65 Facts About Al Michaels

Alan Richard Michaels was born on November 12,1944 and is an American television sportscaster currently working as the play-by-play announcer for Thursday Night Football on Prime Video and in an emeritus role for NBC Sports.

Al Michaels has worked on network sports television since 1971, with his most recent work being with NBC Sports after nearly three decades with ABC Sports.

Al Michaels is known for his many years calling play-by-play of National Football League games, including ABC Monday Night Football from 1986 to 2005 and NBC Sunday Night Football from 2006 to 2021.

Al Michaels is known for famous calls in other sports, including the Miracle on Ice at the 1980 Winter Olympics and the earthquake-interrupted Game 3 of the 1989 World Series.

In 1958, Al Michaels' family moved to Los Angeles, the same year the Dodgers left Brooklyn.

Al Michaels graduated from Alexander Hamilton High School in 1962.

Al Michaels attended Arizona State University, where he majored in radio and television and minored in journalism.

Al Michaels worked as a sports writer for ASU's independent student newspaper, The State Press, and called Sun Devils football, basketball, and baseball games for the campus radio station.

Al Michaels resumed his broadcasting career in 1968 after moving to Honolulu, where he worked as a sports anchor for KHVH-TV and called play-by-play for the Hawaii Islanders baseball team in the Pacific Coast League as well as the University of Hawaii's football and basketball teams and local high school football games.

Al Michaels was named Hawaii's 'Sportscaster of the Year' in 1969.

In 1970, Al Michaels appeared as attorney Dave Bronstein in an episode of Hawaii Five-O called "Run, Johnny, Run" ; the episode featured a young Christopher Walken.

In 1971, Al Michaels moved to Cincinnati, where he became the radio play-by-play announcer for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball.

Al Michaels was the network's play-by-play man for the hockey coverage at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan.

In 1973, after NBC announcer Bill Enis died from a heart attack at the age of 39 two days before he was to call the regular-season NFL finale between the Houston Oilers and Cincinnati Bengals, Al Michaels was brought in to replace Enis in the booth with Dave Kocourek.

Al Michaels left NBC that year and announced regional NFL games for CBS Sports in 1975.

In January 1977, Al Michaels signed with ABC Sports on a full-time basis.

Al Michaels was only on this particular assignment because he had done one hockey game, eight years prior.

Al Michaels recalled this during a Real Sports interview in January 2009.

Al Michaels apparently beat out WABC-AM and New York Islanders commentator George Michael for the assignment.

Al Michaels continued serving as ABC's lead play-by-play announcer for their ice hockey coverage for their next two Winter Olympics, both with Dryden, the lead color commentator.

Al Michaels surrendered a game-tying home run to Johnny Bench before allowing back-to-back singles to Tony Perez and Denis Menke before being relieved by Bob Moose, who almost worked out of the jam by recording two outs.

On June 6,1983, Al Michaels officially succeeded Keith Jackson as the lead play-by-play announcer for Monday Night Baseball.

Al Michaels, who spent seven seasons working backup games, was apparently very miffed over ABC Sports' delay in announcing him as their top baseball announcer.

Apparently, Cosell and Al Michaels got into a fairly heated argument following the conclusion of their coverage of the 1984 American League Championship Series due to Cosell's supposed drunkenness among other problems.

Rumor has it that Al Michaels went as far as to urge ABC executives to remove Cosell from the booth.

Al Michaels was able to stifle a 10th inning Red Sox rally by getting Jim Rice to ground into a double play.

The only time that Al Michaels appeared in an ESPN booth of any kind was as a guest commentator on Wednesday Night Baseball in 2003 as part of ESPN's Living Legends Series.

On October 17,1989, Al Michaels was in San Francisco, preparing to cover the third game of the 1989 World Series between the home team, the San Francisco Giants, and the visiting Oakland Athletics.

Al Michaels relayed his reports to Ted Koppel, who was stationed at the ABC News bureau in Washington, DC.

Al Michaels added that the only time that he really had been scared during the earthquake was when he moved in a position which he perceived to be backward.

Al Michaels had been feuding with the network over an alleged violation of company policy.

Al Michaels was paired with Jim Palmer and Tim McCarver, for whom he had broadcast three World Series, two All-Star Games, and the 1988 National League Championship Series with.

Game 5 of the 1995 World Series would not only prove to be the final Major League Baseball game that Al Michaels would call, but it would prove to be the last time that a Major League Baseball game would be broadcast on ABC until the 2020 Wild Card series.

Al Michaels was hired to replace Nessler as lead broadcaster of the NBA.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News said that Al Michaels was simply "not a basketball guy".

On February 1,2009, Al Michaels called Super Bowl XLIII, his first Super Bowl telecast for NBC and seventh overall as a play-by-play announcer.

Al Michaels called Super Bowl XLVI on February 5,2012, Super Bowl XLIX on February 1,2015, Super Bowl LII on February 4,2018, and Super Bowl LVI on February 13,2022, and in doing so, he tied Pat Summerall for the most Super Bowls called by a play-by-play announcer, though Summerall still holds the record for the most Super Bowls announced at 16, having worked Super Bowl I as a sideline reporter and Super Bowls II, IV, VI, and VIII as a color commentator.

Al Michaels usually ate his dinner while doing play-by-play commentary during a typical broadcast of Sunday Night Football.

In March 2009, it was announced that Al Michaels would be serving as the daytime host for NBC's coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Al Michaels co-hosted NBC's coverage of the Closing Ceremony.

Al Michaels served as daytime co-host for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, and co-hosted the Closing Ceremony.

Al Michaels returned to host daytime coverage for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

In January 2015, NBC announced that Al Michaels would be at ringside along with Marv Albert and Sugar Ray Leonard for the PBC on NBC Saturday night bouts.

On July 8,2011, Al Michaels teamed up with Bob Costas to call a game between the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants on MLB Network.

Al Michaels first called Thursday Night Football in 2016, as part of a deal which would see NBC produce several Thursday night games for broadcast on NFL Network with simulcasts on selected games on NBC.

On March 23,2022, the NFL and Amazon announced that Al Michaels would become the full-time play-by-play announcer for Thursday Night Football, alongside Kirk Herbstreit, for the first year of the package airing exclusively on Amazon Prime Video and Twitch.

Al Michaels is the eldest child of Jay and Lila Al Michaels.

Al Michaels has a younger brother, David Al Michaels, and a younger sister, Susan.

Al Michaels married his wife Linda on August 27,1966.

Steven Al Michaels serves as president and CEO of independent film company Asylum Entertainment in Los Angeles.

David Al Michaels has produced such programs as NBC's coverage of the Olympic Games, Triple Crown, and Fox Sports Net's Beyond the Glory series.

In March 2011, Al Michaels accompanied New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his wife, Myra, to Israel to visit Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem, an American football venue and home to three teams in the Israeli Football League, which is sponsored by the Kraft family.

Al Michaels was arrested and charged for driving under the influence on April 21,2013.

Al Michaels eventually pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of reckless driving and was sentenced to 80 hours of community service plus probation.

In 2014, Al Michaels released his autobiography titled You Can't Make This Up: Memories and the Perfect Marriage of Sports and Television, which reached The New York Times Best Seller List for nonfiction.

Al Michaels has claimed throughout the years that he has never knowingly eaten a vegetable in his lifetime.

Al Michaels is a Howard Stern fan, too, and has discussed that prank call as a guest on Stern's show.

Al Michaels had an acting role in a 1970 episode of Hawaii Five-O, and has appeared as himself in the films Jerry Maguire and BASEketball, as well as on several TV shows including Coach and Spin City.

Al Michaels's call of the US hockey team's victory in the 1980 Olympics can be heard in the 2004 film Miracle.

Al Michaels re-recorded all his original play-by-play coverage for the film, except for the memorable line.

Al Michaels has been lampooned on several occasions by noted impressionists, Frank Caliendo and Billy West as well as in the Family Guy episode "Mother Tucker".

Al Michaels was the featured voice in HardBall III, a popular computer baseball game for PC.

Al Michaels was featured, along with John Madden, in the Madden NFL series from Madden NFL 2003 to Madden NFL 09.

Al Michaels appeared in two episodes of Arliss, portraying the older cousin of sports agent Arliss Al Michaels.

Al Michaels was the play-by-play announcer for all notable events unless otherwise noted.