List of NFL on ABC/ESPN commentator pairings

ABC Sports began airing Monday Night Football in 1970, until the program moved over to its sister, ESPN in 2006. ESPN originally started airing NFL football in 1987 airing ESPN Sunday Night Football. ESPN lost the right to Sunday Night Football in 2006 to NBC. The names of the play-by-play men are listed first while the color commentators are listed second; sideline reporters, when used, are listed last.
1970s
1970
ABC MNF
#Keith Jackson/Howard Cosell and Don Meredith
*This was Keith Jackson's lone year as the MNF play-by-play man.
1971-1973
ABC MNF
#Frank Gifford/Howard Cosell and Don Meredith
1974-1976
ABC MNF
#Frank Gifford/Howard Cosell and Alex Karras
1977-1978
ABC MNF
#Frank Gifford/Howard Cosell and Don Meredith
1979
ABC MNF
#Frank Gifford/Howard Cosell/Don Meredith/Fran Tarkenton
1980s
1980-1982
ABC MNF
#Frank Gifford/Howard Cosell/Don Meredith/Fran Tarkenton
1983
ABC MNF
#Frank Gifford/Howard Cosell/Don Meredith/O.J. Simpson
1984
ABC MNF
#Frank Gifford/Don Meredith and O.J. Simpson
1985
ABC MNF
#Frank Gifford/O.J. Simpson and Joe Namath
1986
ABC MNF
#Al Michaels/Frank Gifford
*Al Michaels replaced Frank Gifford as play-by-play, while Gifford was shifted to the analyst role.
1987
ABC MNF
#Al Michaels/Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf
#Gary Bender/Lynn Swann
ESPN SNF
#Mike Patrick/Roy Firestone
1988-1989
ABC MNF
#Al Michaels/Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf
ESPN SNF
#Mike Patrick/Joe Theismann
1990s
1990-1993
ABC MNF
#Al Michaels/Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf
ESPN SNF
#Mike Patrick/Joe Theismann
1994-1996
ABC MNF
#Al Michaels/Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf/Lynn Swann (Postseason only)
ESPN SNF
#Mike Patrick/Joe Theismann/Mark Malone
1997
ABC MNF
#Al Michaels/Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf/Lynn Swann (Postseason only)
#Mike Patrick/Joe Theismann/Ron Jaworski
ESPN SNF
#Mike Patrick/Joe Theismann/Ron Jaworski
1998
ABC MNF
#Al Michaels/Dan Dierdorf and Boomer Esiason/Lesley Visser
ESPN SNF
#Mike Patrick/Joe Theismann and Paul Maguire/Solomon Wilcots
1999
ABC MNF
#Al Michaels/Boomer Esiason/Lesley Visser
ESPN SNF
#Mike Patrick/Joe Theismann and Paul Maguire/Solomon Wilcots
2000s
2000
ABC MNF
#Al Michaels/Dan Fouts and Dennis Miller/Eric Dickerson and Melissa Stark
ESPN SNF
#Mike Patrick/Joe Theismann and Paul Maguire/Solomon Wilcots
*Dickerson and Stark replaced Lesley Visser as co-sideline reporters.
*Former San Diego Chargers QB Dan Fouts and comedian Dennis Miller replaced Esiason as color commentators
2001
ABC MNF
#Al Michaels/Dan Fouts and Dennis Miller/Eric Dickerson and Melissa Stark
ESPN SNF
#Mike Patrick/Joe Theismann and Paul Maguire/Suzy Kolber
*Kolber replaced Solomon Wilcots as sideline reporter starting in 2001.
2002
ABC MNF
#Al Michaels/John Madden/Melissa Stark
#Brent Musburger/Gary Danielson/Jack Arute (AFC Wild Card Saturday only)
ESPN SNF
#Mike Patrick/Joe Theismann and Paul Maguire/Suzy Kolber
*Stark became solo sideline reporter this year.
*Former CBS Sports and Fox Sports analyst John Madden became MNF's new color commentator alongside Michaels.
2003
ABC MNF
#Al Michaels/John Madden/Lisa Guerrero
ESPN SNF
#Mike Patrick/Joe Theismann and Paul Maguire/Suzy Kolber
2004
ABC MNF
#Al Michaels/John Madden/Michele Tafoya
ESPN SNF
#Mike Patrick or Pat Summerall/Joe Theismann and Paul Maguire/Suzy Kolber
*Legendary announcer, Pat Summerall, filled in for Mike Patrick who was recovering from heart bypass surgery.
2005
ABC MNF
#Al Michaels/John Madden/Michele Tafoya and Sam Ryan (Regular season) or Suzy Kolber (Postseason)
#Mike Patrick/Joe Theismann and Paul Maguire/Suzy Kolber
ESPN SNF
#Mike Patrick/Joe Theismann and Paul Maguire/Suzy Kolber
#Mike Tirico/Sterling Sharpe
*This was ABC's final season as the MNF broadcaster.
*This was also the last year of ESPN SNF broadcasts as NBC would take over those rights.
2006
ESPN MNF
#Mike Tirico/Joe Theismann and Tony Kornheiser/Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya
#Brad Nessler/Dick Vermeil and Ron Jaworski/Bonnie Bernstein
*Starting with this season, ESPN would be the MNF broadcaster.
*The #2 team would commentate during week 1 for the networks doubleheader.
*Tafoya and Kolber would serve as co-sideline reporters.
2007
ESPN MNF
#Mike Tirico/Ron Jaworski and Tony Kornheiser/Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya
#Mike Greenberg/Mike Golic and Mike Ditka/Bonnie Bernstein
2008
ESPN MNF
#Mike Tirico/Ron Jaworski and Tony Kornheiser/Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya
#Mike Greenberg/Mike Golic and Mike Ditka/Suzy Kolber
2009
ESPN MNF
#Mike Tirico/Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden/Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya
#Mike Greenberg/Mike Golic and Steve Young/Suzy Kolber
2010
ESPN MNF
#Mike Tirico/Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden/Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya
#Brad Nessler/Trent Dilfer/Suzy Kolber
2011
ESPN MNF
#Mike Tirico/Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden/Sal Paolantonio
#Brad Nessler/Trent Dilfer/Rachel Nichols
*Kolber and Tafoya would both depart as sideline reporters (Kolber only worked week 1).
*A number of sideline reporters would fill-in for the #1 team. Those were: Suzy Kolber (Week 1), Wendi Nix (Week 1, 4), Ed Werder (Week 3).
2012
ESPN MNF
#Mike Tirico/Jon Gruden/Lisa Salters
#Chris Berman/Trent Dilfer/Rachel Nichols
*Lisa Salters became the new sideline reporter starting this year.
2013
ESPN MNF
#Mike Tirico/Jon Gruden/Lisa Salters
#Chris Berman/Trent Dilfer/Sal Paolantonio
2014-2015
ESPN/ABC MNF
#Mike Tirico/Jon Gruden/Lisa Salters
#Chris Berman/Trent Dilfer/Lindsay Czarniak
*2015 was Tirico's final year as MNF play-by-play man as he would move to NBC Sports.
*ABC began simulcasting the MNF wild card matchup, returning as an NFL broadcaster.
2016
ESPN/ABC MNF
#Sean McDonough/Jon Gruden/Lisa Salters
#Chris Berman/Steve Young/Lindsay Czarniak
*College Football broadcaster, Sean McDonough, replaced Mike Tirico.
2017
ESPN/ABC MNF
#Sean McDonough/Jon Gruden/Lisa Salters
#Beth Mowins/Rex Ryan/Sergio Dipp
2018
ESPN/ABC MNF
#Joe Tessitore/Jason Witten and Booger McFarland/Lisa Salters
#Beth Mowins/Brian Griese/Laura Rutledge
2019
ESPN/ABC MNF
#Joe Tessitore/Booger McFarland/Lisa Salters
#Steve Levy/Brian Griese and Louis Riddick/Dianna Russini

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu