NFL – 1987 – ESPN Special – NFL Prime Time – With Tom Jackson + Chris Berman + Pete Axthelm

DOG ASIDE: 

There is no question about it….this video is “pure gold” here at ImaSportsphile….for it is classic ESPN coverage of the NFL from the 1986 season….featuring some of the originals NFL broadcasters at ESPN…. for there’s Chis “Swame” Berman, who has already been inducted into the Sportscasters Hall of Fame….then there is Tom Jackson, in his 1st year at ESPN, on his way to a 29 year career with the sports network giant that ended in 2016….and last but not least, there’s Pete Axthelm, of ESPN and NBC fame…..as each of these guys are recognizable to dang near any old school NFL fan. 

These were the early days of ESPN producing and airing NFL programs….as this footage is from a time long before Chris Berman ever conceived the NFL prognosticator known as The Swami….as he was just beginning to be well known for his various catchphrases and player nicknames….for this was a time when he was just beginning to build his resume at ESPN with calls like “He….could….go….all…the…way!”…..or when letting out a “Whoop!” during highlights when a player makes a quick move or causes someone to miss or make a mistake…. and who could forget the “Tick, tick, tick, tick tick tick tick…” during a post-game recap for a play or moment in which the clock is a factor….or when a large player such as lineman runs with the football while describing him as “rumblin’, bumblin’, stumblin'”.  Berman has also been known for using a kind of low questioning voice when a team that is not doing well in a season ends up doing very well in a game while emphasizing “Liioonns? Brroowwnnss?”….and let’s not forget Berman’s ability to integrate “puns” into player nicknames….like dubbing former Minnesota Twins pitcher Bert Blyleven as “Bert Be Home Blyleven”….which all adds up to a video that is well worth watching.