THUMPER
Papa
- Messages
- 9,522
- Reaction score
- 61
With John Madden retiring, I was reminiscing about when he & Summerall were together and what a great team they made and that got me to thinking about some of the other great announcing teams we've seen/heard.
I came up with a few teams that I really liked but I'm sure others have their own favorites as well:
1. Dick Enberg & Merlin Olsen - These two were my all-time favorite team, probably because I as exposed to them both for a long time. I lived in L.A. for the first 34 years of my life and grew up listening to Dick Enberg doing the Rams games and Olsen playing in them. Even though I was a Cowboys fan I still liked the Rams and Olsen in particular. Enberg had such a smooth voice and delivery, he was never irritating and they got along very well in the booth. Olsen had a gentle manner about him (I met him once at a party at Lamar Lundy's house when I was 7), huge guy but a very nice man. I can't remember a single time they did a game together that I didn't enjoy them.
2. Howard Cosell, Don Meredith, & Frank Gifford - By far the best of the MNF crews and they made MNF a household happening. Cosell was arrogant and intellectual and he really did his homework. Meredith was the perfect foil for Howard and was the down-home, easy going ex-jock. His singing and witticisms always lightened the mood and it was fun to see him get under Cosell's skin at times. Gifford was the perfect straight man and an excellent play-by-play guy. The trio was a perfect combination and will never be duplicated.
3. Pat Summerall & John Madden - These guys were together for a LONG time and were just a part of every Sunday for me. Summerall was one of the best play-by-play guys I ever heard, next to Enberg, and his smooth, deep voice was countered by Madden's enthusiasm and loudness. Both had experience in the NFL, Pat as a player and John as a HC, so they both knew and loved the game. I also loved it that Pat liked the Cowboys. I believe it was him who said that the networks always had a standing rule when scheduling games: "When in doubt, show the Cowboys". That was a good rule!
4. Pat Summerall & Tom Brookshire - These guys were old school professionals in the booth. Back when the game was more important than the personalities these guys were among the best. I always liked that about those older guys, they never made announcing about them but kept it about the game. They called the plays and gave insightful commentary and didn't distract you away from what you were watching. That's one of the things I detest about Al Michaels, he often goes off topic, and if HE is bored with a particular game, he stops calling it and goes off on a tangent. Pat & Tom never did.
5. Troy Aikman and Joe Buck - I know a lot of Cowboys fans think Troy is too hard on the Boys and is some kind of traitor but I like the fact that while he still identifies himself with the Cowboys, he is not a homer. He is knowledgeable and easy to listen to and has good insight. My only complaint about Joe Buck is that he sounds too much like Aikman at times. Otherwise, he is a good play-by-play guy and is easy to listen to.
I know I'm leaving off a bunch of really good guys like Keith Jackson an Jim McKay but I don't remember them being part of great announcing teams.
I don't want to debate my choices, that's not he purpose of the thread, but just to list my favorite announcing teams and to see who other folks liked.
So who are yours?
I came up with a few teams that I really liked but I'm sure others have their own favorites as well:
1. Dick Enberg & Merlin Olsen - These two were my all-time favorite team, probably because I as exposed to them both for a long time. I lived in L.A. for the first 34 years of my life and grew up listening to Dick Enberg doing the Rams games and Olsen playing in them. Even though I was a Cowboys fan I still liked the Rams and Olsen in particular. Enberg had such a smooth voice and delivery, he was never irritating and they got along very well in the booth. Olsen had a gentle manner about him (I met him once at a party at Lamar Lundy's house when I was 7), huge guy but a very nice man. I can't remember a single time they did a game together that I didn't enjoy them.
2. Howard Cosell, Don Meredith, & Frank Gifford - By far the best of the MNF crews and they made MNF a household happening. Cosell was arrogant and intellectual and he really did his homework. Meredith was the perfect foil for Howard and was the down-home, easy going ex-jock. His singing and witticisms always lightened the mood and it was fun to see him get under Cosell's skin at times. Gifford was the perfect straight man and an excellent play-by-play guy. The trio was a perfect combination and will never be duplicated.
3. Pat Summerall & John Madden - These guys were together for a LONG time and were just a part of every Sunday for me. Summerall was one of the best play-by-play guys I ever heard, next to Enberg, and his smooth, deep voice was countered by Madden's enthusiasm and loudness. Both had experience in the NFL, Pat as a player and John as a HC, so they both knew and loved the game. I also loved it that Pat liked the Cowboys. I believe it was him who said that the networks always had a standing rule when scheduling games: "When in doubt, show the Cowboys". That was a good rule!
4. Pat Summerall & Tom Brookshire - These guys were old school professionals in the booth. Back when the game was more important than the personalities these guys were among the best. I always liked that about those older guys, they never made announcing about them but kept it about the game. They called the plays and gave insightful commentary and didn't distract you away from what you were watching. That's one of the things I detest about Al Michaels, he often goes off topic, and if HE is bored with a particular game, he stops calling it and goes off on a tangent. Pat & Tom never did.
5. Troy Aikman and Joe Buck - I know a lot of Cowboys fans think Troy is too hard on the Boys and is some kind of traitor but I like the fact that while he still identifies himself with the Cowboys, he is not a homer. He is knowledgeable and easy to listen to and has good insight. My only complaint about Joe Buck is that he sounds too much like Aikman at times. Otherwise, he is a good play-by-play guy and is easy to listen to.
I know I'm leaving off a bunch of really good guys like Keith Jackson an Jim McKay but I don't remember them being part of great announcing teams.
I don't want to debate my choices, that's not he purpose of the thread, but just to list my favorite announcing teams and to see who other folks liked.
So who are yours?
