Jim Williams » Monday Night Football 40 years later
By: Jim Williams
Examiner Sports Columnist
September 20, 2009
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| From left: Don Meredith, Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford broadcast a Monday Night Football game on ABC in January 1972. (AP Photo/ABC) |
Forty-two years ago Frank Gifford was one of the lead play-by-play men at CBS sports and he was invited to play golf with his friend, ABC Sports president Roone Arledge. During their round of golf, Arledge told Gifford that he was going to begin broadcasting NFL games in primetime every Monday night starting with the 1970 season. He wanted Gifford to be the voice of ABC Monday Night Football. Gifford was under contract until 1971 with CBS so he declined the offer but did suggest his friend Don Meredith to serve in the role of color analyst.
So, in 1970 the first Monday Night Football game aired between Cleveland and New York, with the Browns beating the Jets, 31-21. The broadcast team for the first year was Keith Jackson, doing play-by-play, Meredith as analyst and, of course, Howard Cosell serving in the role of commentator.
In 1971 Gifford would join the cast and Jackson would be moved to the lead play-by-play man on ABC College Football.
During a conference call this week I spoke to Gifford about his time on MNF and some of his memories:
JW » What were the early days like on MNF?
Gifford » “There only three networks back then and ABC was getting no ratings. We were there offering football to people who, for whatever reason, may not have seen the games on Sunday and in some cases were not the diehard fans. ABC made Monday Night Football an event; it was big and since it was the only game on, players wanted to be at their best. The drama of playing a football game at night with all the wonderful visuals of the lights beaming off the helmets gave the game a real theatrical look.”
JW » Pop culture and guests were a big part of the early days of MNF.
Gifford » “Yes we had some big-time guests on Monday Football. I recall one night in Los Angeles we had been trying to get John Lennon on the show and he agreed. Well that same night [then-California Governor] Ronald Reagan also was to be on the show and I had a conversation with Howard as to who would interview the guests. Howard was quick to say ‘I’ll take the Beatle and you interview the Governor.’ Ah, that was Howard ... I have to say doing MNF was one the highlights of my career and it was an honor to work with so many wonderful people both in front of and behind the cameras.”
It should be noted that selling the concept of Monday Night Football to the owners was no easy task for NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle. He had to convince the owners and coaches that playing on Monday night was good for the NFL despite the disruption of the usual practice schedule for Sunday games.
The rest, as the saying goes, is history.
Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this! on washingtonexaminer.com.
