Mike Tirico
Encyclopedia
Michael Todd Tirico is an announcer for ESPN
's presentation of Monday Night Football
, and second lead broadcaster for ESPN's presentation of the NBA. In addition, Tirico hosts a multitude of programming on ESPN
/ABC
. He was the host of ABC
's golf
coverage from 1996 to 2007, and continues in that capacity for ESPN's U.S. Open
, Masters and British Open
golf coverage. He also joined ESPN's broadcast team for the 2009 U.S. Open Tennis Championships, and is a studio host for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
. Tirico was formerly a play-by-play announcer for college football
on both ESPN
and ABC
.
as a SportsCenter
anchor, after 4 years as Sports Director at CBS
affiliate WTVH-TV in Syracuse, New York
, during his undergraduate years at Syracuse University
. Tirico is noted for his versatile nature and the variety of assignments he has handled for SportsCenter
, Tirico has handled the play-by-play for ESPN's Thursday night college football package (1997 to 2005), college basketball coverage (1997 to 2002), NBA coverage (2002 to present), and PGA golf coverage for ABC (1996 to 2006). Tirico has also hosted studio coverage of various ESPN and ABC covered events, including a stint on ESPN's Monday Night Countdown
(previously known as NFL Prime Monday) from 1993–2001 and ABC's NBA studio shows. He also broadcasts NBA games on ESPN
/ABC
. He anchored the 2009 U.S. Open (tennis).
Tirico's period at ESPN has not been without controversy. Two books about the network, ESPN: The Uncensored Biography (2000) by former New York Times sportswriter Michael Freeman and 2011's These Guys Have All the Fun (by Washington Post writers James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales
), recount incidents of alleged sexual harassment, for example. Tirico, Freeman writes, was suspended by the network for 3 months during the early 1990s for pursuing female co-workers.
, Terry Bowden
, Mike Gottfried
, Kirk Herbstreit
, Lee Corso
, and David Norrie
. His partner in NBA coverage have included Tom Tolbert
, Hubie Brown
, and Greg Anthony
, and he has worked with Curtis Strange
, Judy Rankin
, Nick Faldo
, and Paul Azinger
in PGA coverage. He has worked with Len Elmore
on college basketball coverage. Tirico is also partners with Jon Gruden
and Ron Jaworski
on Monday Night Football
.
On April 21 and 22, 2007, he appeared as a guest host, filling in for Michael Wilbon
, alongside Tony Kornheiser
on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption
.
radio in Syracuse, N.Y., the station where he started his sports broadcasting career, on the campus of Syracuse University
. Fellow Orange alum Bob Costas
was his first guest. On September 20, 2007, Tirico began hosting the short-lived Mike Tirico Show on ESPN Radio
from 1–3 p.m. weekdays (Eastern time). The show filled the empty seat left by Dan Patrick
. During the spring of 2008, the title of The Mike Tirico Show, which featured Scott Van Pelt
as a co-host, was changed to Tirico and Van Pelt. On May 19, 2009, Tirico announced he would be leaving the show to focus more on his television play-by-play duties, and the name of the show became The Scott Van Pelt Show.
reported several instances of sexual harassment by Mike Tiricohttp://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/cwnevius/detail?entry_id=7462 including attempted groping and sexual solicitationhttp://deadspin.com/191242/here-are-those-tirico-stories-we-hinted-at-last-week.
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's presentation of Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
, and second lead broadcaster for ESPN's presentation of the NBA. In addition, Tirico hosts a multitude of programming on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
/ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. He was the host of ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
coverage from 1996 to 2007, and continues in that capacity for ESPN's U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
, Masters and British Open
British Open
The British Open is the Open Championship men's golf tournament.British Open may also refer to:* Women's British Open of golf* British Open Show Jumping Championships* British Open Squash Championships...
golf coverage. He also joined ESPN's broadcast team for the 2009 U.S. Open Tennis Championships, and is a studio host for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
. Tirico was formerly a play-by-play announcer for college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
on both ESPN
ESPN College Football
ESPN College Football is the branding used for broadcasts of NCAA Division I FBS college football across ESPN properties, including ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, ESPN Classic, ESPNU, and ESPN Radio...
and ABC
College Football on ABC
ESPN College Football on ABC presented by Kay Jewelers is a presentation of the American Broadcasting Company's regular season American college football television package...
.
Career at ABC and ESPN
Tirico joined ESPN in 19911991 in sports
1991 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Marc Girardelli, Luxembourg** Women's overall season champion: Petra Kronberger, Austria-American football:...
as a SportsCenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
anchor, after 4 years as Sports Director at CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliate WTVH-TV in Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, during his undergraduate years at Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
. Tirico is noted for his versatile nature and the variety of assignments he has handled for SportsCenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
, Tirico has handled the play-by-play for ESPN's Thursday night college football package (1997 to 2005), college basketball coverage (1997 to 2002), NBA coverage (2002 to present), and PGA golf coverage for ABC (1996 to 2006). Tirico has also hosted studio coverage of various ESPN and ABC covered events, including a stint on ESPN's Monday Night Countdown
Monday Night Countdown
Monday Night Countdown, which debuted in 1993 on ESPN, is a television program featuring analysis and news on that night's NFL match to be broadcast on ESPN...
(previously known as NFL Prime Monday) from 1993–2001 and ABC's NBA studio shows. He also broadcasts NBA games on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
/ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. He anchored the 2009 U.S. Open (tennis).
Tirico's period at ESPN has not been without controversy. Two books about the network, ESPN: The Uncensored Biography (2000) by former New York Times sportswriter Michael Freeman and 2011's These Guys Have All the Fun (by Washington Post writers James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales
Tom Shales
Thomas William "Tom" Shales is an American critic of television programming and operations. He is best known as TV critic for The Washington Post; in 1988, Shales received the Pulitzer Prize...
), recount incidents of alleged sexual harassment, for example. Tirico, Freeman writes, was suspended by the network for 3 months during the early 1990s for pursuing female co-workers.
Broadcasting partners
Tirico has been paired in the college football booth with Tim BrantTim Brant
Tim Brant is an American sportscaster and Vice President and Director of Sports for ABC 7 / WJLA-TV in Washington DC. He has spent nearly thirty years covering sports nationally for CBS and ABC....
, Terry Bowden
Terry Bowden
Terry Bowden is an American football coach at the University of North Alabama. Bowden was previously the head coach at Salem University , Samford University , and Auburn University . Bowden is the son of former Florida State University head football coach Bobby Bowden...
, Mike Gottfried
Mike Gottfried
-External links:*...
, Kirk Herbstreit
Kirk Herbstreit
Kirk Herbstreit is an Emmy Award-winning analyst for ESPN's College GameDay, a television program covering college football and a provider of color commentary during college football games on ESPN and ABC. He appears annually as a commentator in EA Sports' NCAA Football. He was a quarterback on...
, Lee Corso
Lee Corso
Leland "Lee" Corso is a sports broadcaster and football analyst for ESPN. He has been featured on ESPN's College GameDay program since its inception and he appeared annually as a commentator in EA Sports' NCAA Football through NCAA Football 11...
, and David Norrie
David Norrie
David Doherty Norrie is a former American major college and professional football player who currently works as a college football television game analyst for ESPN and ABC....
. His partner in NBA coverage have included Tom Tolbert
Tom Tolbert
Byron Thomas "Tom" Tolbert is an American retired professional basketball player and sports broadcaster. He played a total of seven seasons in the National Basketball Association...
, Hubie Brown
Hubie Brown
Hubert Jude "Hubie" Brown is a retired American basketball coach and a current television analyst. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, the honors being separated by 26 years...
, and Greg Anthony
Greg Anthony
Gregory Carlton Anthony is an American former National Basketball Association basketball player and former personality on the ESPN family of networks. He is currently an analyst for CBS's college basketball coverage...
, and he has worked with Curtis Strange
Curtis Strange
Curtis Northrup Strange is an American professional golfer. He is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. He spent over 200 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings between their debut in 1986 and 1990.-Early years through college:Strange and his...
, Judy Rankin
Judy Rankin
Judy Torluemke Rankin is an American professional golfer and golf broadcaster. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1962 and won 26 LPGA Tour events in all. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.-Amateur career:...
, Nick Faldo
Nick Faldo
Sir Nicholas Alexander "Nick" Faldo, MBE is an English professional golfer on the European Tour who now mainly works as an on air golf analyst. Over his career, he has won six majors: three Open Championships and three Masters. He was ranked the World No...
, and Paul Azinger
Paul Azinger
Paul William Azinger is an American professional golfer and occasional on air golf analyst. He spent almost 300 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings between 1988 and 1994.-Early years:...
in PGA coverage. He has worked with Len Elmore
Len Elmore
Leonard J. "Len" Elmore is an American sportscaster, lawyer and former National Basketball Association player....
on college basketball coverage. Tirico is also partners with Jon Gruden
Jon Gruden
Jon David Gruden is an American football analyst and former head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for seven seasons and prior to that the Oakland Raiders for four seasons. In his first year as the head coach of Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers won Super Bowl XXXVII, defeating the Raiders whom he had...
and Ron Jaworski
Ron Jaworski
Ronald Vincent "Ron" Jaworski is a former American football quarterback and currently an NFL analyst on ESPN. He is also CEO of Ron Jaworski Golf Management, Inc., based out of Blackwood, New Jersey, and manages golf courses in southern New Jersey, northeast Pennsylvania, and West Virginia...
on Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
.
On April 21 and 22, 2007, he appeared as a guest host, filling in for Michael Wilbon
Michael Wilbon
Michael Ray Wilbon is a former sportswriter and columnist for the Washington Post and current ESPN commentator. He serves as an analyst for ESPN and co-hosts Pardon the Interruption on ESPN with former Post writer Tony Kornheiser, and has been doing so since 2001.-Career:Wilbon began working for...
, alongside Tony Kornheiser
Tony Kornheiser
Anthony Irwin "Tony" Kornheiser is an American sportswriter and former columnist for The Washington Post, as well as a radio and television talk show host...
on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption
Pardon the Interruption
Pardon the Interruption is a sports television show that airs weekdays on various ESPN TV channels, TSN, ESPN America, XM, and Sirius satellite radio services, and as a downloadable podcast. It is hosted by Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, who discuss, and frequently argue over, the top stories...
.
Radio career
Tirico hosted his first show from WAERWAER
WAER is a radio station in Syracuse, New York. It is located on the campus of Syracuse University, and is an auxiliary service of the school. The station features a jazz music and National Public Radio format, with a news and music staff providing programming around the clock...
radio in Syracuse, N.Y., the station where he started his sports broadcasting career, on the campus of Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
. Fellow Orange alum Bob Costas
Bob Costas
Robert Quinlan "Bob" Costas is an American sportscaster, on the air for the NBC network since the early 1980s.-Early life:...
was his first guest. On September 20, 2007, Tirico began hosting the short-lived Mike Tirico Show on ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
from 1–3 p.m. weekdays (Eastern time). The show filled the empty seat left by Dan Patrick
Dan Patrick
Daniel Patrick Pugh , professionally known as Dan Patrick, is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and actor from Mason, Ohio...
. During the spring of 2008, the title of The Mike Tirico Show, which featured Scott Van Pelt
Scott Van Pelt
Scott Van Pelt is an American sportscaster. He is an anchor for the 11 p.m. edition of SportsCenter on ESPN, the host of The Scott Van Pelt Show on ESPN Radio and has also covered various golf events for the network.-Early life:...
as a co-host, was changed to Tirico and Van Pelt. On May 19, 2009, Tirico announced he would be leaving the show to focus more on his television play-by-play duties, and the name of the show became The Scott Van Pelt Show.
Controversy
In 1992, Mike Tirico was suspended by ESPN for three months for unwelcome sexual advances towards female coworkers. In his book ESPN: The Uncensored History, published in 2000, New York Times reporter Michael FreemanMike Freeman (columnist)
For other people with similar names, see Mike Freeman Mike Freeman is a national columnist for CBSSports.com. He has previously written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Dallas Morning News, Boston Globe and Florida Times-Union. He is also the author of five books including a biography on...
reported several instances of sexual harassment by Mike Tiricohttp://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/cwnevius/detail?entry_id=7462 including attempted groping and sexual solicitationhttp://deadspin.com/191242/here-are-those-tirico-stories-we-hinted-at-last-week.