List of Pro Bowl broadcasters

The following is a list of the television networks and announcers who have broadcast the National Football League's Pro Bowl throughout the years.

1950s

Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s)
1951 not televised
1952 NBC Harry Wismer Bill Stern
1953 Bud Foster Mark Scott
1954 DuMont Tom Harmon Red Grange
1955 not televised
1956
1957
1958 NBC Joe Tucker Van Patrick
1959 Jim Gibbons
Notes
  • The DuMont Television Network obtained rights to the 1955 game from the Los Angeles Newspaper Charities just one week before the game date. As they had trouble lining up affiliates to cover the game on such short notice, the telecast was cancelled.[citation needed]
  • Both NBC and CBS passed on the rights to the 1957 game. ABC apparently considered televising the game, but could not gain enough clearance of affiliates to make a telecast feasible. So for the third straight year, there was no telecast.[citation needed]

1960s

Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s)
1960 NBC Bob Kelley Ray Scott
1961 Lindsey Nelson Frankie Albert
1962 Chuck Thompson
1963 Chuck Thompson Ken Coleman
1964 Chris Schenkel George Connor
1965 Ken Coleman Gordie Soltau
1966 CBS Jack Drees Frank Gifford
1967 Lindsey Nelson Pat Summerall
1968 Jack Buck Tom Brookshier
1969 Jack Whitaker Pat Summerall

1970s

Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Sideline reporter
1970 CBS Don Criqui Frank Gifford Frank Glieber
1971 Jack Whitaker Bruce Roberts
1972 NBC Curt Gowdy Al DeRogatis
1973 CBS Frank Glieber Alex Hawkins Bruce Roberts
1974 NBC Curt Gowdy Al DeRogatis
1975 ABC Frank Gifford Howard Cosell and Alex Karras
1976
1977
1978 Howard Cosell and Don Meredith
1979

Notes

1980s

Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Sideline reporter(s)
1980 ABC Al Michaels Howard Cosell and Fran Tarkenton Lynn Swann
1981 Frank Gifford
1982 Al Michaels Fran Tarkenton Lynn Swann and Russ Francis
1983 Frank Gifford Howard Cosell and Fran Tarkenton Lynn Swann
1984 O. J. Simpson
1985 Don Meredith
1986 O. J. Simpson and Joe Namath Tim Brant
1987 Al Michaels Frank Gifford Lynn Swann
1988 ESPN Mike Patrick Roy Firestone and O. J. Simpson Tom Jackson
1989 Joe Theismann

Notes

  • Although Hawaii does not have an NFL team of its own, the Pro Bowl games played there from 19802009 were still subject to the NFL's blackout policies, requiring the game to be blacked out within the state of Hawaii if all seats were not sold out by the specified 72-hour deadline.

1990s

Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Sideline reporter(s)
1990 ESPN Mike Patrick Joe Theismann Chris Berman and Tom Jackson
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995 ABC Al Michaels Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf Lynn Swann and Lesley Visser
1996
1997
1998
1999 Dan Dierdorf and Boomer Esiason Lesley Visser and Dan Fouts

2000s

Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Sideline reporter(s)
2000 ABC Al Michaels Boomer Esiason Lesley Visser and Dan Fouts
2001 Dan Fouts and Dennis Miller Eric Dickerson and Melissa Stark
2002
2003 Dan Fouts Melissa Stark and Lynn Swann
2004 ESPN Mike Patrick Joe Theismann and Paul Maguire Suzy Kolber and Chris Mortensen
2005 Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya
2006
2007 CBS Greg Gumbel Phil Simms and Dan Dierdorf Shannon Sharpe
2008 Fox Kenny Albert Daryl Johnston Tony Siragusa and Brian Baldinger
2009 NBC Al Michaels Cris Collinsworth Andrea Kremer and Tiki Barber

Notes

  • Because ABC Sports had rights to both the Pro Bowl and the NHL All-Star Game, through their association agreement with ESPN, from 2000 through 2003, excluding 2002, ABC aired both games on the same day. ABC dubbed these doubleheaders as “All-Star Sunday”.
  • In 20042006, ABC (who by the early 2000s, had been suffering through several years of dismal ratings) sold its rights to the Pro Bowl (which had been part of the Monday Night Football package since 1995) to sister network ESPN. In those years, the ESPN Sunday Night Football crew covered the game. Prior to the game being moved to ESPN, ABC considered moving the game to Monday night.
  • Under the eight year television contract beginning in 2006, the network that broadcasts the Super Bowl would also get the Pro Bowl. Typically, CBS and Fox would utilize their "B" or "Number 2" broadcasting crew.[citation needed]

2010s

Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Sideline reporter(s)
2010 ESPN Mike Tirico Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden Michele Tafoya and Suzy Kolber
2011 Fox Thom Brennaman Brian Billick and Terry Bradshaw Tony Siragusa and Jay Glazer
2012 NBC Dan Hicks Mike Mayock and Doug Flutie Alex Flanagan and Randy Moss
2013 Al Michaels Cris Collinsworth Michele Tafoya and Doug Flutie
2014
2015 ESPN Mike Tirico Jon Gruden Lisa Salters
2016
2017 Sean McDonough
2018 ESPN/ABC Matt Hasselbeck Lisa Salters and Louis Riddick
2019 Joe Tessitore Jason Witten and Booger McFarland Lisa Salters
ESPN/ABC
Disney XD
Notes
  • The 2010 game was the first time ever that the Pro Bowl was held prior to the championship game. It was held the weekend before Super Bowl XLIV. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the move was made after looking at alternatives to strengthen the Pro Bowl. The game was also moved up in order to prevent a conflict that would have occurred if the game had taken place on February 13 or 14 (CBS would have rights, and based on the 52nd Grammy Awards, would have moved the game to the Saturday, as they did in 2007), with the game facing against the NBA All-Star Game, Winter Olympics, and Daytona 500.[citation needed]
    • CBS gave up the rights to the 2013 game to NBC.
  • ESPN currently has the rights to air the Pro Bowl, It began in 2015. Starting in 2018, the game will be simulcast on broadcast network ABC, marking the return of the Pro Bowl to network television for the first time since 2014, while being ABC's first telecast since 2003. In 2019, ESPN's telecast of the Pro Bowl also aired on children's channel Disney XD.

2020s

Year Network Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Sideline reporter(s)
2020 ESPN/ABC Joe Tessitore Booger McFarland Lisa Salters
Disney XD
2021 Not held because of the coronavirus pandemic
2022 ESPN/ABC Steve Levy Brian Griese and Louis Riddick Lisa Salters
2023 ESPN/ABC Pat McAfee Kirk Herbstreit Laura Rutledge and Robert Griffin III
Disney XD
Notes
  • Early in the first quarter of the 2020 Pro Bowl, an ABC News special report (which was also simulcast on ESPN, but not Disney XD) interrupted the game following up on the developing story of NBA star Kobe Bryant's death. Disney XD's simulcast abruptly ended with roughly six minutes remaining in the second quarter due to the breaking news of Bryant's death.
  • ABC, ESPN, and Disney XD aired a television special in place of the 2021 game—the Pro Bowl Celebration—which would feature segments and interviews honoring the Pro Bowl roster, and highlights of the 2020 season, and promoting the digital Pro Bowl event.

See also


This page was last updated at 2024-01-06 05:50 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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