ESPN signs Troy Aikman, Joe Buck for ‘Monday Night Football’
Troy Aikman and Joe Buck attend Gala Celebrating Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications 40th Anniversary at Mandarin Oriental Hotel on May 3, 2005 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Patrick McMullan via Getty Im
BRISTOL, Connect. - ESPN announced Wednesday it has signed play-by-play commentator Joe Buck and football analyst Troy Aikman to multi-year deals as the new voices of "Monday Night Football."
According to the company, the Pro Football Hall of Fame members will mark their 21st NFL season in the booth together during the duo’s 2022 debut. This will match the legendary John Madden and Pat Summerall’s all-time record as on-air NFL partners.
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As part of the agreement, Buck and Aikman will both contribute content to ESPN+, the sports company’s video streaming service.
Over their 20 seasons together, the duo have called more than 275 regular-season games, over 40 playoff matchups, 18 NFC Championships and Super Bowls XXXIX, XLII, XLV, XLVIII, LI and LIV, according to ESPN’s press release announcing the deal.
"When you have the opportunity to bring in the iconic, longest-running NFL broadcasting duo, you take it, especially at a time when we are on the cusp of a new era in our expanding relationship with the NFL," said Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of ESPN and Sports Content. "The NFL continues to ascend, and we now have more games than ever before, providing additional opportunities for Joe, Troy and our deep roster of commentators."
Troy Aikman joins ESPN
Aikman is a former quarterback, whose career began in 1989 when the Dallas Cowboys selected him with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft. He played with the Cowboys for over a decade.
His 12 years in the league were highlighted by victories in Super Bowls XXVII, XXVIII and XXX.
"In his first Super Bowl, held at the Rose Bowl, the same field where he became an All-American with UCLA, Aikman was named MVP, following his four-touchdown-pass performance. In the midst of his incredible run, Aikman was named to six consecutive Pro Bowls, set more than 40 team passing records, and cemented his legacy as one of the Cowboys’ all-time greats," ESPN noted.
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Aikman retired from the NFL after the 2000-01 season and went immediately into the booth, working the 2001-02 season for FOX Sports, where he remained for the past two decades.
"The opportunity to be a voice on ‘Monday Night Football,’ adding to its legacy and being a part of the future of the NFL on ESPN, has me motivated and reflective," Aikman told ESPN. "As a kid in California, the voices of Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell, and my mom’s personal favorite, Don Meredith, echoed throughout our living room each week. Joe and I are humbled to be part of that same tradition that has existed for more than 50 years across generations of football fans. I am looking forward to the next several years with ESPN and all our new teammates."
Joe Buck joins ESPN
Joe Buck is an American sportscaster and son of sportscaster Jack Buck. He has worked for FOX Sports since 1994, becoming a household voice for NFL fans.
Outside of the NFL, Buck has called 24 World Series, 22 MLB All-Star games and five of golf’s U.S. Opens. Buck has been named the National Sports Media Association’s National Sportscaster of the Year four times, including three years in a row.
Buck also has had a significant history with "Monday Night Football," calling play-by-play on the national radio broadcast from 1978-1984 and 1987-1995.
Buck joined Aikman in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.
Joe Buck added to ESPN, "Everything about "Monday Night Football," including the broadcast, set the standard for the modern NFL experience. My earliest memories of walking around football stadiums are tagging along with my dad as he called "Monday Night Football" on radio. To return to the stadium on Monday nights with Troy – who I have the utmost comfort with and confidence in – and begin a new chapter, for us and ESPN, has me excited about this season and our future."
Buck and Aikman’s "Monday Night Football" debut will kick off on Sept. 12, 2022.