The History of Monday Night Football with Ron Jaworski and Melissa Stark

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work marketplace. Empower your business and hire the world's most in demand developers, designers, project managers and more at www. Dot up work dot com takes the little lest favor to the left. The packers planning the gol long. That's Wilson scrambles to keep it along the game's final play. It's a littleton lock to the ends of which is Tys sit Titius. Who has who they to the fail? Mary Yes, Packers and Seahawks. It wasn't just a great game, it was a great Monday night game. And we'll have

more on that one and just a bit welcome. The NFL explained it is the podcast where your love of football meets curiosity. I'm like, yeah, she's a d D king, Kaballa, Hi, everyone a d D Monday Night the focus. I hear that football anthem, Are you ready for some football? That is the first thing that I think of that kind of reverberates inside of my skull when it comes to Monday Night football. What stands out for you? I'm gonna hung up on this. You you're not going to sing that,

You're just going to say it. Add this podcast. It's early on. We haven't grown an audience to the point where they hear me sing and then they will come back. So I think this is a good thing that you don't hear me saying, if you want to frame it that way. But ultimately, ultimately, Mike, everything is bigger when it happens on Monday Night. Look, think about Brett Farve playing after his father passed away. The legend of Brett Farve.

It was what it was. But now you don't tell the story of the legend of Brett Farve without mentioning in that game, the fail Mary with Aaron Rodgers that ended a labor strife between the NFL and the Referees Association. If there's that lousy call on a Sunday afternoon, I don't know that that labor strife ends. And then I think about one of the greatest Monday night games that I was ever at myself last year, Ravens Brown's in Cleveland, when Lamar Jackson goes to the bathroom, or doesn't go

to the bathroom, whatever it was. It turned into the biggest story in all of America. And again one o'clock Sunday afternoon. Don't think that any of those stories are quite as big, Mike. No, you're right, there's so much juice the night energy. In fact, it's funny because you just highlighted the fail Mary game, and I know we heard the highlight at the top of the show. Packers Seahawks twelve. One of the best parts about doing this podcast is you get a text and you get to

hear from people that are listening to the show. And one of my buddies actually has been listening since we started this show, and he's Evan Moore and he actually played for the Seahawks, and I told him, I said, hey, man, look, we're actually doing a Monday night football episode, and I wanted to get his take on the juice and what it's like on a Monday night and the energy. And he said, you know, I played in that Fail Mary game.

And he's like, one of the things that people don't realize is back in the day of the NFL, at that point in when time expired and you you had the game winning touchdown, you actually had to go back onto the field to kick the p a T. Evan told me that they were in the locker room, Marshawn had just topped out of the shower, had a towel on, and someone said, hey, we gotta go and kick the p a T. Marshawn dead sprint into the tunnel, was ready to go out onto the football field a d

D and be a part of it in a towel. So that would have been a major issue. And Evan and his team and said no, no no, no, no, Marshawn you gotta stay back in the locker room with that towel. You know, I'm having a feeling that that probably would have been in violation of the NFL's uniform codes, because you know that those things are really pretty strict. There's an inspector every game checking everybody's shoes and socks and cleats and all of that. No concern about where those

socks we're laying on on on those calves. Um. But I think the biggest question, at least for this episode of d D is is why Monday night? Why do we actually have football games on a Monday night. Well, it's interesting, right because now here we are, we played football on Thursday night, we played football on Sunday night. Heck, I was at a game on a Wednesday afternoon last year. This all really started, though, with Monday nights, and it is the brain child or was the brain child of

the NFL Commissioner Pete Rosel. Pete Rosell obviously was around at a time when television was exploding and Mike he started imagining the entire country sitting around their TVs watching one game together as a somewhat communal experience in the age before Twitter. Obviously, so he toyed with it. In the nineteen sixties, there was, you know, a game in prime time every so often, and Pete Roselle thought about

potentially playing on a Friday night. But Friday didn't work, Mike, because that was high school football night, and obviously you can't mess around with high school football. And so it was in nineteen sixty four that he actually said, okay, let's try a Monday Night. There was a game between the Packers and the Lions at Detroitz Tiger Stadium. The game was actually not on TV, but it was a sellout.

It was a grand affair. It was tremendous, and by the verger of the NFL and a f L in nineteen seventy, the NFL and Pete Roselle had figured out, Okay, we're going to have one night game a week. It's going to be on Monday Night. It's going to be shown on only one network. And it turned into this tremendous this brand, this tremendous property. As you said, I mean, there's a song, there are songs that go just with

Monday night football. The one fascinating wrinkle to all of this we've got Netflix now, right, We got Amazon problem. We got all of these different ways in terms of streaming platforms to go and get your television and your entertainment. But back then in the sixties, CBS, NBC, ABC, three major networks. You're sitting there watching Ed Sullivan, Dar's Day, you know, and and game shows things like that. That's

what grabbed the attention of a lot of families. And it took this creative thinking you mentioned Roselle, you know, to create sort of this Monday night package a lot of those TV networks, though they weren't really having it at the time, and it was really just we net out at ABC saying okay, we'll take a flyer and try to make this happen. And you also think about just how big you mentioned the songs. Look, Ron Jaworski,

who was a part of that broadcast. Croom, Let's Stark also part of that broadcast through They're gonna be joining us a little bit later in this podcast to tell us about their individual experiences around Monday night and why the game is so special on that particular evening. But look the first regular season game. Cleveland Brown's art model and advertising executive. He's the type of guy that wanted to host that first game, saw the juice in the

buzz that's there. But indeed you say to yourself, well, who's that opponent going to be? It's all about the Jets, right Broadway, Joe coming off of that Super Bowl went. It just made sense sort of funnel in that direction. Brown's, by the way, just in case anyone was actually wondering, they defeated the Jets in that particular matchup. How about this for a weird box score, a d D. The Brown scored a passing touchdown, a rushing touchdown, returned to

kick off for a touchdown. And how to pick six. I think if you're working that post game locker room when it's over, I don't even know which direction you want to actually lean in. Maybe avoid Joe Namath who threw three interceptions in that particular game. But how about just like the differences in the broadcast itself, and you we almost take for granted Y d D when we watch Monday nights now and we have kind of grown

up even as football fans. You almost take for granted the three and announcing booth right and the fact that you have that access. Well, it was Keith Jackson the legendary boy. I was kind of just I wish I

could do a great Keith Jackson invitation. I can't. Uh, Don Meredith comes to mind Howard Cosell in these iconic moments that that crew was able to give us but twice as many cameras a d D for that Monday Night game then we normally would have for any of the ones that were played on Sunday, which is credit to ABC that they recognized this is something that we could produce in a different way. But you know, you mentioned Howard Cosell. That's probably one of the most iconic

moments on Monday Night. He was the one that announced and formed the American public during a live Monday night football broadcast that John Lennon had been killed. I gotta go back, and you're right, those seminal moments because you also saw Monday Night a d D. This convergence of not only the sport of football, which is entertaining, but sort of this Hollywood vibe, right because you would get

appearances from movie stars and musicians, instant replay. You know, the first time you're seeing access on the field with sideline reporters doing interviews with players and coaches. I mean, that was sort of a new wrinkle into a lot of the coverage that we were able to get over time.

It's amazing because Melissa's stark you mentioned earlier. She's a very good friend of mine, and we've actually talked about this at the intersection of culture that those football games, those Monday night games sort of transcend the regular football slate, and even the casual fan is watching Monday Night Football perhaps more closely than any other game. And I bet she's got some good stories about that. Yeah, and no she will, because you're right, that cross section of entertainment

and sport. I think that's why Monday Night Football has thrived the way that it has. I mean, you mentioned John Lennon and the fact that that news breaks and co sells the one that delivers that to an audience. You know, you fast forward a few more years after that. I mean, I don't know if anyone you would have told Pete Roselle when they were doing that deal in the sixties. Hey comes around seventeen seasons. It's the longest

primetime series in the history of network television. That's Monday Night Football, which, oh, by the way, just continues to happen because we still have Monday Night Football. Do you have a favorite Monday Night football voice? John Madden, Dennis Miller, John Gruden. So to me, Miller is the one that stands out because of how different that experiences. But my childhood football soundtrack is John Madden. So it's hard for

me to not think about big games. I mean even now right like people will like I hear Aikman in book, like, to me, that game sounds bigger because of that crow as an example. But there are certain voices that resonate more with me, and I don't know if it's because I watched them and it's a generational type thing. It's hard to argue with that. And I think it was also the idea that John Madden was just this larger than life figure that he wouldn't get on planes, that

he you know, just all of it. And again that still goes back to this idea of Monday night football being so big, and you think about the forethought of a Pete Rosel to be able to see that the insight of an art model to raise his hand and say I want to be a part of that, and that this many years later, that Monday Night football is still It's obviously moved on to ESPN, and there are two other nights a week that you do have this

individual primetime game, but there's still something about Monday Night. When you ask players, they tell you that they know Monday Night the entire league is watching them play. I mean, I've had this conversation repeatedly. A lot of guys say that Sunday Night football, Well, you might be traveling from an away game, or you might be having to spend

time with your wife for you know whatever. That. Yeah, sure, you try to watch a Sunday night game, and you try to watch a Thursday night game, but it's not the same as Monday night when you are definitely tuned in and you know everybody else has tuned in. Yeah, it's just all eyeballs on that particular product you mentioned. And I talked about this a little bit earlier with

network television. You touched on it now moving to cable television, but now it's you know, a couple of years in a row, the most watched series on cable the last four years is Monday Night Football a d D. You and I both know we're passionate football fans. There's a reason for that. The eyeballs, that juice, the energy whenever you're talking about one of those night games, and just how significant that is. Wow. Alright, Mike, just a few

little fun factoids about Monday night football. Do you know which team has played the most on Monday Night Football? Um? Off the top of my head. If I'm guests, and I'll go Dallas Cowboys, America's team. Good guests, But it's actually the Miami Dolphins. Can you guess what teams have the most wins on Monday Night football? I can tell you it's probably not the Miami Dolphins, and that would be a good guess. Your forty Niners. Well, I mean you live there. I know the Giants are your Giants.

But anyway, the forty Niners and the Pittsburgh Steelers are hide for the most wins on Monday Night. Here's the last one. How many stadiums have made their official debut on Monday Night Football? Eight? That was pretty close. Actually seven is the correct answer. But a couple of weeks ago, when the Raiders hosted Monday Night Football at Allegiance Stadium, it was sort of kind of a debut because they

weren't fans. A year ago. So even though this isn't the first year of Allegian Stadium, it is the first year of fans in Allegiance Stadium, And so that Raiders Ravens game gets you kind of maybe sort of to eight. Yeah, that's kind of if it's a tree falls in the forest and no one's there to hear it, does the treemate noise? I think it's the same. Maybe that's a question for Ron Jaworski. What do you think. Yeah, that that logic applies when fans are not in attendance. So

that's where I net out. We always talk about the importance of those fans. Uh. So yes, and especially for a Raiders fans. Are you're kidding me? Come on now black all day? Uh? You mentioned Jaws, who really can give us unique perspective on Monday Nights. In fact, the first Monday night game that he ever watched, he was in his dorm room. Little did he know he'd play on Monday Nights and then be a part of the

broadcast crew. Ron Jaworski with unique perspective on the significance of Monday night football that's still to come on, NFL explained America's most reliable network is going Ultra with rise in five G Ultra wide band in more and more places, so you can do more without the ten times faster speeds. You can download a movie in mirror minutes. What yes, that's faster than your morning coffee run lights camera coffee.

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more at www dot up work dot com. Narratives Sucking ten w Eagles Joe Worski on sucond rape trace, He's looking Hey fires look lookball complete the quick, He's Puny Futty park Boy, Fonty five Party Plty five HOLI like quick touch fun by Las Prestok up a goal set up Click Fine beyond Oh Claude goals Bloker. Oh, there's one thing that maybe I don't love more than anything else other than hearing awesome calls and the throwback calls.

And I'm sure Ron, some of the memories for you that kind of just resonate when you hear a touchdown, those are the good moments. But Monday Night football that is the focus of today's episode here on NFL Explain and a D D You and I felt like maybe the best person to talk to on this particular subject is Ron because he played in some of these games and then he's on a short list. It's a small fraternity of people that have been able to say that

they've been in the broadcast booth from Monday Night Football. Ron, you're one of those. Can't thank you enough for the time you heard the touchdown call. Do you have any idea, like I don't know. If you're a numbers guy and focused in on your career, do you know your Monday Night record and some of your numbers surrounding those games? I do not. I was never concerned about the numbers. I was concerned about finding a way to win, so

the numbers were relevant except the final score. Do you want to know the numbers when we do have a winning record on Monday Night and you do have more touchdowns than picks on Monday Nights, Mike, I five and four, I believe with six touchdowns, six touchdowns, and we won't mention the interceptions because in your memory, if you don't remember them, then they never happened. Ron. That's the one thing that that's become obvious, maybe that that's the starting point,

right like Monday Night Football. But d and I just kind of talked about the history of the game. When I say Monday night football. What's sort of the first memory that comes to mind, Well, watching Monday night football. You know, I watched the first Monday night game between the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns in my dorm room, killed call the Hall at Youngstown State University, the first game. Obviously, I was playing ball all the time in college, and it was just great to watch

more football, particularly on a Monday night. And at that time, you know, it grew from that to Monday Night football being just a king. I'm you know, everybody watched Monday night football from you know, Howard Cosal keep Jacks in Dandy Don, the whole fantastic early groups of Monday night football.

You know, I stull remember a game when I was playing with the l A. Rams on a Monday night game that Howard Cosell had called the game and he made it a kind when you're playing anyone here anything obviously playing the game, but after the game, people said, well, you know, Howard go Sell called you a young Joe Nameth. You know that is really cool. Man called me a young Joe Nameth. So you hear things from other people because you know, you concern about what other people are

saying until the game's over. Well, you mentioned Joe Namis and he actually played in that very first Monday night game that you're referencing. When you heard there was going to be a game in prime time on a weeknight, did it feel revolutionary? Did it feel like, wait a minute, this is complete messing up the week? A little bit? Absolutely? I mean, when you think about football back then, now that was nineteen seventy and I came in the NFL ninety three. You know, there was ABC, NBC, CBS that

that was it. You know, in the prime time programming, that's pretty much what you had to choose from. You know, we're all in a different world right now where there's so many choices that you have to watch any event. So it really was special Monday night football, you know it was when you think, I think it was like the ratings were through the roof, thirty million people every Monday night watching games. So yeah, it was bigger and probably better back then. We'll take us through that piece

of it too. When you were playing, there was no Sunday night football, there was no Thursday night football. So as a player putting on your uniform for Monday night football in what ways, was that different than Sunday afternoon. You knew everyone was going to be watching. All the other games were played on Sunday. It was a Monday

night game. You know, if there were twenty eight teams or thirty two teams, whatever the case may have been back in the you know, the seventies, you knew every one of your opponents was watching that game, and that was your chance to show your wears. You know that, hey, we're gonna show everyone around the league how good we are, or individually how good you are as an individual player. So clearly it was the focus, and not only the fans across America, but the players and coaches as well.

Ron you made reference to the fact that there was only the three networks, ABC, NBC and CBS. Was there something specific as a viewer or something that you were told after you played in the game that was just different about that broadcast compared to what they were normally getting. Yeah, no question. When in fact, you know, when when the schedule came out, you know you wanted to be on Monday Night Football. I mean, there is absolutely no doubt

about a Careers were made on Monday Night Football. And once you saw that schedule and you said you had a Monday night game. It was one of those you took the pen on circle, that one that you know, that's the one you want to have the big game on. You want to be at your best and in the same vein, you don't want to have a clunker either, because that's what people will remember about that game, because that's people are watching all the other teams. They're watching

two particular teams and a particular player. So if you're that particular player, you want to be sure you put on a strong performance. We'll take us to when you got to call those games, when you first got tapped for that assignment to do the color, what went through your head? Yeah, it was absolutely crazy. I'll give you

the exact scenario. At that time, I was the owner of the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League and and we were playing a game, and uh, that's when I got notified that I was going to be asked to do Monday Night Football. At halftime of that game, and I was told Norby Williamson at the time, was

the coordinating producer. He was at the sole game and he came late because his plane was delayed, So at halftime, he told me, you're going to get the deal for Monday in football, but you can't tell anyone because you know, Norby was very professional about as approach and Joe Thisan was calling games with Korenheiser and Targo, and he said, I'm gonna meet with Joe personally and let him know that,

you know, changes being made. So I totally reached. I did the professionalism of Norby, and Joe handled very well to this day. We still remained dear friends. But I couldn't tell anybody. And my wife is sitting next to me the game. I said, can I tell my wife? And so I was able to tell him that was it. So it took a couple of weeks before the word actually had gotten out. Norby did it very professionally and said, you know before it got out that I was gonna

call Monday at football. And you know, I could have been more ecstatic to work with Mike di Rico, and you know, it was kind of my mentor all along, and Tony Kornheiser, who I worked with for a couple of years, and Jon Gruden. It was five remarkable years of my life. And Chip Dean was a great director and you know, all the people that were involved with it. You know, we're just we're first class and every way

you could have met. Jay Rothman was absolutely outstanding. And the resources that ESPN then through at Monday night football, I mean, my god, we had more done people and football teams have because they wanted to be right, and we think we delivered a really good product. I was very fortunately work with great people. The nerves that come with that, though, I think all of us sort of have that moment like you get an opportunity and it's so big. This is like the sports world in this

country is focusing. I still remember watching you on a lot of those process. I can't even imagine the chills and the nerves that come with having to perform at that level. Michael, you are so correct, and you know I played in the NFL for septi years of players, so you've kind of been through the nerves and you

learn how to control them and everything else. But I still remember Hank Williams, you know, we are ready to come on the air and I'm thinking, oh my god, you know, my family, I want my high school, college's gonna be watching this Monday night football game and all sudden Hank william starts seeing I ready push some football. So you're listening to this, you're you know, you're ready to go, and Tariko and Corner has there next to me, and you know you're gonna get the go and Mike's

gonna welcome the Monday night football. But as the Hank Williams song is playing, I'm like thinking, oh my god, like twenty million people are when that red leg goes on, are gonna see me, you know, And I'm just worried I'm gonna go, like when Mike throws me, I go. It was probably one of the few times I can honestly tell you I was very nervous in my life. But once you got through that first minute, everything was

pretty smooth. Sailings, I worked with great people Roun. We have met in many a press box and many of the food room in fact. But you know, there was Sunday Night Football or Sunday Night Football was added in the eighties, and of course Thursday Night Football was added in two thousand six. I've been to a Wednesday game last year. There was a Wednesday game and Tuesday game, right,

so we have not played football all the time. What is it about Monday night that still feels so magical and it can't be diluted by all of these other night games. I just think it's one game. It's one game. And of course was Sunday, you could have five or six games being played at the same time. The late games, he had a few games going on. I think the fact that one game you have, you have no choice

either watch that game or you don't watch football. You watch a baseball game, and I think most people will prefer to watch football games. I would think they will. I think the fact that it's one game game and only you get the best production. You know, And we were and I told people, if I showed you my calendar during the Monday night footballs that season, we were working ninety hours a week. And you know, you're around

a lot of the guys unit and the ladies. You know how it is if you're gonna be good at your craft and you're you're getting the game that everyone's gonna watch. We got producers, we got directors, we got statisticians, we got replay guys. Well, I mean we've got officials. You've got the best of the best on your troop. So that's what made it really exciting. You knew the game was, you know, normally gonna be a good game because people bring their best in the prime time game.

You get the best talent covering the game. So it's just great to be part of a show like that run.

As we're preparing for the show, I was we were on an email chain and I had wrote this to Adity and I said, Man, I'm really so excited to talk to you, in particular because you understand that there's a cultural relevance that comes with Monday night Football and yet seventies eighties, I'm thirty nine, so you know, I watched reruns of you know, Dar's Day Show with my grandmother and ed Sell like, I understand it to a point, I didn't live it, though. How do you characterize the

cultural significance of Monday night Football? Yeah, I mean you think of you know, when John Lennon got you know, it was announced on Monday Night Football. There's so many iconic things that happened, you know, that were relevant to Monday Night Football, and very few times was you know, the game ever broken into her Howard Cosell breaking down because he got that news, and you know, I mean there's a lot of things that happened during Monday night

football actions. So I think there was also the interviews with celebrities and superstars that came in the booth during the game, So that added to it as well. And it seemed like, you know, some of the stars that played were either became sideline reporters or you know, even

guys like in the booth like myself, you know. So it just added to the luster of Monday Night Football and the iconic voices, the iconic personalities, the guests on the show, the halftime show, pregame interviews, and the pregame show spawned off of Monday Night Football. It used to be a I think a half hour pregame show. Now they're like, it seems like about five hours now, you know. So it just it started a whole another culture. Okay, I'm going to put you on the spot. That same

email chain that Michael is referring to. We all went back and forth on our most iconic Monday Night moments, because, as you know, it's much bigger if it happens on Monday night than if it happens at one pm on Sunday. So one of our producers just before you came on, was insisting it was Odell Beckham Jr. Making that catch against Dallas. I'm arguing that it was Lamar Jackson running

out of the bathroom last year in Cleveland. Tell us, when you think of Monday Night, what is either a play that you witnessed or a play that you called Monday Night moment. Yeah, I swore on Monday Night football. You may remember that. I didn't think I did, but I think I did. Well, you're lucky we're not allowed

to air what you broadcast. It was slightly embarrassing, and yet the time was very embarrassing because we went to a break and Jay Roth, who says he gets in my earnings jaws, I think you swore, and no, I didn't, and I did say so that was it wasn't like a band word, you know. And so now we're in the break and Jay says, well, you gotta apologize, you know. So when we came out of the break, the camera

was directly on me. There's this you know, when the camera in the box, and I got Gruden and tarikco next to me and they are like, they're like laughing, and I got on and I gotta be very serious, ob I said an inappropriate word, and I said, I have to apologize for an inappropriate word used during my last play call. And I apologize those people I offended. And at the same time, I'm being dead serious and Mike and John are just like cracking up because I

gotta make this apology. So that was probably my most embarrassing moment. But you know, hey, I made a mistake. I got excited and in the course of the game, and I I said, it's raw motion. You know your is in the moment. How many of you I'll take that another step because the next morning, my daughter, who watches the games and all, that's just Howard Stern is talking about you on the radio. So my daughter was

more impressed with that. Okay, but let's be fair. The reason you said it is you were encouraging the quarterback to get rid of the ball a little bit more quickly, right, I mean it was reasonable advice. That is correct, And actually Howard Stern said some refreshing comments, said, hey, that's how Jaws does a game. He gets excited like he's playing.

So he backed me up, which is good. How many of your old teammates or just people around the league messaged you after um when it just came to your apology because people know you right and and all of a sudden, you're apologizing for an S bomb during the broadcast, just because you're excited. I would imagine that you said Toko and Company like they're kind of giggling while you're having to make this apology. I would imagine your close friends,

your family, former teammates are sitting there laughing too. I'm kind of surprised I didn't say anything worse, to be honest with you. You know, I'm a football guy. You know, I'm in seven years in NFL, four years of college, for years of high school. There's a lot of locker room mach on this, you know, and words do come out, and I'm probably, uh, you know, maybe not always the most appropriate user of the proper word. But I'm glad it was only a simple negative comment. We're with you

there in a big way. Ron. We can't thank you enough for giving us some time going down memory lane, giving us some context on the significance of Monday night football, and even just seeing you and hearing your voice. You can tell the joy that you have for not only the support but the reference that you have for those games and Monday Night football. So thank you so much for sharing it with us. Hey, my pleasure. Good luck to you guys, will be safe well. Thank you and

you too. We hope to see you soon. Thanks. Hi Mike. I have to tell you Jaws is really truly one of the real gentlemen in the National Football League media world. And I say that from personal experience. My favorite Monday Night Football sideline reporter, Melissa's Stark, comes and joins us next. Now, look, Melissa has covered just about everything there is to cover. She was on NBC MSNBC. She's the mother of four children.

She danced gamely at my wedding in every way possible, and she is really and truly one of my favorite people. And I am pumped that she is coming to join us. A deity. Was she on fire literally at your wedding? There's a story in that, not at my wedding, but there is a story to that, and I'm sure you'll get it out of her. After the break, we'll talk to Melissa about fires and other things. This podcast is

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it to my kids. It is treat time. Treat because the fabulous, wonderful, brilliant Melissa's Stark is joining us. I obviously talked about her a bit before the break, but she hosted the Olympics for MSNBC from Beijing. She was on The Today Show. She is now the most of NFL Networks Emmy Award winning NFL three sixty. But for a four year period two thousand to two thousand three, she was Monday Night Football sideline reporter, and she is

here to tell us all about that time period. So, Melissa, when you were doing Monday Night football, there was no Thursday night football. Monday Night Football was basically the biggest show in town, right, It sure was. It was. Oh gosh, it was so long ago. My gosh, it was twenty years ago. But yes, it was literally the highest rated show on television. And um, you know, I look back and I kind of pinched myself because I was living

at the time. But now, you know, if if we had social media and we had all these other things in my own little small world, you know, would have felt bigger. But it was huge. I mean, it was the only thing under the lights, you know. Every I would always talk to the athletes. I remember talking to Jerry Rice and he gave the best quote. He's like, there was nothing like playing on Monday night under these lights because we just there. There was no other night game.

So um, yeah, it was pretty unique and special. So it seems like you at least have a sense now the magnitude of the moment. But like you said, I mean, you're in your mid twenties, you're doing sidelines. It's Monday Night football in those moments, and it's kind of like pre social media in a lot of ways. How did you know it was big even in that moment. It's funny you say that because and A D. D Can attested this doing live shots and things like that on TV.

You're not thinking, oh my gosh, I'm going out to twenty million viewers or I'm going out to five so it's just you and a camera, right, But the night felt huge. Obviously, working with legends like Al Michaels and John Madden was huge. But I think the fact that like Saturday Night Live did a spoof on us, it was all the other things that, like my friends kind of came up to me and said, wow, you know you're big now, like you know they just did they just did a skin on you on Saturday Live. Or

the fact that I was on the Madden Game. You know, all these younger kids knew my voice from from Madden two thousand one or Madden two thousand too, whatever it was at the time, So you know, you're living it and I was young. I was just trying to be one of the guy because there weren't that many women in football at the time. And I kind of wish, you know, now, with all my knowledge and my confidence of being a mother and all that, like, I could

go back and do it. And I feel like I know so much more about the world and everything, and and maybe he could appreciate it. But at the time it was just sort of overwhelming. And I'm here, I am, you know, twenty six years old in the spotlight, but it was incredible. Listen, you just said something about how Monday Night Football had sort of this cultural reach, these cultural tentacles, well beyond just a football game. You were there when there was kind of this reset and they

brought a comedian to the broadcast booth. Well, okay, so basically it was donal Meyer, who was the legendary producer who worked at NBC and kind of started Saturday Live. Just a genius. He came back for a year to revamp Monday Night Football, and his old deal was, let me bring in five different voices, right, so he's got al of course, he brings in Dan Fouls, who's you know, the quarterback and and uh played by the analysts. Then he thinks of bringing Dennis Miller probably from you know,

Saturday at Live Days, and then Eric Dickerson. You bring in a former player, put him down the sideline, and then you know, the female voice and women viewership obviously has grown through the years, but still at the time, I mean, there were a lot of women who watched Monday night Football just because it's more of a you know, a lot of women watched the Super Bowl. It's it was more of like a kind of a spectacle, you know,

an event because it was the one night game. So I was, Yes, I was very much a part of that, and I was sort of thrown in there, you know, at a young age. I mean, I'm so appreciative looking back, I just again, I wish i'd sort of knew more and all of that at the time. Did you feel pressure because you just said it, Hey, not a ton of females in football, and I can only imagine the comments that you had to hear throughout the course of your career, but certainly in a role that is as

high profile as that. Do you feel pressure as a twenty six year old sideline reporter Monday night Football to say, you know what I actually know what I'm talking about, right, you know, And I would try and downplay. I mean, obviously I was sort of representing the female voice in Donald Meyer's eyes, but also, you know, not sigible about football. But I kind of felt like I had to be

one of the guys. Like I would I wear contacts, but i'd wear my glasses, I'd wear jeans for the production meetings, like when I was around all the players. I just sort of try and downplay my femininity. But the funny thing is, and in DD knows this. Then I went to go work at the Today Show and then I'm with Katie Curk who's wearing like, you know, the highest high heels if you've ever seen. That's all

about being female and embracing your femininity. So I go from one extreme to the next where you sort of feel like, okay, I can do this, And now it's kind of come full circle where you know it's okay to be a female and still be respected in football and still dressed like a female, and you know all of that. I mean, of course, there's a line to

be drawn. So it was definitely a fine line to walk, and I definitely had people challenged me, and it was early on, I would say more in other sports, you know, Like I was covering a golf event and Jack Nicholas said something, you know, sort of it was with Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia and people who are your you know, this generation, you kind of get it, got the women

were part of things. And then Jack said something sort of like, well you might be nice to look at, but you're in my line, you know, something like that, and I'm like, oh my gosh, um, but I digressed for Monday night football. My point being it wasn't always easy to be a female, you know, when you were so young covering this, and now it's much more accepted and commonplace. Well, Melissa, you know what you do make

a great transition right there. You have covered the Olympics, You've been on the sideline at Super Bowls games in London. All of these big events tell us something about Monday night football that just isn't matched anywhere else, or that makes it simply unique. You know. I keep saying under the lights, but like the energy at night and just the fact when I did it, that it was the

one game at night that made it so special. Um. I think working with legends and you mentioned the Olympics and things like and I've worked with some incredible people, but there was something about you know, John Madden and riding in the Madden Cruiser, and and then just the access that you have. I mean, granted we have great access, you know working at NFL, I working in the NFL, or if you work at the ESPN or wherever, people have access, but like you know, I could call any

college coach and anywhere. You know, hey, it's let's start oneing up a boom. You know. It was just sort of the name and the brand of it all was just you know, above and beyond. We we can't let the Madden Cruiser grow. I mean you've got on road trips on the mad and Cruiser. Oh yeah, Oh, I mean we went everywhere on like because because if we travel with John, that was the only way to go.

So every production meeting we go to, every time, we went out to dinner, and and then it was really special because every usually the Christmas Games, they'd always give us a Tampa game just because you know, it's outside at night. They didn't want to totally freeze at night, so we'd have one there. And my family lives near the Sarasota area, and John has a house in Sarasota, so my whole family would get on and we'd buy

the John down there. It was amazing and he's just, you know, this larger than life figure but just as down to earth and genuine as could be. And we're just cruising along, you know, after the game. Can you imagine if you had your kids then four kids riding along in the Madden Cruiser. I always say that, I mean, you know, now, my kids, can you know kind of come down the field or do this and that, or get a jersey signed, or come to a super Bowl, but like to relive all of that would have been

absolutely amazing through their eyes. I can't even imagine. Just really no, I did it like maddening cruiser. Um, Melissa, is there is there a moment that stands out? I'm sure there's probably a ton with you know, just kind of hanging out with John and the entire crew. But when I say Monday Night football is their memory that does stick out maybe above the rest. Ironically, our first season together, that first season with all the five people and then it changed to just Al and John Madden

and me, But when we had everybody together. That was I mean Al would even tell you our ratings were through the roof, and we like to think that it was because of the five of us. But we had the best games. I mean, if you go back and look at it, we might have had five or six overtime games. We had the longest game in Monday night football history. It was a viny testaverty was the Jets game. I mean, it just kept going and going and going. We also had the Antonio Freeman catch, the you know,

Michael's like he did what. You know, it was pretty cool just to be part of these um and you know, not that I'm complaining, but a lot of times and you guys have been there down on the sidelines, it's not the best, you know, when you're a little raised up. Like sometimes I'd be like, wait, what does that? When I didn't see what happened, I got to run over and interview this guy, you know, because you're down at

the ground level. But just the excitement of doing like the postgame interviews kind of right afterwards, it's nothing that you can really match. And then I fast forward in this past year. I went to a few games during COVID once they started opening a back up and no fans and no sidelines, and you realize the difference of the energy. I mean, and you guys understand that. I mean, it was like night and day. So you realize how

much you appreciate those fans, how much you appreciate that atmosphere. Um, well, I I do like my third game, my third game there, so they would make me stand do my open right near where the players weren't out of the tunnel, and so like the pyrotechnics are going off, you know, as they introduced the team shooting up and my sweater, the back of my sweater caught on fire and I stepped out of position and John's like, get back in position.

We're coming to you in three seconds. And so I had to do my report and the thing was kind of smoldering in the back for like fixing seconds. So that was certainly pretty memorable and like, you know, one of those treacherous things that you experienced on the job. But it was, you know, there are a lot of you know, just incredible, you know, Michael Vick. It's just I'm just trying to think back to all these guys, and it was just Tom Brady, like in the opener

the in in Gillette. I just it was just incredible because you know, it's a lot of these guys who were either retired now or you know, Tom Brady is not retired obviously, but you know, to follow him through his career and to start back then, you know, and to cover Pro Bowl. We didn't we so if you did one in a football, you did the Pro Bowl. So you've got a Wii for two weeks at the one of the season. Talk about incredible because you guys are making me take walk down memory lane and like

how amazing it was. Yeah, you know, experience is wasted on the young, right, Melissa totally, who wouldn't sign up for that now? So so so appreciate. This is that smoldering sweater in Canton. You know what, I still have it. It's so funny. I still have it. Uhh. Yeah, I gotta pack you up, but I kept it for you know, for memory's stake. Yes, exactly. I'm so glad to talk to you guys the best any time. Yeah, you guys are awesome. Well, thank you, thank you so much and

we will definitely talk to you soon. Okay, good, thanks take care guys. Fine, So Mike none of that is fake. That is exactly how Melissa talks all the time. Super high energy and st dot it with four kids, four teenagers, can you imagine and still have that energy. But I'll tell you this, listening to her makes me so hungry to be back on a Monday night football sideline. Why

not just the energy that's there, You're right. Look, I mean, I know we've spent this entire episode talking about the history of the game, why the game actually is played on a Monday night, and then of course some of those memorable moments, and there are so many moments that we weren't even able to touch upon. But there's one

thing that's abundantly clear. I am never going to forget Melissa telling us that she was on fire right before she was about to do a live hit on television, and that she still has the sweater, that she still has the sweater. Oh gosh, Well, you know what, Mike, this one has been a lot of fun. It's been a weird trip down memory lane. And I can't say that I ever really wondered why football was played on Monday night. It just felt like the thing that had

to be done. Well, I think you just like this episode a lot because you get to catch up with a couple of your buddies in dwarf Sky and Melissa, so appreciate their time and hanging out with us on this podcast. But don't forget we want to make sure that your rate your review follow us. The NFL explained wherever you get your podcasts and add That's Monday Night Football explained The best that we could see you next week brought to you by up work, where you can

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