Before embarking on a solo career, he was one half of the most iconic show in sports radio history. And on Tuesday night, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo will take his rightful place in the Radio Hall of Fame when he is inducted at a ceremony at the Radisson Blue Aqua Hotel. Russo is part of the Class of 2022 with Broadway Bill Lee, Carol Miller, Ellen K, Jeff Smulyan, Lon Helton, Marv Dyson, Suzyn Waldman, and Walt “Baby” Love.
His road to the Hall of Fame started when the Long Island native worked at WKIS in Orlando, Florida before coming home to do a show on WMCA in New York. From there, he joined WFAN as a solo host and then was paired with Mike Francesa to host Mike and the Mad Dog from 1988 to 2008.
“I’m very glad to see Dog get into the Hall of Fame,” said Francesa. “He deserves it. It’s a great night for the FAN and a great night for Dog.”
Russo and Francesa ruled afternoon drive-time radio in New York for a long time but that show wasn’t just a sports talk radio show…It was must listen to radio and Russo’s energetic delivery and his passionate discussions with Francesa were a big reason why.
“Obviously, Dog has had a big impact,” said former long-time WFAN Program Director and executive Mark Chernoff.
“Just the fact that he and Mike set the standard for sport radio and sports radio talk shows. There was no pairing like them before or after their partnership. Dog has always had an encyclopedic sports mind supplemented by his wide variety of interests in history and culture in general. He and Mike both knew how to get the most out of each other and could have fun or be serious as the situation warranted.”
Both Russo and Francesa brought the same passion for sports to the program, but they were different personalities. Some fans loved one of them more than the other but the listeners were loyal to the show because they covered the big stories better than anyone else did and they were flat-out entertaining to listen to.
And each show started with Russo’s iconic “AHHHHHHHHHHHHH good afternoon, everybody! How are you today?”
“Dog was the straw that stirred the drink,” said former Mike and the Mad Dog producer Bob Gelb who has been at WFAN since 1987. “His passion for sports is what made the program so entertaining plus it was nicely produced!”
Gelb, whose Twitter account is @NicelyProduced, is referring to a common line that Mad Dog used when a great guest was booked.
When Mike and Mad Dog came to an end, it was like The Beatles breaking up. It was huge news, not only in New York, but all over the country.
Russo would then dip his toes into the national waters launching his new show Mad Dog Unleased on a channel named for him Mad Dog Sports Radio.
Russo’s arrival at Sirius XM made a huge impact.
“Chris Russo means everything to me,” said Adam Schein who moved from Sirius XM NFL Radio to do an all-sports show on Mad Dog Sports Radio.
Schein, a New York native, was inspired by Russo to get into sports talk radio.
“I’m 45,” said Schein. “I like to say I was the first generation of sports talk radio. I was the first group of kids who grew up wanting to be a sports radio host as opposed to a play-by-play voice or anchor. WFAN and Mike and the Mad Dog changed the game. Chris and Mike are the reason sports radio exploded. And Dog is the greatest of all time. His unmatched passion, his knack for true entertainment every time he speaks, his opinions, Dog’s legendary interviews, its second to none.”
Russo was already a Hall of Famer based on his career at WFAN, but what he’s been able to do in his time at Sirius XM has been remarkable. It’s one thing to launch a national radio show but it’s another thing to be the man behind a brand-new sport radio network. There were certainly some growing pains along the way, but Mad Dog Sports Radio over 15 years at Sirius XM has been a huge success.
“What Dog has done with us at SiriusXM that has changed the game,” said Schein. “He was already a legend and pioneer. But his brand has gone to a new level as an all-timer with his Mad Dog Unleashed show and our Mad Dog Sports Radio channel. I’d argue Dog has never been better. Dog’s show is the best national show in the game. I’m lucky to call Chris a friend and teammate. I wouldn’t have my dream job without him.”
Let me close with what Chris “Mad Dog” Russo means to me.
When I was home from college between my junior and senior years in the summer of 1988, I was lucky enough to get an internship at WFAN. Later that year, when I was home from school in-between semesters, WFAN hired me as a fill-in board operator for the holiday season and one of the shows I worked on was an overnight show hosted by Mad Dog. He couldn’t have been nicer to a young kid who aspired to get into broadcasting.
Fast forward to 2009. I had already been working part-time as a sports anchor at Sirius XM for a couple of years and while I enjoyed it very much my goal was always to get an on-air job at WFAN. I tried over and over and over again, but kept on getting rejection letters.
And then, one day I get a call from now former WFAN Program Director Eric Spitz who is now at Sirius XM.
“I heard you doing a sports update with Mad Dog yesterday,” said Spitz on the phone. “We’d like to bring you to WFAN as an update anchor.”
I was now working at both Sirius XM and WFAN and a few days later I told Russo this story and he was so happy for me.
“That’s great Pete!” said Russo, but you have to imagine for a second his voice and happiness and think about how this sounded. “We got you hired at the FAN!”
Yeah, you did Chris, and congratulations on a well-deserved honor in getting inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame.
Peter Schwartz writes weekly sports radio features for Barrett Media. He has been involved in New York sports media for over three decades, and has worked for notable brands such as WFAN, CBS Sports Radio, WCBS 880, ESPN New York, and FOX News Radio. Peter has also served as play by play announcer for the New Yok Riptide, New York Dragons, New York Hitmen, Varsity Media and the Long Island Sports Network. You can find him on Twitter @SchwartzSports or email him at DragonsRadio@aol.com.
