five CableACE Awards. Berman has been named National Sportscaster of the Year six times by the members of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. Among his other duties, Berman also serves as Master of Ceremonies for the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony each summer.
Berman's trademark is dropping catchy nicknames for players into his rapid-fire narration of the weekly NFL highlights. Among his most famous nicknames are Andre (Bad Moon) Rison, Steve (I Got You Babe) Bono and David (Green) Akers.
A Connecticut native, Berman grew up in the Town of Rye, NY and attended Brown University where he was sports director of the campus radio station. His first professional job was spinning records and broadcasting high school football games for a small station in Westerly, RI. He broke into television in Hartford as a weekend sports anchor, earning $23 a show. That led to his hiring at ESPN, which was only one-month-old when Berman came aboard to host the nightly Sports Center show.
"They said all they needed was someone who could speak in complete sentences," Berman told the Courant.. "Actually, I was hired as a nightlight for new fathers."
It did not take long, however, for ESPN to establish itself as one of cable TV's most powerful franchises. Today, it is seen in 86 million homes across America and in nearly every country in the world - - and Chris Berman is the network's most recognizable face.
