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Chris Berman

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Chris Berman
Chris Berman in March 2007
Born
Christopher James Berman

(1955-05-10) May 10, 1955 (age 69)
Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S.
EducationBrown University
B.A. History
Occupation(s)TV, radio sportscaster, television personality
Years active1977–present
Known forWork as co-host of Sunday NFL Countdown program on ESPN from 1985 to 2016
TitleNFL studio host, ESPN / ESPN SportsCenter anchor, sports commentator
Spouse
Katherine Alexinski
​
​
(m. 1983; died 2017)​
Children2

Christopher James Berman (born May 10, 1955), nicknamed "Boomer", is an American sportscaster. He has been an anchor for SportsCenter on ESPN since 1979, joining a month after its initial launch, and hosted the network's Sunday NFL Countdown program from 1985 to 2016. He has also anchored Monday Night Countdown, U.S. Open golf, the Stanley Cup Finals, and other programming on ESPN and ABC Sports. Berman calls play-by-play of select Major League Baseball games for ESPN, which included the Home Run Derby until 2016. A six-time honoree of the National Sports Media Association's "National Sportscaster of the Year" award, Berman was instrumental in establishing ESPN's lasting popularity during the network's formative years.[1] He is well known for his various catchphrases and quirky demeanor.

In January 2017, ESPN announced that Berman would be stepping down from several NFL-related roles at the network, but would remain at the company.[2]

Early life

Berman was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, the son of Peggy Shevell (née Tenenbaum), who worked as a reporter-researcher for Time magazine, and James Keliner Berman, a corporate executive vice president.[3] Berman grew up in Irvington, New York. He was raised Jewish.[4] During his childhood, he went to Camp Winnebago in Fayette, Maine. He enrolled at the Hackley School in 1970, and graduated Brown University in 1977 with a degree in history,[5] where he was the sports director of the school's radio station, WBRU.[6]

Career (1977–present)

Berman sings "Walking on a Thin Line" with Huey Lewis and the News on stage

Berman's sportscasting career began at Hartford's WVIT-TV as a weekend sports anchor. He joined ESPN in 1979, a month after its founding, and has been with the network ever since. He is one of ESPN's longest-tenured employees, and the only remaining SportsCenter anchor from 1979. He spent 31 years as the host of both Sunday NFL Countdown, and ten years hosting Monday Night Countdown. In addition, during the NFL season, he hosts the evening SportsCenter (airing generally at either 7:30 PM Eastern Time or 11 PM Eastern Time) along with Herm Edwards, who replaced Tom Jackson for the 2016 season. Berman often appears on Sportscenter at night (midnight to 1 a.m.) hosting brief segments called "Chris Berman's two-minute drill". From 1988-1989, he hosted ESPN's first game show, Boardwalk and Baseball's Super Bowl of Sports Trivia.[7]

By 1993, Berman was described as the leader of the ESPN team and one of the most recognizable sportscasters in the business. "The true test is when Chris is on, turn down your TV and open your window. You will hear him. The microphone is nothing but a prop," said fellow ESPN anchor Keith Olbermann.[1] In December 2008, the Associated Press ran a long retrospective on Berman's 30-year career with ESPN.[8] "He is our most important person," said Norby Williamson, ESPN's vice president of production. "He is the face of ESPN," he added. At the time, Berman noted that his contract with ESPN would expire on his 55th birthday, and that he did not see himself broadcasting into his 60s. In April 2010, however, ESPN extended Berman's contract for an undisclosed period of time, only noting that it was a multi-year deal.[9] The contract was eventually revealed to expire at the end of 2016.[10]

Between 1995-2006, Berman hosted Monday Night Football as well as live coverage of three Super Bowls for ABC Sports. He continued to host MNF when ESPN got the rights in 2006.

Berman was a season ticket holder for the Hartford Whalers, and was a strong supporter of the team's staying in Connecticut. He occasionally makes reference to the team, sometimes even by humming the team's theme song, Brass Bonanza. Berman has also become a strong backer of the Buffalo Bills in recent years. In an interview with Buffalo Bills reporter and play-by-play voice John Murphy on July 26, 2012, Berman acknowledged that you could call him a "Bills Booster".[11] This sentiment is also echoed in Berman's on-air phrase, "No one circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills!"[11] In addition, he has been involved with several events relating to the Bills, such as team founder Ralph Wilson's induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Bruce Smith's Bills Hall of Fame induction in September 2016. Berman signed a new contract in January 2017 for a reduced schedule, but remains at ESPN.

On October 29, 2018, Berman served as the on-field emcee for Thurman Thomas's number retirement ceremony. In May 2019, Berman called a three-game series for the Boston Red Sox Radio Network alongside longtime Red Sox broadcaster Joe Castiglione.[12]

In 2019, Berman and Tom Jackson re-united for a revival of NFL Primetime, streamed exclusively on ESPN+.[13] In addition, they have also hosted the "fastest three minutes" segments on the Monday Night Football halftime show.

Style

Berman is well known for his various catchphrases and player nicknames.[14]

  • His mid-play prediction of a touchdown run as "He could...go...all...the...way!" is perhaps his most famous phrase, and one of the first he adopted.[15] It was featured on the Jock Rock, Volume 2 compilation album.[16]
  • His home run calls of "Back, back, back, back...Gone!", which he implements most commonly during the MLB Home Run Derby, are drawn from Red Barber.[17]
  • A "Whoop!" is uttered during highlights when a player makes a quick move or causes someone to miss or make a mistake.[15]
  • "Tick, tick, tick, tick tick tick tick..." during a post-game recap, for a play or moment in which the clock is a factor.[18]
  • When a large player such as a lineman runs with the football, Berman describes him as "rumblin', bumblin', stumblin'".[19]
  • Berman is known for integrating puns into player nicknames, dubbing former Minnesota Twins pitcher Bert Blyleven "Bert Be Home Blyleven".[15]

Berman adopts the persona of his alter ego, "The Swami," to make predictions on Sunday NFL Countdown. For seven consecutive years "The Swami" predicted a Super Bowl between the San Francisco 49ers and the Buffalo Bills, one or the other – but never both – making it during that span.[20]

In other media

Berman appeared in Adam Sandler's 1998 comedy The Waterboy as well as Sandler's The Longest Yard in 2005, playing himself as the play-by-play announcer of the prison football game. Berman also appeared as himself in Necessary Roughness in 1991, The Program in 1993 (though was a little out of place doing college football), Little Big League in 1994, as well as Eddie and Kingpin in 1996. He made a cameo appearance in the 1995 Hootie and the Blowfish video for the single "Only Wanna Be With You." Berman made a cameo in the 2013 comedy Grown Ups 2. Berman appears in Nutrisystem commercials with Don Shula, Dan Marino, Terry Bradshaw, and Mike Golic, using some of his trademark phrases and nicknames to show how much weight they lost.

Personal life

Berman married Katherine "Kathy" Alexinski in 1983. She died in a traffic collision in Woodbury on May 10, 2017.[21][22] Katherine Berman was driving drunk when she crashed into the back of another vehicle, killing the other driver.[23] The couple has two children.[3][24]

Honors

Berman speaks at Brown University before receiving his honorary degree in 2007

Career timeline

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Jenks, Jim (December 19, 1993). "At ESPN, it's all play and all work for 'Boomer'". The Daily Gazette. p. D6. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
  2. ^ "Chris Berman leaving ESPN NFL studio, stays with network in new role". ESPN.com. January 6, 2017. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Katherine Alexinski Wed to Christopher Berman". NYTimes.com. 1983-07-24. Retrieved 2013-11-10.
  4. ^ Sean Dillon, Staff Writer (April 15, 2010). "CSULB professor explores baseball's impact on Jewish Americans". Daily 49er. Archived from the original on July 3, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
  5. ^ Arace, Michael (October 14, 1993). "Chris Berman: Regular Guy With a National Following". Gainesville Sun. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
  6. ^ Schwartzapfel, Beth (January 2006). "Radio Heads". brownalumnimagazine.com. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  7. ^ Murphy, Brian. "The Super Bowl... of Sports Trivia". ESPN Page2. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
  8. ^ Berman set to embark on 30th year at ESPN Archived September 10, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "ESPN to extend Chris Berman's contract - NFL - Sporting News". Aol.sportingnews.com. 2010-04-19. Retrieved 2013-11-10.
  10. ^ McIntyre, Jason (May 26, 2016). "Chris Berman's Contract Won't Be Renewed at ESPN, Who Replaces Him?". USA Today. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  11. ^ a b Wilson request stunned Berman Archived July 6, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ Finn, Chad (April 25, 2019). "Chris Berman to call Red Sox games in May". Boston.com. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  13. ^ "ESPN reviving 'NFL Primetime' with Chris Berman and Tom Jackson". usatoday.com. Ganett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
  14. ^ Arkush, Arthur (May 27, 2016). "ESPN's Chris Berman reportedly retiring after 2016 NFL season". Pro Football Weekly. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
  15. ^ a b c Doyle, Bill (October 14, 2011). "ESPN's Chris Berman is serious about having fun". Telegram & Gazette. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
  16. ^ Lomartire, Paul (December 13, 1996). "ESPN hits the music charts". Rome News-Tribune. Cox News Service. p. 45. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
  17. ^ Cunningham, Dave (September 13, 1998). "Announcers Hit Home Runs With Their Calls Of Long Ball". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
  18. ^ Akers, David (2016). Winning in Spite Of: Nine Biblical Principles for Turning Hard Times into Personal Growth, Increased Impact, and Abundant Life. Redemption Press. ISBN 978-1683141068. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
  19. ^ Holmgren, Ryan (September 6, 2013). "Bishop Ryan has hands full with Kindred's Bachmeier". Minot Daily News. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
  20. ^ Chase Stuart (7 October 2012). "San Francisco sets record in Chris Berman's mythical Super Bowl". footballperspective.com.
  21. ^ Altimari, Dave; Dempsey, Christine (May 11, 2017). "Wife Of ESPN Sportcaster Chris Berman Dies In Double Fatal Crash". Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. Retrieved 2017-08-16.
  22. ^ "Cafe under investigation in death of ESPN broadcaster's wife". Star-Advertiser. Honolulu. Associated Press. 2017-08-15. Retrieved 2017-08-16.
  23. ^ Altimari, Dave (August 30, 2018). "State Police: Katherine Berman, Wife Of ESPN's Chris Berman, Was Drunk, Caused Deadly Crash". Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
  24. ^ Goodman, Mark. "Sonic Boomer". People.com. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  25. ^ "ESPN TV Listings - ESPN". Sports.espn.go.com. Retrieved 2013-11-10.
  26. ^ Stoneberg, Allie (January 5, 2017). "Chris Berman to Assume New ESPN Role after NFL Season". ESPN Media Zone. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
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