NFL Network host Rich Eisen was part of a new breed of sports anchor when he came into the national consciousness on ESPN in 1996. As a SportsCenter anchor, Eisen brought sarcasm, humor, mischief, and irreverence. He was a near-instant hit, most notably when paired with the late and legendary Stuart Scott.
Eisen and Scott created one of the best SportsCenter teams of all time, worthy of mention alongside the inimitable Dan Patrick/Keith Olbermann combo. Those two duos truly laid the groundwork for today’s top ESPN desk mates, namely Elle Duncan and Kevin Negandhi as well as Randy Scott and Gary Striewski.
Eisen and Scott played off each other superbly. Scott, the silky-smooth intelligent maestro from Chicago, and Eisen, the razor-sharp quipster from New York. They were, in truth, the Larry Bird and Magic Johnson of sports television, breaking the rules of those who came before them and setting a new standard for those who would follow them.
Eisen and Scott made each other and everyone else on the Bristol, CT campus better. Watching Eisen’s sardonic SportsCenter smile, you never really knew what he would say next or what fun spin he would put on a story. As a SportsCenter anchor, he had it all – the suit and tie, the coiffed hair, and gallons of talent. His intros to highlights were literary masterpieces. Call it prose about pros.
As good as Eisen was, he was never going to be the alpha dog at ESPN, not as long as the ample shadow of Chris Berman remained, so in 2003, Eisen made the jump to NFL Network. Eisen was the first on-air talent added to the NFL Network roster prior to the initial launch in November 2003. The NFL was a gigantic conglomerate, but the move was still a risk for Eisen, an established talent at ESPN.
The league had the robust finances to attract any talent, but money doesn’t make you smart. With the hiring of Eisen, the NFL showed that they had as much common sense as cash. He is one of the best decisions the league has ever made.
Since joining the network, Eisen has served as host of NFL GameDay Morning, the NFL Draft, NFL Scouting Combine, Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction Weekend, and Super Bowl coverage. That’s what the bio says anyway.
What Eisen really has done is made that leap from a popular and successful sports TV personality to an icon in his field. He is the on-air figurehead at NFL Network, the foundation and ringleader. It all stems from Eisen. And he is still Larry Bird, dishing out elegant on-air passes and making countless colleagues better.
Think about the amazing array of diverse personalities who have worked alongside Eisen at NFL Network. Michael Irvin, Kurt Warner, Steve Mariucci, Cynthia Frelund, Rachel Bonnetta, Warren Sapp, Marshall Faulk, and countless others. In every instance, the wit, leadership, example, and ability of Eisen has rubbed off on his cohorts.
Eisen is squarely in the discussion with the greatest studio hosts of all time. I’m talking Chris Berman on ESPN’s NFL Primetime, CBS’ Jim Nantz at The Masters, ABC’s Jim McKay on Wide World of Sports and the Olympics, Brent Musburger on CBS’ The NFL Today, Bryant Gumbel on HBO’s Real Sports, and Bob Costas on just about anything.
Only John Hancock with the Continental Congress and Gabe Kotter with the Sweathogs were more adept at sitting behind a desk and dealing with a disparate cast of characters.
Speaking of characters, Eisen is one himself. He has used his self-deprecating humor and endless courage to create Run Rich Run. Taking a page from NFL Combine athletes, each year, Eisen runs a 40-yard dash fully garbed in a suit and tie. Since 2015, Eisen and donors have raised millions of dollars for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
That’s Eisen, always putting himself out there for the good of the cause or the show. Moreover, just as he brought a new attitude to SportsCenter back in the day, he remains open to new thoughts, ideas, and trends today. What sets NFL GameDay Morning apart from the plethora of other NFL pregame shows is creativity.
Eisen’s willingness to participate in game show parodies, wear costumes and hats, use props, and generally mix comedy and sports takes guts. There are few on air talents who possess the wide array of gifts inherent in Eisen’s repertoire. He can be funny and poignant, piercing and whimsical, pleasant and argumentative, silly and serious, and that’s just in the A-Block of NFL GameDay Morning.
Eisen’s ability to display his personality without overshadowing others is key. He is a brilliant solo artist but recognizes that it’s all about the band. He carefully picks his spots to add to or even dominate the conversation. Eisen gets just as much of a rise watching his compatriots have a nice moment as he does having his own.
Beyond his NFL Network slate, The Rich Eisen Show podcast streaming on the Cumulus Podcast Network, Westwood One Radio Network, SiriusXM, and The Roku Channel has become one of those rare shows where A-list celebrities don’t wait to be asked but push to be on the program.
Episodes have included a varied cast of guests including Rob Lowe, Larry David, TJ Newman, Kyle Brandt, Chris Redd, Oliver Platt, Judge Reinhold, and others from the worlds of sports and entertainment, and more. In this genre, Eisen shows that he can jab, chat, rift, bob, and weave, one on one with top tier personalities.
While he has made his bones and bucks as an anchor and host, Eisen is also a terrific interviewer mixing a cool understated tone with a wide-eyed enthusiasm. He often adds personal anecdotes as he did in an emotional interview with baseball Hall of Famer and Yankee legend Reggie Jackson. Eisen was visibly moved as he told Jackson that his famed three home runs in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series ignited Eisen’s youthful passion for baseball.
Eisen has sculpted a unique and singular media persona and has grown into a wildly popular figure in sports television. As we prepare for the onset of another NFL season, Eisen will once again be seemingly omnipresent on NFL Network.
The erstwhile SportsCenter phenom has morphed into a venerable and revered master of his craft. The suit and tie is now an open collar shirt, the coiffed hair is less on his head and more on his chin, but the gallons of talent still flow freely. His impish sense of humor remains, but Eisen is now an all-time great who defines his network – a court jester, if you will, who has become a king. Long may he reign.
John Molori is a weekly columnist for Barrett Sports Media. He has previously contributed to ESPNW, Patriots Football Weekly, Golf Content Network, Methuen Life Magazine, and wrote a syndicated Media Blitz column in the New England region, which was published by numerous outlets including The Boston Metro, Providence Journal, Lowell Sun, and the Eagle-Tribune. His career also includes fourteen years in television as a News and Sports Reporter, Host, Producer working for Continental Cablevision, MediaOne, and AT&T. He can be reached on Twitter @MoloriMedia.
