Six times the versatile Berman has been selected the National Sportscaster of the Year (1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1996 and 2001) by the members of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. Berman, who in 1989 became the first cable sportscaster to win the award, ranks second among sportscasters in winning this award from the NSSA. Berman and his various shows have won seven Emmy Awards and 12 CableACEs.
Berman was named the 2001 winner of the prestigious Reds Bagnell Award from the Maxwell Football Club of Philadelphia for "contributions to the game of football." The award was previously won by Pete Rozelle, Don Shula, Joe Paterno, and Eddie Robinson, among others.
The 2002 NFL season marks Berman's 17th consecutive as ESPN Sunday NFL studio host, last season having broken the record set by Brent Musburger . Berman has worked alongside Tom Jackson for all but one of those years, first teaming in 1987, when ESPN first acquired the rights to carry the NFL.
Every Sunday night in the fall he hosts the critically acclaimed NFL PrimeTime, which is annually cable televisions highest rated studio show. He also hosts Sunday NFL Countdown, the weekly Sunday morning pre-game show which won five Sports Emmy Awards (1988, 1991, 1994, 1995 and 2001 seasons) and five CableACEs (1989, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995). During halftime of the NFL telecasts, Berman narrates "The Fastest Three Minutes in Television" featuring highlights of the day's NFL results. All told, he has been hosting ESPN's NFL telecasts since 1979 which includes his prognosticating alter-ego the "Swami," anchoring ESPN's annual NFL Draft telecast and serving as Master of Ceremony for the prestigious Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction ceremony.
From 1996-1999, Berman added halftime hosting duties for ABC Sports' Monday Night Football. Since 1996 he has anchored the network's Wildcard Saturday. In 1998, he served as host of ABC's pre-game show Monday Night Blast. In January 2000, Berman anchored ABC's four-hour SuperBowl XXXIV pre-game show working alongside legendary 49er quarterback Steve Young.
Since 1990, Berman has served as a play-by-play commentator for ESPN Major League Baseball games, including division playoff coverage starting in 1996. Among Berman's career highlights was calling ESPN's Emmy-Award winning telecast of Cal Ripken's 2,131st consecutive game September 6, 1995. He also hosts Baseball Tonight, the network's nightly compendium of Major League Baseball highlights, news and features. He has covered 17 All Star games, including the Home Run Derby, and 16 World Series on ESPN.
Since 1986, Berman has covered the U.S. Open, including the "NFL PrimeTime of golf," the nightly U.S. Open highlights show. In addition, he hosts ESPN's coverage of the first two rounds.
As a studio host, anchor and commentator, Berman is known for balancing in-depth reporting with ample amounts of humor and ebullience. "Sports should be fun, and I want viewers to share in the enjoyment I get from the games. But I also owe it to those same viewers to be thoroughly prepared and to know what I'm talking about," Berman said, "or not talking about." Berman received perhaps his most praise when he and analyst Buck Martinez chose not to speak during the 22-minute celebration in the Ripken game.
Berman is famous for his use of nicknames while voicing over Major League Baseball highlights. Throughout his career he has been praised by the media, viewers and players across the country for his lighthearted and humorous approach. Berman's personal favorites from the more than 1000 monikers he has coined include Roberto "Remember the" Alomar, Bert "Be Home" Blyleven, Jim "Two Silhouettes On" Deshaies, and Fred "Crime Dog" McGriff , just a sampling of names that often reflect his interest in history and music. Some of his favorite NFL nicknames are Andre "Bad Moon" Rison, Curtis "My Favorite" Martin, Steve "I've Got You Babe" Bono and Chris Fuamatu "Bad" Ma'afala.
Berman regularly hosted SportsCenter in ESPN's first 11 years, culminating in the network's first SportCenter Emmy Award in 1990. Although his assignments have changed, he always returns to host a few "just to keep DiMaggio's hitting streak alive." He established his craft working the overnight shift during ESPN's first four years, often teaming with his good friend, the late Tom Mees. Berman also appears on ESPN Radio during the football and baseball seasons.
"I want to be George Brett and Tony Gwynn. I want to retire with the team I came in with. Once I go anywhere else, I'm a mercenary. I'm so proud to be one of the folks who helped lay the foundation here." To that end, Berman has signed to May 10, 2005, his 50th birthday.
In addition to the NSSA Awards, Berman was also honored in 1990, 1992, 1994 and 1996 with CableACE Awards as cable's best sports host. Also, he was part of the SportsCenter team that won the CableACE in 1990. In 1995, 1996, and 1997, Berman was named "Sportscaster of the Year" in the Studio Host category by the American Sportscasters Association. The Cable Guide readers voted him "Best Cable Sportscaster" in 1987, 1988 and 1990; TV Guide chose him as one of the "Top Stars of the 90s"; and, People magazine named him one of "TV's Most Fascinating Stars" of 1997. He has also received nine Emmy nominations as best sports host in 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2001. In 1992, the syndicated "NFL Pre-Season Special" surveyed NFL players on their favorite football commentator and 43 percent, an overwhelming majority, selected Berman. He was also ranked No. 90 on The Sporting News' 1995 Top 100 Most Powerful People in Sports.
A long-time aficionado of rock and roll, Berman has appeared on stage singing with Huey Lewis and the News over a half-dozen times. In addition, he sang twice with Eddie Money, appeared in a video with Hootie and the Blowfish, and was joined by Glenn Frey of the Eagles for a special "Hotel California" Super Bowl edition of "The Swami."
Berman has played himself in 10 motion pictures - Little Big League, Necessary Roughness, Eddie, The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon, Big Daddy, Second String, Even Steven, Kingpin, The Program, Celtic Pride - and on several television shows including Spin City, The Jersey and Arli$$.In 1986, while working at ESPN, Berman also provided daily weekday sports commentaries for KFRC-Radio in San Francisco and, in 1987, for WFAN-Radio in New York.
In September of 1999, Berman was honored by his boyhood team, the San Francisco Giants, with the privilege of throwing out the first pitch at one of the final games ever at historic Candlestick Park. He is proud to say that he's the only guy East of the Rockies to have a patch of outfield grass from Candlestick and Pac Bell Park growing in his backyard.
Berman's first broadcasting position came while he was a student at Brown University as sports director for WBRU Radio and commentator for basketball, football, ice hockey and baseball games. He also assisted NBC Sports telecasts in New England - including the memorable Game 6 of 1975 World Series - and served as a correspondent for WEAN, a Providence, R.I. news radio station. In November 1991, he was inducted into the Brown University Athletic Hall of Fame.
After graduating from Brown in 1977 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, Berman began his career as a disc jockey at WERI in Westerly, RI, hosting a news-oriented talk show and covering high school football and basketball games. One year later, he joined WNVR Radio in Waterbury, Conn., broadcasting high school football games, co-hosting a sports talk show and doing traffic reports.
Berman's first television exposure came in 1979 when he joined WVIT-TV, an NBC affiliate in Hartford, Conn., as a weekend sports anchor.
Berman, born May 10, 1955, resides in his native Connecticut with his wife Kathy and their two children, Meredith and Doug.