NFL Network Names Announcer for AFL Debut

Published on March 29, 2010 under Arena Football League (AFL)
Tampa Bay Storm News Release


TAMPA BAY - NFL Network personalities Paul Burmeister, a former University of Iowa quarterback, and Solomon Wilcots, a former Cincinnati Bengal, will make their debut as announcers of the Arena Football League (AFL) "Game of the Week" on NFL Network Friday, April 2 at 8:00 PM ET.

The Tampa Bay Storm will make their NFL Network debut on Friday, May 7, at 8 PM when they host the Jacksonville Sharks.

Burmeister splits play-by-play duty with Fran Charles on the network's 18-game schedule while Wilcots, Charles Davis, Tom Waddle and others who will be announced during the season will serve as analysts.

NFL Network's AFL "Game of the Week" telecasts are slated for Friday nights in primetime at 8:00 PM ET with Burmeister and Wilcots calling the inaugural April 2 game featuring the Chicago Rush vs. Iowa Barnstormers. Burmeister and Waddle pair up Week 2 with the Rush hosting the Cleveland Gladiators April 9, while Week 3 features Charles and Davis in Jacksonville with the Orlando Predators visiting the Sharks on April 16.

All AFL games on NFL Network will be telecast in High Definition and feature special in-game audio techniques that capture the high-scoring action and fast paced intensity that is the hallmark of the AFL.

Burmeister and Charles have previous football play-by-play experience on a variety of levels. Burmeister called the 2008 and 2009 Insight Bowl and has been the voice of Jacksonville Jaguars preseason football broadcasts for the past three years. In 2008, Charles served as the play-by-play voice for NFL Network's telecast of the Texas Bowl and a preseason matchup featuring Patriots vs. Buccaneers.

There will be a rotation of NFL Network analysts for the AFL games throughout the season. Wilcots recently completed his ninth season as a game analyst for the NFL on CBS. During the NFL season, Wilcots also contributes to Playbook on NFL Network and co-hosts a radio show on Sirius NFL Radio. Last season, Davis teamed with Dick Stockton calling matchups for the NFL on FOX and was the lead analyst for the FOX Sports' BCS national championship game and Big Ten Network for the past three years.

Waddle makes his first appearance in the broadcast booth as a game analyst on NFL Network's AFL telecasts. Following a six-year playing career with the Chicago Bears, Waddle became a regular within the Chicago sports media contingent, co-hosting a radio show on WMVP radio.

For the past three seasons he has been an in-studio analyst each Sunday alongside Charles on NFL Network's NFL GameDay Scoreboard.

The analysts on the "Game of the Week" will be announced throughout the season.

The Tampa Bay Storm open the 2010 AFL season on the road in Tulsa, Oklahoma at 8:00 p.m. (EST) as they look to de-claw the Talons. The game can be heard on 1250-AM WHNZ with Jack Harris calling the play-by-play and Jason Dixon doing color commentary.

The Storm kick off the 2010 season on Saturday, April 3 when they invade Tulsa and take on the Talons. The Storm return home to the confines of the St. Pete Times Forum for its home opener Friday, April 16 at 7:30 p.m. To order tickets by phone, call Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000. Season Tickets start as low as $50! To be a part of all the hard-hitting action, call 813.301.6600 (season tickets), 813.301.6900 (group tickets) or visit www.tampabaystorm.com.

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