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AFL I Arena Football League (1987-2008)

Mike & Mike to call Arena Football games

January 16, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release


Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic of ESPN Radio's popular Mike & Mike in the Morning will call Arena Football League games for ESPN in 2007. The entertaining duo, which has worked together for seven years as national radio show co-hosts, will serve as ESPN's top team with Greenberg handling play-by-play and Golic, a former NFL player and longtime college and pro football analyst, providing analysis. ESPN's return to Arena Football will also feature the talented teams of NFL Live host Trey Wingo with analyst Mark Schlereth and Ron Jaworski, handling play-by-play for the first time, with fellow NFL analyst Merril Hoge.

Greenberg and Golic (who previously served as an AFL analyst for ESPN from 1996-98) will be the featured team during ESPN's 26-game schedule this season, including ArenaBowl XXI in New Orleans on July 29. They will make their debut during the Dallas Desperados-New York Dragons ABC regional telecast on Sunday, March 4 at 12:30 p.m. ET, while Jaworski and Hoge will call the opening weekend's Chicago Rush-Kansas City Brigade match-up.

With 14 of ESPN's 17 regular-season games on Monday nights, Greenberg and Golic will take their radio show on the road each Monday and Tuesday when they call games this season; Mike & Mike in the Morning airs Monday-Friday from 6-10 a.m. ET on ESPN Radio (and simulcast on ESPN2) and is heard on 310 affiliates nationwide.

"ESPN continues to emphasize an inventive, non-traditional approach to covering football, and following that model Mike and Mike will enhance ESPN' s presentation of Arena Football games and help generate even more excitement on ESPN Radio," said Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president, studio and remote production.

The Wingo-Schlereth and Jaworski-Hoge commentator teams will also inform and entertain Arena Football viewers with four of ESPN's top football experts calling the action. Wingo and Schlereth have worked together for several years on NFL Live, and Schlereth, the former Super Bowl champion offensive lineman, has called AFL Colorado Crush games in previous seasons. Jaworski, the former NFL quarterback and president of the Philadelphia Soul franchise, will call games with Hoge, a former NFL running back, who was in the booth when ESPN last televised AFL games. (Note: Jaworski will not cover Philadelphia Soul games for ESPN due to his affiliation with the franchise.)

ESPN's Arena Football game telecasts will feature innovative production elements, in-game booth visits by special guests and other unique enhancements under the direction of ESPN's Sports Emmy Award-winning Monday Night Football producer Jay Rothman and producer Bryan Ryder. Halftime of AFL games will also include a special edition of SportsCenter, ESPN's flagship news and information program.

Greenberg joined ESPN in September 1996 as an anchor for ESPNEWS, and today he regularly anchors SportsCenter. He and Golic were named co-hosts of Mike & Mike in the Morning on ESPN Radio on December 30, 1999. They have also co-hosted ESPN Radio's NFL Draft coverage and appeared together in the primetime special Mike & Mike at Night, the primetime series League Night, and currently online as characters in ESPN.com's Emmy Award-winning "Off Mikes" animated-short series.

Golic joined ESPN in 1995 as an NFL reporter/analyst for Sunday NFL Countdown. He has worked as a game and studio analyst for Arena Football, college and NFL programs, while also contributing to ESPN's NFL Draft coverage. The former NFL defensive lineman currently appears on NFL Live, in addition to co-hosting ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike in the Morning.

Wingo arrived at ESPN in November 1997 and has anchored ESPNEWS, SportsCenter and a variety of other programs on ESPN and ESPN Radio. He currently hosts ESPN's year-round weekday NFL Live program, as well as the SportsCenter Special Edition: Monday Night Kickoff during the football season and studio coverage of the NFL Draft.

Schlereth, an All-Pro offensive lineman who earned three Super Bowl rings during his 12 seasons, joined ESPN in 2002 as an NFL analyst. He currently appears on NFL Live, SportsCenter: Monday Night Kickoff and during ESPN's NFL Draft coverage. He also regularly contributes to ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike.

Jaworski has been with ESPN since 1990 as an NFL analyst. The former Eagles quarterback has lent his expertise to a number of the network's programs, including Sunday NFL Countdown, Monday Night Countdown, NFL PrimeTime and NFL Match-Up. He also remains a key contributor to ESPN's NFL Draft presentation.

Hoge originally joined ESPN in 1996 as a game analyst and sideline reporter for ESPN2's college football coverage. The former eight-year NFL running back now regularly appears on NFL Live, NFL Match-Up, SportsCenter: Monday Night Kickoff and Football Friday on ESPNEWS, and provides NFL Draft analysis.

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