The NFL Today is an American football television program on CBS that serves as the pre-game show for the network's National Football League (NFL) game telecasts under the NFL on CBS brand. The program features commentary on the latest news around the NFL from its hosts and studio analysts, as well as predictions for the day's games and interviews with players and coaches. Originally debuting as Pro Football Kickoff on September 17, 1961, the program airs before all NFL games broadcast by CBS (usually on Sundays at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time Zone ), and generally runs for one hour (except for Thanksgiving and during the postseason when it is generally 30 minutes). The program's commentators also provide commentary during game updates, the halftime reports, and the postgame show on the NFL on CBS broadcasts at the conclusion of single early games and, if time permits, late games.
74-485: Since 2024, the crew consists of longtime sportscaster James Brown , who has served as the host of The NFL Today since 2006; former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher ; former Seattle Seahawks , Minnesota Vikings , and Detroit Lions wide receiver Nate Burleson ; Houston Texans legend and former defensive end J. J. Watt ; and Atlanta Falcons legend, 2016 MVP, and former quarterback Matt Ryan serving as analysts. The NFL Today broadcasts from Studio 43 at
148-534: A 16x9 widescreen presentation that extended or placed graphics outside of the 4:3 safe area , with the network requiring cable television providers to use the #10 Active Format Description tag to present the broadcasts in a letterboxing format for viewers watching a CBS station's standard-definition television feed. On February 18, 2014, CBS Sports announced that Sharpe and Marino were being relieved of their duties as on-air commentators, to be replaced by Tony Gonzalez and Bart Scott . On February 5, 2014,
222-576: A November 24, 1996 episode titled "A Bundy Thanksgiving". Aside from his Showtime and CBS duties, Brown hosted a weekday radio sports talk show that aired weekdays on Sporting News Radio for several years. Brown left the network in April 2006. He has since, returned to Sporting News Radio with Arnie Spanier . In March 2009, Brown was named the Community Ambassador for AARP . On August 10, 2009, Brown interviewed NFL quarterback Michael Vick for
296-583: A career that spanned over five decades, Stockton worked for several different networks, most prominently CBS Sports , Fox Sports , and Turner Sports . Stockton was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Joseph and Beatrice Stokvis. He has one older sister, Irene. He attended Forest Hills High School in Queens , New York , graduating in 1960. He went on to college at Syracuse University , where he received his degree in political science in 1964. At Syracuse, he
370-577: A female reporter back to The NFL Today for the first time since Super Bowl XVIII . On December 18, 1993, the NFL awarded Fox a four-year contract (worth $ 1.58 billion) for the broadcast television rights to the National Football Conference (NFC), allowing that network to carry regular season and playoff games from the conference starting with the 1994 NFL season (which it continues to this day). The deal stripped CBS of NFL telecasts following
444-465: A job doing Washington Bullets television broadcasts as well as an analyst job for The NBA on CBS , paired with Frank Glieber . He later moved on to an anchor position at WDVM-TV (later WUSA ) in Washington and to some work at CBS Sports . Brown was rehired by CBS Sports in 1987, where he served as play-by-play announcer for the network's NFL and college basketball coverage, as well as reporter for
518-537: A limited slate of college basketball games on FS1 for 3 seasons from 2013 to 2016. From 1995 to 2015 , Stockton called NBA telecasts for Turner's TNT channel. From 2007 to 2013, Stockton called postseason Major League Baseball games on TBS . In 2007, he partnered with Ron Darling to call the National League Division Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs for
592-481: A number of ways: it was the first live pre-game show, the first to show halftime highlights of other games televised by CBS, and the first to wrap up as a post-game show. CBS also began referring its stadium studios or its pre-game set, previously known as "CBS Control," as the "CBS Sports Center". The program also no longer featured a third member of the on-air crew stationed at CBS Control to provide scores, halftime information and – time permitting – post-game interviews,
666-557: A play-by-play broadcaster of the NCAA Regional finals. Stockton also was the host at the famous upset of Villanova over Georgetown in 1985 . On January 23, 1972, he filled-in for Jim Gordon who was not in Boston for the Buffalo - Boston NHL game on CBS , working the game with Dan Kelly . As previously mentioned, although Stockton was doing some work for The NFL on CBS , was also at
740-463: A position often held by Dick Stockton during his early days at the network. The program reinstated its previous NFL Today title on the September 21, 1975 broadcast , with former WBBM-TV and KCBS-TV sportscaster/anchorman Brent Musburger (previously a play-by-play announcer for CBS) serving as host, former NFL player Irv Cross as an analyst, and former Miss America Phyllis George as one of
814-576: A segment that aired on 60 Minutes . On March 24, 2013, Brown reported on Brian Banks in a segment titled "Blindsided: The Exoneration of Brian Banks" on 60 Minutes . On May 14, 2013, Brown appeared onstage with the co-CEO of SAP, Bill McDermott, for McDermott's keynote speech at SAPPHIRE NOW from Orlando. Since 2014, Brown is one of the network's substitute anchors for the CBS Evening News . Further, Brown has also contributed to CBS This Morning , as well as CBS Sunday Morning , over
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#1732855588069888-507: A senior. His roommate was future Harvard professor and activist Cornel West . He was drafted 62 overall by the Atlanta Hawks in 1973. After failing to make a roster spot when he tried out for the NBA 's Atlanta Hawks in the mid-1970s, Brown entered the corporate world, working for such companies as Xerox and Eastman Kodak . Brown went into sports broadcasting in 1984 when he was offered
962-606: A seventh game in this 1975 World Series." Stockton started freelancing for CBS Sports in the late 1960s, while still doing local television at KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh. In 1978 (following a two-year stint calling NFL games for NBC), he joined CBS full-time, and from then until 1994 covered a variety of sports for that network, including the NFL , the NBA (for which Stockton was the lead play-by-play man from 1981 to 1990 ), Major League Baseball and NCAA Basketball , including ten years as
1036-414: A six-year hiatus, serving as a feature reporter for the program. Visser left The NFL Today in 2004 to work as the lead reporter for top NFL games. She returned to the program two years later in 2006 . Also during the 2000 season, former Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints coach Mike Ditka joined the program as an analyst; Deion Sanders was added as an analyst in 2001. For the 2000 NFL season ,
1110-468: A taped interview with Brown. During the pre-game, Brown updated his 2012 digression about domestic violence, wondering why in the two years since his initial commentary, that nothing had been done to change the problem, and how the problem had actually become worse. On September 13, 2015 (the first time CBS had aired a Week 1 doubleheader since the NFL returned to the network 17 years earlier), The NFL Today debuted an entirely new set at Studio 43, replacing
1184-554: A two-year hiatus in her previous role as feature reporter, a position she continues to hold to this day; meanwhile, Bonnie Bernstein left the network to pursue other broadcasting opportunities. Aside from Visser returning to the show, Sam Ryan joined CBS Sports in June 2006, as a reporter for The NFL Today ; Ryan left the network after the 2010 NFL season . In 2007 , CBS added a fifth member to its studio analyst table by adding then-recently retired head coach Bill Cowher . In 2012, following
1258-483: A very noticeable lisp and drawl ). This was parodied in a satire article in The Onion with the headline, "CBS Producers Ask Shannon Sharpe To Use At Least 3 Real Words Per Sentence." The outdoor set was abandoned for the 2005 NFL season , with The NFL Today broadcasting from Studio 43 for the entire season. The following season ( 2006 NFL season ), The NFL Today began broadcasting in high-definition television ;
1332-662: Is also a Special Correspondent for CBS News . He is additionally known for serving as the former host of Fox Sports ' NFL pregame show Fox NFL Sunday for eleven years. James Brown was born on February 25, 1951, in Washington, D.C. to John and Maryann Brown. He is the nephew of famed Hollywood actor Clifton Powell . Brown attended DeMatha Catholic High School and was named to the All-Metropolitan boys basketball teams in 1967 and 1968 with teammates Sid Catlett, Steve Garrett, Aubrey Nash , and Wayne Locket . The team topped
1406-451: Is an American retired sportscaster . Stockton began his career in Philadelphia , then moved to Pittsburgh , where he worked as the sports director for KDKA-TV . In Boston , he called Celtics games for WBZ-TV and Red Sox games for WSBK-TV before transitioning to national broadcasting, which included calling the 1975 World Series for NBC and later, the NBA Finals for CBS . In
1480-531: The 1983 NFL season , after going on parental leave , with George ultimately departing the program outright. Jimmy Snyder was dismissed by CBS Sports on January 16, 1988, one day after making comments about racial differences among NFL players on Martin Luther King Jr. Day . Musburger announced Snyder's dismissal on The NFL Today prior to the Minnesota Vikings - Washington Redskins NFC Championship Game
1554-609: The 1989 and 1990 finals. On May 7, 1989, Stockton and Hubie Brown, were behind the microphone for the fifth and decisive game for the NBA's Eastern Conference First round playoff series between the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers . The game was highlighted by a buzzer-beater shot by Michael Jordan to give the Bulls a 101–100 win and clinch a series victory. Sellers has Jordan. Jordan with 2 seconds to go, puts it up and scores! At
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#17328555880691628-423: The 1989–90 season . At the end of CBS' coverage of Game 5 of the 1990 NBA Finals, Stockton signed off with the following message: Well, I guess now the time has come. This is our last game as many of you may know. And it's really the end of a 17-year love affair between CBS and the NBA. For every member of our broadcast team and I mean technicians, and cameramen, production people, the terrifically talented folks in
1702-487: The 1993 NFL season after 38 years; as a result, The NFL Today ended its original run and CBS aired its final NFC telecast on January 23, 1994. After CBS lost the NFL rights, Greg Gumbel went to NBC Sports , Terry Bradshaw left to become an analyst for Fox's new pre-game show Fox NFL Sunday and Lesley Visser joined ABC as a sideline reporter for Monday Night Football ; Gumbel and Visser eventually returned to CBS. The NFL Today made its return to CBS in 1998 , after
1776-470: The 1999 NFL season . Bernstein eventually returned to the show in 2004 , before leaving again in 2005 . The NFL Today returned on September 6, 1998 , 1,687 days since the program's last broadcast under the previous NFL contract, with Nantz welcoming back viewers to CBS for its coverage of the NFL. In addition to Nantz as host, the relaunched program's original lineup of studio analysts consisted of Marcus Allen , Brent Jones and George Seifert . Seifert
1850-602: The American League Championship Series during that time period. It was initially speculated that Stockton would not have been available to contribute as the secondary play-by-play announcer due to his football and basketball commitments for CBS. Stockton would, however, be replaced by Greg Gumbel in 1993 . For the Game 5 of the 1991 ALCS between the Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays , Stockton called
1924-955: The CBS Broadcast Center in New York City ; however, the program will occasionally broadcast from the game site for the AFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl . The pregame telecast of the Super Bowl has sometimes been branded as The Super Bowl Today . From 2014 to 2017, CBS partnered with the NFL Network to air selected Thursday Night Football games; the NFL GameDay crew has appeared in segments on The NFL Today for both Thursdays and Sundays (and Saturdays when applicable). The program began on September 17, 1961 , when CBS debuted
1998-443: The NBA Finals (calling games with Tom Heinsohn during the 1990 NBA Playoffs) and the 1990 National League Championship Series . He also was host of the afternoon show from the 1992 Winter Olympics and the 1994 Winter Olympics . While at CBS he also was co-host of CBS Sports Saturday/Sunday . In 1994 , Brown accepted the position of host of the NFL on Fox pregame show. He shared
2072-604: The San Antonio Spurs , this role lasted three seasons until 2007. Stockton called Super Bowl XXXVIII alongside Daryl Johnston and Super Bowl XLII alongside Sterling Sharpe on the international feed, provided by the NFL Network . This is the feed used by the BBC and certain other English-language broadcasters outside North America. Starting in 2010, Dick assumed play-by-play duties for Miami Dolphins preseason games on WFOR ; he substituted for Jimmy Cefalo as play-by-play on
2146-627: The 100 most influential student athletes by the NCAA . He has three granddaughters and one grandson, born to his daughter, Katrina and her husband John. On May 3, 2006, Brown became a minority owner of the Washington Nationals Major League Baseball team. Brown was one of a handful of investors in the group led by Washington, D.C. real estate developer Ted Lerner . Dick Stockton Richard Edward Stokvis (born November 22, 1942), known professionally as Dick Stockton ,
2220-471: The 2021 season. On April 29, 2024, CBS announced that Matt Ryan would join The NFL Today as a full-time analyst. Esiason and Simms departed the network as their contracts expired at the end of the 2023 season. The NFL Today at the Super Bowl , previously known as The Super Bowl Today , is the edition of The NFL Today that precedes the Super Bowl during years when CBS has the rights to broadcast
2294-527: The Dolphins' radio call of the team's Monday Night Football game against the New England Patriots on October 4, 2010 . Stockton did the play-by-play commentary for NFL Fever 2000 alongside Matt Millen . In 2017, Stockton launched his own podcast entitled Stockton! , where he interviewed famous athletes. On March 25, 2021, Stockton announced his retirement from broadcasting. Stockton
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2368-562: The Fox broadcast network/FX in some shape or form from 1997 through 2013. From the time he was hired until 2006 , he was Fox's second-team announcer for NFL games (behind Pat Summerall and later, Joe Buck ), working alongside Matt Millen and then Troy Aikman , Daryl Johnston , and Tony Siragusa . For Fox's MLB coverage, he has partnered with Eric Karros , Joe Girardi , Mark Grace and Tim McCarver and others. He most recently worked with Mark Schlereth for football. Additionally, he called
2442-441: The NFL announced that a deal with CBS to broadcast Thursday night games during the first eight weeks of the NFL season games beginning the 2014 NFL season in simulcast with NFL Network , with the remainder airing on NFL Network exclusively. With the addition of the package, CBS announced an additional NFL Today broadcast for the games, to be broadcast from the site of each week's game; with Brown and Cowher to be featured on both
2516-529: The NLDS every year until 2014. Stockton split play-by-play duties during the 2010 regular season on TBS with NBA on TNT studio host Ernie Johnson Jr. and Milwaukee Brewers announcer Brian Anderson . In 2011 , he partnered with Ron Darling and John Smoltz to call Game 5 of the National League Division Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals when his regular partner Brenly
2590-724: The Thursday and Sunday broadcasts, Deion Sanders returning to the program as an analyst for the Thursday editions, and while Esiason, Gonzalez and Scott remaining on the Sunday broadcasts. During the first Thursday edition of The NFL Today on September 11, 2014, in the wake of the domestic violence controversy involving Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice , Brown spoke via satellite to CBS News anchor Scott Pelley and spoke face-to-face with CBS News correspondent Norah O'Donnell , who had interviewed NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell days before. Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti also appeared in
2664-515: The buzzer! Michael Jordan has won it for Chicago! Michael Jordan hit the basket at the buzzer as a disconsolate Lenny Wilkens leaves the floor. And for the second time today, the visiting team has won a deciding game in an opening round series. And the Chicago Bulls will move on to play the New York Knicks in a best-of-7. CBS would lose their broadcasting rights to the NBA to NBC following
2738-581: The college basketball pregame, halftime and postgame in the CBS studios in New York City while Greg Gumbel , the main host, is on assignment. Brown has also hosted The World's Funniest! (the Fox network's counterpart of America's Funniest Home Videos ), Coast to Coast (a syndicated radio show formerly hosted by Bob Costas ), and served as a correspondent for Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel . Brown appeared on an episode of Married... with Children in
2812-411: The day's games and commentary, special features shot during the week were broadcast during the second segment, and the third covered the day's sports news, including scores and highlights at halftime. The program's hosts were Whitaker (who was brought into the studio after quite a few years serving as a play-by-play announcer for the network's NFL broadcasts) and Lee Leonard . The program broke ground in
2886-659: The final out by saying "And the Minnesota Twins have gone from the cellar to the penthouse in the American League ." The following year in Game 4 of the ALCS between Toronto and the Oakland Athletics , Stockton described Roberto Alomar 's game-tying home run off of Oakland closer Dennis Eckersley by saying “A drive to right field, Sierra going back, looking up and this game is tied! Roberto Alomar!” In addition, he
2960-430: The first remote 15-minute pre-game show, the first of its kind on network sports television. Originally titled Pro Football Kickoff , hosted by Johnny Lujack , the program originated from NFL stadiums around the country with a comprehensive look at the day's games. This show was succeeded in 1962 and 1963 by NFL Kickoff , with Kyle Rote serving as its host. On September 13, 1964 , Frank Gifford began hosting
3034-625: The game. The show is generally broadcast from the site of that year's game; in Super Bowl LVIII 's case, for example, the show originated from the Las Vegas Strip , in addition to the on-site set at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas , NV . James Brown (sportscaster) James Talmadge Brown (born February 25, 1951) is an American sportscaster known for being the studio host of The James Brown Show and The NFL Today on CBS Sports . He
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3108-492: The group's second CD release, Rise to Glory . The song Rise to Glory was also featured on The NFL Today and on CBS' NFL broadcasts during the 2005 NFL season . With Nantz moving to the lead broadcast team alongside Phil Simms , Gumbel returned to the studio to replace him on The NFL Today . Shannon Sharpe also joined the team to replace Sanders as an analyst. Sharpe's critics said that his broadcasting skills were hurt by his poor grammar and enunciation of words (Sharpe has
3182-509: The high school national rankings that year under Coach Morgan Wootten ; seven players on that squad went to Division I college teams. Brown later attended Harvard University , living in Grays Hall during his freshman year, and graduated with a degree in American government. He played for the basketball team , receiving All- Ivy League honors in his last three seasons and captaining the team as
3256-455: The lead announcer for Boston Red Sox games on WSBK-TV . Stockton was part of the broadcast crew for NBC Sports ' coverage of the 1975 World Series , and on television called Carlton Fisk 's famous, game-winning home run in Game 6 of that series as follows: Stockton stayed silent as Fisk rounded the bases, waiting until he made his way into the Red Sox dugout before proclaiming: "We will have
3330-406: The longest consecutive run for a television program in a consistent time slot. By this time, the program began the complex process of producing three separate live pre-game, halftime and postgame programs for 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. (through 1981) and 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) games. Also for the first time, signature musical pieces are produced for NFL coverage. The show's signature theme
3404-416: The murder-suicide of Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher and his girlfriend, Brown digressed on the program about the role that men needed to take in the fight against domestic violence . He accused the league's players of letting the NFL's reputation on domestic violence go unchanged. Beginning with the 2013 NFL season , The NFL Today , along with all other CBS Sports presentations, switched to
3478-467: The network hired Tony Romo for that post, and Nate Burleson , who comes over from NFL Network , replaced Scott and Gonzalez. For the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the set was modified to allow for social distancing, which resulted in the temporary removal of the desk, and instead Brown, Burleson, Cowher, Esiason and Simms were seated on stools. The set returned to its normal configuration for
3552-480: The network signed a contract with the NFL to acquire the broadcast rights to televise games from the American Football Conference (AFC) effective with that year's NFL season, taking over the rights from NBC . In the months before CBS began its AFC broadcast contract, former NFL Today host Greg Gumbel rejoined CBS from NBC to serve as the lead play-by-play announcer for the NFL game; while Jim Nantz
3626-623: The network. In 2008 , he called the AL Central tiebreaker game between the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox with Darling and Harold Reynolds , followed by the NLDS between the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers with Darling and Tony Gwynn . In 2009 , he teamed with Bob Brenly to call the NLDS between the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals for TBS, and the two worked
3700-582: The next day. Snyder's slot on The NFL Today would subsequently be filled by Dick Butkus for the next two seasons. After the 1989 NFL season , Musburger was abruptly fired on April 1, 1990, following a power shift at CBS (he later resurfaced at ABC), while Cross was demoted to the position of game analyst. They were replaced by former ESPN football analyst and WFAN morning host Greg Gumbel (brother of then- Today co-host Bryant Gumbel ), legendary former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw and longtime sportswriter Lesley Visser , bringing
3774-495: The players, coaches...and you the viewers, we're going to miss all of you. So long! In 2001, Stockton was inducted as a broadcaster into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame . As previously mentioned, Stockton called Major League Baseball for CBS from 1990 to 1992 . Working alongside Jim Kaat , Stockton was the number #2 play-by-play man behind Jack Buck and subsequently Sean McDonough . He and Kaat also called
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#17328555880693848-408: The pre-recorded NFL Today broadcast and its short-form wrap-up show, Pro Football Report , for a live, wraparound style program titled The NFL on CBS . It started a half-hour prior to kickoff of either the singleheader or doubleheader telecast (12:30, 1:30, or 3:30 p.m. Eastern ). On September 15, the revamped program debuted with a new three-segment format: the first featured highlights of
3922-520: The pregame show before the AFC Championship Game during the previous season. During this time, the program introduced new segments such as Chalk Talk (in which commentators and program guests discuss team strategies), and Outside the Huddle (featuring commentary mocking about people around the NFL provided by PUNT TV pregame host "Thurston Long," a computer-animated character.) Outside the Huddle
3996-414: The previous set that had been used since 2006. On September 11, 2016, The NFL Today debuted a new program logo, replacing a variation of the previous logo used since the 2006 NFL season . Scott and Gonzalez both left The NFL Today prior to the 2017 season, with Gonzalez switching networks to join Fox's pregame coverage. Phil Simms , who had been demoted from CBS's lead color commentator position when
4070-497: The program introduced a new HD-ready set at Studio 43 with the conversion. On February 6, 2006, CBS Sports announced the return of James Brown, who left CBS eleven years earlier to become studio host of Fox NFL Sunday , to the network as the host of The NFL Today beginning with the 2006 NFL season. Greg Gumbel moved back to play-by-play duties, teaming with Dan Dierdorf as part of its secondary announcing team, replacing Dick Enberg . Lesley Visser returned to The NFL Today after
4144-658: The program moved part-time from the CBS Broadcast Center to a new outdoor studio on the site of the General Motors Building , on Fifth Avenue and 59th Street in Manhattan . The set, which was used during the fall, was set up on Sunday mornings at a plaza in the area near the building that later became the glass structure of the Apple Fifth Avenue store, next to the southeast corner of Central Park . During
4218-441: The program. In 1971 , Jack Whitaker and Pat Summerall took over hosting duties on the program from Gifford, who left CBS to call play-by-play on ABC 's Monday Night Football . In 1973 , The NFL Today began originating from CBS' New York City studios; the program also began to include reports from stadiums around the country, although it continued to be pre-recorded before each week's game day. For 1974 , CBS abandoned
4292-586: The renamed NFL Report , which was subsequently retitled The NFL Today later that season. This version of The NFL Today was a 15-minute, regional sports program that presented interviews with NFL players and coaches, and news and features about the league. In 1967 , The NFL Today expanded to a 30-minute format preceding game coverage. On September 20, 1970 , The NFL Today signed industry-pioneering women: Marjorie Margolies (later elected to Congress from Pennsylvania in 1992 ) produced and reported features, and actress Carole Howey, who also reported for
4366-430: The reporters. That year, the program won 13 Emmy Awards . Sports bookie Jimmy Snyder , nicknamed "The Greek," joined the program in 1976 . Jack Whitaker also contributed to the program as an occasional reporter and essayist during this period. It was during this period that The NFL Today began an 18-year run as the highest-rated program in its time slot, lasting until the network lost the broadcast rights to Fox in 1994,
4440-719: The rights. When CBS began covering the Winter Olympics , Stockton was assigned to cover skiing in France in 1992 and two years later, he called the speed skating events in the 1994 Norway Games including Dan Jansen 's record-breaking triumph of the 1000 meter gold medal as well as the gold medal victories of Bonnie Blair . Stockton left CBS in 1994 for the newly formed Fox Sports , who continued to employ him on NFL broadcasts up until Stockton announced his retirement in March 2021. Stockton called Major League Baseball telecasts for
4514-584: The set with former football players Terry Bradshaw and Howie Long and former coach Jimmy Johnson . Cris Collinsworth and Ronnie Lott have also appeared on the program during Brown's time there. From 1994 – 1998 , Brown was the lead studio host for NHL on Fox . He appeared in a similar capacity in the EA Sports video game NHL '97 , which used full-motion video. His voice appeared in Madden NFL 2001 . On August 23, 1997, Brown filled-in for Chip Caray as
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#17328555880694588-431: The start of the 2003 NFL season , CBS Sports introduced Posthumus Zone as the new theme music for The NFL Today and for the network's NFL game telecasts. The song was composed by Los Angeles electronica group E.S. Posthumus , so named because it composes songs that have no-longer-existing ancient cities as a motif . In 2006 , Posthumus Zone and a remixed version titled Rise to Glory were included as tracks on
4662-482: The studio host for Fox Saturday Baseball . James Brown worked for the joint HBO/Showtime pay-per-view boxing match involving Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson . Following the 2005 NFL season , Brown left Fox in order to rejoin CBS Sports, citing a desire to remain closer to his home in Washington, D.C. Brown was removed from college basketball coverage for CBS after a one-year stint in 2007. However, he still hosts
4736-466: The time a sports anchor for WBZ-TV in Boston . Also while at CBS Sports, he called nine NBA Finals , including the 1984 , 1985 and 1987 finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics . Stockton partnered with Bill Russell to call the finals from 1982 to 1983 , Tom Heinsohn for the finals from 1984 to 1987, Billy Cunningham for the 1988 finals, and Hubie Brown for
4810-466: The truck, where it all happens, and of course...the commentators, this has been an extraordinary experience. We've witnessed the careers of Julius Erving and Larry Bird and Magic Johnson . We've seen Michael Jordan take flight. All the players actually...fired the imagination not only for an entire generation of NBA fans but for all of us at CBS. We know we leave the NBA in good hands. But to Isiah and Akeem and Patrick and David Robinson , to all
4884-491: The winter, The NFL Today was broadcast indoors from Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center. The program was rebooted again after the 2001 season with Dan Marino and Boomer Esiason joining Nantz and Sanders. Sanders left the broadcast team after Super Bowl XXXVIII to return to the NFL, playing for the Baltimore Ravens until 2004 . Nantz followed shortly thereafter, being promoted to lead play-by-play broadcaster. At
4958-613: The years. In 2023, he interviewed Henry Louis Gates Jr. for a segment on the newsmagazine America in Black . Brown resides outside of Washington, D.C. in Bethesda, Maryland , his town of birth, with his wife Dorothy and daughter Katrina. He formerly had a second residence in Century City, California , when working on FOX as their NFL program was based in Los Angeles. He was also named one of
5032-503: Was "Horizontal Hold," a piece by Jan Stoeckart (recorded under his pseudonym of Jack Trombey). The NFL Today was among the recipients of the Sports Emmy Awards in its inaugural event in 1979 . Phyllis George was replaced by former Miss Ohio USA Jayne Kennedy beginning with the 1978 NFL season , before George returned to the program for the 1980 NFL season . George was replaced on the program by Charlsie Cantey midway into
5106-478: Was away. Dick Stockton's performance on TBS' baseball telecasts hasn't been without criticism. For instance, during the 2013 NLDS ( St. Louis vs. Pittsburgh ), he was cited as often misidentifying players, generally appearing confused at times, and never having hosting chemistry with his analyst Bob Brenly. From 1993 to 1995 , Stockton also called local TV broadcasts of the Oakland Athletics . In 2004 , he began doing part-time local television work for
5180-464: Was later dropped after Viacom decided to split into two companies – CBS Corporation (a restructuring of the original Viacom, which retained CBS, among other assets that included Showtime Networks and UPN ) and a new company with the Viacom name (which acquired assets including Paramount Pictures and MTV Networks ). Lesley Visser returned to CBS Sports/ The NFL Today for the 2000 NFL season after
5254-444: Was let go during the season, while Allen and Jones were not retained. Craig James (a former studio analyst for CBS' SEC on CBS pre-game show), Randy Cross (a former color commentator for CBS and NBC) and Jerry Glanville (a former analyst for Fox NFL Sunday ) were brought in to replace Allen, Jones, and Seifert alongside Nantz on the pre-game show the next season. As a prelude, James and Cross joined Nantz, Jones, and Allen for
5328-401: Was named as the studio host for The NFL Today (incidentally, during the 1993 season, Nantz filled in for predecessor Gumbel on the program, as the latter was helming the broadcast team for CBS ' coverage of the American League Championship Series alongside Jim Kaat ). Newcomer Bonnie Bernstein joined CBS as a reporter for The NFL Today , before being moved to a sideline reporting role for
5402-580: Was sports director at WAER . He was inducted into the WAER Hall of Fame on October 12, 2016. In 1965, he began his sportscasting career at local radio and television stations in Philadelphia. He became sports director at KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh in 1967, and moved to WBZ-TV and WBZ radio in Boston in 1971. Three years later, he began calling Boston Celtics telecasts for WBZ, and the following year he became
5476-974: Was the host of the Pan American Games in San Juan in 1979 , and covered swimming and diving at the Pan American Games in Edmonton and Caracas . Stockton also broadcast the World Swimming and Diving Championships in Guayaquil, Ecuador , the World Basketball Championships in Cali, Colombia , and the World Figure Skating Championships in Helsinki in the first year that CBS acquired
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