For sports fans, one of the constants over the last 20 years was waking up in the morning to hear Mike Golic co-hosting either Mike & Mike or Golic and Wingo on ESPN Radio. On August 17, that will all change as the morning show will now feature Keyshawn Johnson, Jay Williams, and Zubin Mehenti as the hosts.
According to Richard Deitsch from The Athletic, Golic is still under contract with ESPN, but a future role has yet to be determined.
In the last 24 hours, many current and former ESPN personalities took to Twitter to talk about their experiences working with Golic on the air. We will start with Golic and Wingo, producer Evan Wilner, and ESPN Director of Talent Production and Guest Booking Ray Necci.
Over the years, many different people have filled on either morning show to co-host with Golic and a few of them shared their experiences. Adnan Virk, who is currently at DAZN, remembered when he first worked with Golic and Mike Hill credits Golic for getting him on the air to fill in on Mike & Mike
Golic received some praise on Twitter from former colleagues Will Cain, who is now at FOX News and Doug Gottlieb (host on FOX Sports Radio). Cain and Gottlieb would both fill in on Mike & Mike from time-to-time:
For other people, it is Golic’s kindness that helped them feel comfortable working with him, such as Jason Romano. Romano worked at ESPN for 17 years and felt more relaxed working with Golic. ESPN contributor Bobby Carpenter also explained how Golic pushed him to be with his family for the holidays rather than worry about filling in on the show.
Even though Golic had the national spotlight on ESPN, he would give a helping hand to people in the business as well. Randy Scott, who now works at ESPN, met Golic in 2009 and shared his story of meeting him and giving him advice that eventually led to them being colleagues:
Danny Kanell, who used to work with Golic at ESPN (now at CBS Sports and Sirius XM), tweeted about what made Golic different compared to others currently in the industry. So too did Paul Pabst, Dan Patrick’s producer. Also weighing in was Barstool’s PFT Commenter, who acknowledged being a longtime morning listener and fan of Golic’s work.
Last, but not least, Golic’s wife Christine, one of his sons, Mike Jr., and his daughter Sydney thanked the people on Twitter for their kind words and support. Golic Jr. will be in the new national ESPN Radio lineup co-hosting with Chiney Ogwumike from 4-7 p.m ET.
The kind words will keep pouring in for Golic and it is clear to see the impact that he has in the industry on and off the air. There are many memorable moments to look back on from Golic over the last two decades and it will feel different when the new ESPN Radio lineup launches.
I was a sports fan novice when I started watching you in the early 2000s. Thanks to you I am no longer a novice!! Love your sports knowledge and info and especially the way that you present it!!. Will be waiting to see you at your next ESPN gig!!!