FOX NFL Sunday
Encyclopedia
Fox NFL Sunday is the pregame show for the TV show
NFL on Fox
. The program is broadcast on Fox television
affiliates nationwide. The audio portion of the show is broadcast over the Fox Sports Radio
network, distributed by Premiere Radio Networks
. The show has won four Emmy Award
s.
with hosts James Brown, Terry Bradshaw
, Howie Long
, and Jimmy Johnson
. The program was notable in being the first hour-long NFL pregame show on a broadcast network; previous network pregames such as CBS
' The NFL Today
or NBC
's NFL Live!
had always been 30 minutes in length. Fox's show also adopted a looser, more irreverent approach than its predecessors.
During Johnson's initial season on the show, he would often join the show from his home in Florida. There was much speculation that Jimmy Johnson would return to coaching during the first year of the show. Prior to the end of the year, Johnson made an 'announcement' saying he was happy with his new career in broadcasting. But in 1996
, he left to coach the Miami Dolphins
, with Ronnie Lott
brought in to succeed him for two seasons.
During the time with Jimmy Johnson, the opening to the show would feature a comedic skit
involving several or all of the hosts.
On-location broadcast sites
, off the heels of NBC
losing the rights to telecast the NFL to CBS
, Cris Collinsworth
joined Fox NFL Sunday and subsequently replaced Ronnie Lott.
During this period, promotional claymation
spots and teases became a popular fixture. The four hosts were depicted as animated characters in live-action situations
, usually starring real NFL players. Beginning in the 1999
season, comedian Jimmy Kimmel
began making weekly game predictions and performing comedy skits on the show; the following year
, Jillian Barberie
was added to the program to provide weather forecasts for each week's game sites.
On-location broadcast sites
, when he was promoted to Fox's newly formed "A Team" NFL game announcing team alongside Joe Buck
and Troy Aikman
(replacing Pat Summerall
and John Madden). Fox did several commercials featuring Buck, Collinsworth, and Aikman dressed as characters from the popular 1980s TV show of the same name
.
Initially, the vacated fourth seat was to feature a rotating series of guest analysts, with Jimmy Johnson returning in Week 1. John Elway
sat in Week 2. For Week 3, Johnson returned, and took over the position permanently, and remains on the program to this day. Jimmy Kimmel left the program after the 2002 season, primarily to focus on his new show Jimmy Kimmel Live!. He was replaced by MADtv
comedian Frank Caliendo
, who had previously guest-starred during Kimmel's skits (performing his famous John Madden
impersonation). Caliendo's prognostication skits began to feature his talented impersonations, including Madden, Jay Leno
, Jim Rome
, George W. Bush
, as well as show hosts Brown, Bradshaw, Long and Johnson. After the 2005 season
, James Brown left the program in order to host rival show The NFL Today
on CBS
.
On-location broadcast sites
2005 was the last season in which Fox (along with CBS) would air Saturday afternoon NFL games toward the end of the regular season in December. On these occasions, Fox would precede its coverage with a studio pregame show titled Fox NFL Saturday and featuring the regular Fox NFL Sunday commentators and introduced Fox Robot figure.
, FOX announced that Joe Buck
and Curt Menefee
would succeed James Brown in hosting the program. Because Buck was already the lead play-by-play man for The NFL on Fox, Fox NFL Sunday traveled to the site of Fox's top game each week, in a move similar to Fox's NASCAR coverage
, where the prerace show emanates from the race site. Curt Menefee hosted the halftime and postgame segments on location with the Fox NFL Sunday crew. Chris Rose was the update host for game breaks. When Joe Buck had to go on a postseason Major League Baseball assignment for Fox (thus being unable to appear on the NFL on Fox program), Menefee took over for Buck as the full-time host from Hollywood. During Weeks 6 through 8, while the show was in Hollywood, Jillian Reynolds (née Barberie) returned to her position reporting gameday weather.
During Weeks 16 and 17, Joe Buck was the full-time host from Hollywood with the rest of the Fox NFL Sunday crew. Dick Stockton
took over as #1 play-by-play man alongside Troy Aikman
and Pam Oliver
, while Curt Menefee returned to the booth as #2 play-by-play man alongside Daryl Johnston
and Tony Siragusa
. Though the show returned to Hollywood for two weeks, Jillian Reynolds did not rejoin the cast, presumably to go on maternity leave, as she was pregnant with her first child.
During Wild Card weekend, Curt Menefee substituted for Joe Buck as host, as the pregame show broadcast from Hollywood. Meanwhile, Buck called the game between the New York Giants
at the Philadelphia Eagles
on Sunday, January 7.
During the Divisional Playoffs, Curt Menefee once again substituted for Joe Buck as host, as the pregame show broadcast again from Hollywood for both games. Dick Stockton called the game between the Philadelphia Eagles
at the New Orleans Saints
on Saturday, January 13 and Buck called the game between the Seattle Seahawks
at the Chicago Bears
on Sunday, January 14.
For the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, January 21 between the New Orleans Saints
and Chicago Bears
, Joe Buck hosted the pregame show with the Fox NFL Sunday crew on-site from Soldier Field
. After Buck joined Troy Aikman for the play-by-play, Curt Menefee took over as host for the remainder of the game and hosted the halftime and postgame shows. Terry Bradshaw
handled the trophy ceremony during the postgame show.
Tough Fox NFL Sunday would move back to the studio for the 2007 season
, with Curt Menefee
assuming full-time host duties and Joe Buck reverting to play-by-play only. Jillian Reynolds, coming off of maternity leave, returned full-time to report weather. However, the pre-game show was on-site at Lambeau Field
for the 2007 NFC Championship Game between the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers and at Super Bowl XLII
.
Fox NFL Sunday had a new feature, a pre-recorded segment named "Grumpy Old Coaches", where Jimmy Johnson and fellow former Cowboys
head coach Barry Switzer
talk about the week in football. A segment of highlights and commentary of the previous day's college football
games is also featured, as a gesture to Fox's recent acquisition of the Bowl Championship Series
(BCS). This segment lasted on the show for only the 2007 season.
On June 24, 2008, it was announced that Michael Strahan
would join the show.
On November 8, 2009, there was a special 2-hour pregame show that took place from Afghanistan
. While the regular Fox NFL Sunday crew did the pregame show, Chris Rose
served as the studio host and anchored the in-game highlights, as John Lynch
and Trent Green
served as studios analysts this week for the halftime and postgame reports. On January 24, 2010, Fox NFL Sunday was on-site in New Orleans for the 2009 NFC Championship.
On January 23, 2011, Fox NFL Sunday was also on-site at Soldier Field
in Chicago
for the 2010 NFC Championship and at Super Bowl XLV
in Arlington, TX on February 6, 2011.
Starting with the 2011 NFL season
, the show introduced a new feature called "Fox :45", which is usually a sing-along parody of a famous song, or a comedic sketch. The parodies and sketches usually relate to current events in the football season. Another feature introduced was the Twitter
tracker, which scrolls tweets of NFL players and coaches.
Cleatus mainly appears during the intro sequence
of the show as well as brief commercials for movies and TV shows. In these commercials he commonly gets attacked by a CGI character from whatever the advertisement is about. He has thus far been attacked by Iron Man
, a dragon
from the movie Eragon
, and a T-1000
robot from the TV show Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Cleatus is also known to hop on two feet, play the electric guitar, shake out his limbs, and dance using such moves as the swim and the electric slide. Games on the weekend following New Years' Day shows Cleatus sitting on a bench holding an ice pack to his head, nursing a hangover. When the MLB postseason begins on Fox in October, he will also take baseballs from a basket and hit them with a bat towards the background of the screen. After the World Series
is over, he will not do this again until the next year's postseason begins.
If a Thanksgiving NFL game is on Fox, he is usually replaced with a robot turkey.
The character has an action figure on sale from Fox's website. He is available as he appears normally and even in special uniforms customized for all 32 NFL franchises.
In response to Cleatus, NASCAR on Fox
created Digger, an animated gopher mascot who was originally only used in the broadcast involving the "Digger Cam" but his role has since expanded. Unlike Cleatus, however, Digger had an animated short series aired during the 2009 NASCAR season; the series was not brought back for 2010, and Digger now has a role similar to that of Cleatus.
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
NFL on Fox
NFL on FOX
NFL on Fox is the brand name of the Fox Broadcasting Company's coverage of the National Football League's National Football Conference games, produced by Fox Sports...
. The program is broadcast on Fox television
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
affiliates nationwide. The audio portion of the show is broadcast over the Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks...
network, distributed by Premiere Radio Networks
Premiere Radio Networks
Premiere Networks is an American radio network. It is the largest syndication company in the United States based on popularity of programming...
. The show has won four Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s.
1994-1997
Fox NFL Sunday debuted in 19941994 NFL season
The 1994 NFL season was the 75th regular season of the National Football League. To honor the NFL's 75th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season...
with hosts James Brown, Terry Bradshaw
Terry Bradshaw
Terry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League . He played 14 seasons. He is a football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday...
, Howie Long
Howie Long
Howard "Howie" Matthew Moses Long is an American former National Football League defensive end and actor. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000...
, and Jimmy Johnson
Jimmy Johnson (American football coach)
James William "Jimmy" Johnson is an American former NCAA and National Football League head coach. As of 2010, he is currently an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday, the Fox network's NFL pregame show. He was the first football coach whose teams won both an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a...
. The program was notable in being the first hour-long NFL pregame show on a broadcast network; previous network pregames such as CBS
NFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
' The NFL Today
The NFL Today
The NFL Today is an American sports series that precedes the American football program The NFL on CBS on CBS Sports. The program usually airs at noon on Sundays of the National Football League regular season...
or NBC
NFL on NBC
NFL on NBC is the brand given to NBC Sports coverage of National Football League games until 1998, when NBC lost the NFL American Football Conference rights to CBS...
's NFL Live!
The NFL on NBC Pregame Show
The NBC television network's pregame/studio coverage for their National Football League coverage has had a rather inconsistent history in comparison to The NFL Today on CBS and Fox NFL Sunday on the Fox Broadcasting Company...
had always been 30 minutes in length. Fox's show also adopted a looser, more irreverent approach than its predecessors.
During Johnson's initial season on the show, he would often join the show from his home in Florida. There was much speculation that Jimmy Johnson would return to coaching during the first year of the show. Prior to the end of the year, Johnson made an 'announcement' saying he was happy with his new career in broadcasting. But in 1996
1996 NFL season
The 1996 NFL season was the 77th regular season of the National Football League and the season was marked by notable controversies from beginning to end...
, he left to coach the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, with Ronnie Lott
Ronnie Lott
Ronald Mandel "Ronnie" Lott is a former American football player who starred as a cornerback, free safety, and strong safety in college football and the NFL. He is most well known for his crushing hits on opposing players...
brought in to succeed him for two seasons.
During the time with Jimmy Johnson, the opening to the show would feature a comedic skit
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
involving several or all of the hosts.
On-location broadcast sites
- 1997 - September 14: Jack Kent Cooke Stadium (AZ1997 Arizona Cardinals seasonThe 1997 Arizona Cardinals season was the 78th season the franchise was in the National Football League and 10th in Arizona. The team was unable to match their previous output of 7-9, instead winning only four games. The Cardinals failed to qualify to the playoffs for the fifteenth consecutive...
at WAS1997 Washington Redskins seasonThe 1997 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 9–7 record from 1996. This was the Redskins' first season playing in their new stadium, Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, that would be later called FedExField.-Staff:-Schedule:...
) - 1997 - September 21: Lambeau FieldLambeau FieldLambeau Field is an outdoor football stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the home of the NFL's Green Bay Packers. Opened in 1957 as City Stadium, it replaced the original City Stadium as the Packers' home field...
(MIN1997 Minnesota Vikings season1997 was the 37th year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Vikings finished with a record of nine wins and seven losses. Their record was good enough to qualify for a wild card berth...
at GB1997 Green Bay Packers seasonThe 1997 Green Bay Packers season concluded with the team winning its second consecutive NFC championship, but losing in a 31-24 upset to John Elway's Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII...
) - 1997 - October 5: Lambeau FieldLambeau FieldLambeau Field is an outdoor football stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the home of the NFL's Green Bay Packers. Opened in 1957 as City Stadium, it replaced the original City Stadium as the Packers' home field...
(TB1997 Tampa Bay Buccaneers seasonThe 1997 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with the team trying to improve on a 6-10 season from 1996. The 1997 season was notable for several reasons...
at GB1997 Green Bay Packers seasonThe 1997 Green Bay Packers season concluded with the team winning its second consecutive NFC championship, but losing in a 31-24 upset to John Elway's Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII...
) - 1997 - November 23 Lambeau FieldLambeau FieldLambeau Field is an outdoor football stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the home of the NFL's Green Bay Packers. Opened in 1957 as City Stadium, it replaced the original City Stadium as the Packers' home field...
(GB1997 Green Bay Packers seasonThe 1997 Green Bay Packers season concluded with the team winning its second consecutive NFC championship, but losing in a 31-24 upset to John Elway's Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII...
at DAL1997 Dallas Cowboys seasonThe 1997 Dallas Cowboys season would mark their 38th in the NFL and for the first time since 1990, the team would suffer a losing season and miss the playoffs.-Regular season:...
) - 1998 - January 4 Lambeau FieldLambeau FieldLambeau Field is an outdoor football stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the home of the NFL's Green Bay Packers. Opened in 1957 as City Stadium, it replaced the original City Stadium as the Packers' home field...
(TB1997 Tampa Bay Buccaneers seasonThe 1997 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with the team trying to improve on a 6-10 season from 1996. The 1997 season was notable for several reasons...
at GB1997 Green Bay Packers seasonThe 1997 Green Bay Packers season concluded with the team winning its second consecutive NFC championship, but losing in a 31-24 upset to John Elway's Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII...
, Divisional playoffs)
1998-2002
In 19981998 NFL season
The 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League.The Tennessee Oilers moved their home games from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, still awaiting construction on a new stadium in Nashville.This was the first season that CBS...
, off the heels of NBC
NFL on NBC
NFL on NBC is the brand given to NBC Sports coverage of National Football League games until 1998, when NBC lost the NFL American Football Conference rights to CBS...
losing the rights to telecast the NFL to CBS
NFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
, Cris Collinsworth
Cris Collinsworth
Anthony Cris Collinsworth is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for eight seasons in the 1980s. He played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played his entire professional career for...
joined Fox NFL Sunday and subsequently replaced Ronnie Lott.
During this period, promotional claymation
Clay animation
Clay animation or claymation is one of many forms of stop motion animation. Each animated piece, either character or background, is "deformable"—made of a malleable substance, usually Plasticine clay....
spots and teases became a popular fixture. The four hosts were depicted as animated characters in live-action situations
Live-action/animated film
A live-action/animated film is a motion picture that features a combination of real actors or elements: live-action and animated elements, typically interacting.-History:...
, usually starring real NFL players. Beginning in the 1999
1999 NFL season
The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season...
season, comedian Jimmy Kimmel
Jimmy Kimmel
James Christian "Jimmy" Kimmel is an American television host and comedian. He is the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, a late-night talk show that airs on ABC. Prior to that, Kimmel was best known as the co-host of Comedy Central's The Man Show and Win Ben Stein's Money...
began making weekly game predictions and performing comedy skits on the show; the following year
2000 NFL season
The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants.Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000...
, Jillian Barberie
Jillian Barberie
Jillian Reynolds , best known by her former name Jillian Barberie, is a Canadian actress, television hostess, and sportscaster...
was added to the program to provide weather forecasts for each week's game sites.
On-location broadcast sites
- 1998 - Week 1: Giants StadiumGiants StadiumGiants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
(WAS1998 Washington Redskins seasonThe 1998 Washington Redskins season began with the team trying to improve on their 8–7–1 record from 1997.-Staff:-Schedule:-References:...
at NYG1998 New York Giants seasonThe 1998 New York Giants season was the team's 74th season in the National Football League. The team failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 10–5–1, winning only eight games and missing the playoffs...
) - 1999 - Week 15: RCA DomeRCA DomeRCA Dome was a domed stadium, located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the home of the Indianapolis Colts NFL franchise for 24 seasons ....
(WAS1999 Washington Redskins seasonThe 1999 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 6–10 record from 1998.-NFL Draft:The New Orleans Saints traded all of their draft picks to the Washington Redskins for running back Ricky Williams, the first time ever that an NFL team has had only one pick in a...
at IND1999 Indianapolis Colts seasonThe 1999 Indianapolis Colts season was the 47th season for the team in the National Football League and 16th in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Colts finished the National Football League's 1999 season with a record of 13 wins and 3 losses, and won the AFC East...
) - 1999 - Conference Championship: Trans World DomeEdward Jones DomeThe Edward Jones Dome The Edward Jones Dome The Edward Jones Dome (more formally known as the Edward Jones Dome at America's Center, and previously known as The Trans World Dome (from 1995–2001) is a multi-purpose stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, and home of the St. Louis Rams of the NFL. It was...
(TB1999 Tampa Bay Buccaneers seasonThe 1999 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with the team trying to improve on an 8-8 season. Rookie Shaun King replaced the injured and inconsistent Trent Dilfer late in the season...
at STL1999 St. Louis Rams seasonThe 1999 St. Louis Rams season was the team's 62nd year with the National Football League and the fifth season in St. Louis, Missouri. The Rams finished the regular-season with a record of 13-3, and the NFC West Championship. The Rams were undefeated at home for the first time since 1973. On the...
) - 1999 - October 24: (WAS1999 Washington Redskins seasonThe 1999 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 6–10 record from 1998.-NFL Draft:The New Orleans Saints traded all of their draft picks to the Washington Redskins for running back Ricky Williams, the first time ever that an NFL team has had only one pick in a...
at DAL1999 Dallas Cowboys season-Regular season:The season would begin at Washington with a dramatic come-from-behind victory over the hated division rival Washington Redskins. After trailing by three touchdowns in the second half, free agent acquisition Rocket Ismail would pay immediate dividends for the team by hauling in the...
) - 2000 - Week 16: Onboard the USS TrumanUSS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75)USS Harry S. Truman is the eighth Nimitz-class supercarrier of the United States Navy, named after the 33rd President of the United States, Harry S. Truman. HSTs callsign is Lone Warrior and is currently homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia.Harry S...
- 2000 - Conference Championship: Giants StadiumGiants StadiumGiants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
(Min2000 Minnesota Vikings season-NFC Championship Game:-Awards and records:*Gary Anderson, NFC Special Teams Player of the Week, Week 8 *Mitch Berger, NFC Special Teams Player of the Week, Week 14 *Mitch Berger, NFC Special Teams Player of the Month, December...
at NYG2000 New York Giants seasonThe 2000 New York Giants season was the 76th season for the club in the National Football League.-NFL Draft:-Preseason:-Regular season:The giants began the 2000 season hoping to get over the hump of coming short the past two seasons....
) - 2002 - September 22: Green Bay Packers2002 Green Bay Packers seasonDuring the 2002 Green Bay Packers season, the team completed a 12-4 regular season with before losing in the Wild Card playoff round to Michael Vick's Atlanta Falcons at Lambeau Field...
at Detroit Lions2002 Detroit Lions seasonThe 2002 Detroit Lions season was the 73rd season in franchise history. It was the Lions inaugural season at Ford Field.-Staff:-Schedule:-External links:***...
(first game at Ford FieldFord FieldFord Field is an indoor American football stadium located in Detroit, Michigan, USA, that is the current home field of the NFL's Detroit Lions. It is owned by the Detroit/Wayne County Stadium Authority. It regularly seats 65,000, though it is expandable up to 70,000 for football and 80,000 for...
)
2002-2005
Collinsworth left the show in 20022002 in television
The year 2002 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2002.For the American TV schedule, see: 2002–03 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:...
, when he was promoted to Fox's newly formed "A Team" NFL game announcing team alongside Joe Buck
Joe Buck
Joseph Francis "Joe" Buck is an American sportscaster and the son of legendary sportscaster Jack Buck. He has won numerous Sports Emmy Awards for his play-by-play work with Fox Sports.-Education:...
and Troy Aikman
Troy Aikman
Troy Kenneth Aikman is a former American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League. The number one overall draft pick in 1989, Aikman played twelve consecutive seasons as quarterback with the Cowboys...
(replacing Pat Summerall
Pat Summerall
George Allen "Pat" Summerall is a former American football player and television sportscaster, having worked at CBS, Fox, and ESPN.Summerall is best known for his work with John Madden on NFL telecasts for CBS and Fox.-High school:...
and John Madden). Fox did several commercials featuring Buck, Collinsworth, and Aikman dressed as characters from the popular 1980s TV show of the same name
The A-Team
The A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...
.
Initially, the vacated fourth seat was to feature a rotating series of guest analysts, with Jimmy Johnson returning in Week 1. John Elway
John Elway
John Albert Elway, Jr. is a former American football quarterback and currently is the executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He played college football at Stanford and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos...
sat in Week 2. For Week 3, Johnson returned, and took over the position permanently, and remains on the program to this day. Jimmy Kimmel left the program after the 2002 season, primarily to focus on his new show Jimmy Kimmel Live!. He was replaced by MADtv
MADtv
MADtv is an American sketch comedy television series. It licensed the name and logo of Mad, but otherwise had no connection with the humor magazine outside the animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts and images of Alfred E. Neuman that the show featured during the late 1990s. Its first...
comedian Frank Caliendo
Frank Caliendo
Frank Caliendo is an American comedian and impressionist, best known for his work on the Fox Network television series MADtv, and as the in-house prognosticator for Fox NFL Sunday. In 2007 and 2008, he performed his impersonations on his own show, Frank TV, which aired on TBS...
, who had previously guest-starred during Kimmel's skits (performing his famous John Madden
John Madden (American football)
John Earl Madden is a former American professional football player in the National Football League, a former Super Bowl-winning head coach with the Oakland Raiders in the American Football League and later the NFL, and a former color commentator for NFL telecasts. In 2006, he was inducted into...
impersonation). Caliendo's prognostication skits began to feature his talented impersonations, including Madden, Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
, Jim Rome
Jim Rome
Jim Rome is an American sports radio talk show host syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks, a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications....
, George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, as well as show hosts Brown, Bradshaw, Long and Johnson. After the 2005 season
2005 NFL season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
, James Brown left the program in order to host rival show The NFL Today
The NFL Today
The NFL Today is an American sports series that precedes the American football program The NFL on CBS on CBS Sports. The program usually airs at noon on Sundays of the National Football League regular season...
on CBS
NFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
.
On-location broadcast sites
- 2003 - October 26: Heinz FieldHeinz FieldHeinz Field is a stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It primarily serves as the home to the Pittsburgh Steelers and University of Pittsburgh Panthers American football teams, members of the National Football League and National Collegiate Athletic Association respectively...
(STL2003 St. Louis Rams seasonThe 2003 St. Louis Rams season was the team's 66th year with the National Football League and the ninth season in St. Louis. The Rams were coming off a disappointing 7-9 season and former MVP Kurt Warner was demoted to backup quarterback; Marc Bulger earned the starting job after replacing Warner...
at PIT2003 Pittsburgh Steelers seasonThe 2003 Pittsburgh Steelers season began with the team trying to improve on their 10–5–1 record from 2002 in which they lost to the Tennessee Titans in the Divisional round of the playoffs....
) - 2004 - October 17: Gillette StadiumGillette StadiumGillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, 21 miles southwest of downtown Boston and from downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for the New England Patriots football team and the New England Revolution...
(SEA2004 Seattle Seahawks seasonThe 2004 Seattle Seahawks season was the team's 29th season with the National Football League. Seahawks Stadium was renamed Qwest Field when Qwest bought the naming rights on June 2, 2004.-2004 NFL Draft:-Regular season:-Playoffs:-External links:...
at NE2004 New England Patriots seasonThe 2004 New England Patriots season was the 35th season for the team in the National Football League and 45th season overall. They finished with their second straight 14–2 record before advancing to and winning Super Bowl XXXIX, their third Super Bowl victory in four years.Following a Super Bowl...
)
2005 was the last season in which Fox (along with CBS) would air Saturday afternoon NFL games toward the end of the regular season in December. On these occasions, Fox would precede its coverage with a studio pregame show titled Fox NFL Saturday and featuring the regular Fox NFL Sunday commentators and introduced Fox Robot figure.
2006
On August 13, 20062006 in television
2006 in television may refer to:*2006 in American television*2006 in Australian television*2006 in British television*2006 in Canadian television*2006 in Japanese television...
, FOX announced that Joe Buck
Joe Buck
Joseph Francis "Joe" Buck is an American sportscaster and the son of legendary sportscaster Jack Buck. He has won numerous Sports Emmy Awards for his play-by-play work with Fox Sports.-Education:...
and Curt Menefee
Curt Menefee
Curt Menefee , is an American sportscaster who is the host of the Fox network's NFL show Fox NFL Sunday. His co-hosts are Jimmy Johnson, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, and Michael Strahan....
would succeed James Brown in hosting the program. Because Buck was already the lead play-by-play man for The NFL on Fox, Fox NFL Sunday traveled to the site of Fox's top game each week, in a move similar to Fox's NASCAR coverage
NASCAR on Fox
NASCAR on Fox is the Emmy-winning branding used for Fox Sports's broadcasts of NASCAR races airing on the Fox network since 2001. The production has been in high-definition since 2005.-Background:...
, where the prerace show emanates from the race site. Curt Menefee hosted the halftime and postgame segments on location with the Fox NFL Sunday crew. Chris Rose was the update host for game breaks. When Joe Buck had to go on a postseason Major League Baseball assignment for Fox (thus being unable to appear on the NFL on Fox program), Menefee took over for Buck as the full-time host from Hollywood. During Weeks 6 through 8, while the show was in Hollywood, Jillian Reynolds (née Barberie) returned to her position reporting gameday weather.
During Weeks 16 and 17, Joe Buck was the full-time host from Hollywood with the rest of the Fox NFL Sunday crew. Dick Stockton
Dick Stockton
Dick Stockton is an American sportscaster. He is currently employed by Fox Sports and Turner Sports as a football, baseball, and basketball play-by-play announcer.-Early life and career:...
took over as #1 play-by-play man alongside Troy Aikman
Troy Aikman
Troy Kenneth Aikman is a former American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League. The number one overall draft pick in 1989, Aikman played twelve consecutive seasons as quarterback with the Cowboys...
and Pam Oliver
Pam Oliver
Pamela Donielle "Pam" Oliver is an American sportscaster known for her work on the sidelines for various NBA and NFL games.-Early life:...
, while Curt Menefee returned to the booth as #2 play-by-play man alongside Daryl Johnston
Daryl Johnston
Daryl Peter "Moose" Johnston is a former National Football League fullback who played his entire career with the Dallas Cowboys from 1989 to 1999.-High school career:...
and Tony Siragusa
Tony Siragusa
Anthony "Tony" Siragusa , nicknamed "Goose", is a former National Football League defensive tackle who spent twelve seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and the Baltimore Ravens. He currently works as a sideline analyst for NFL games broadcast on the Fox Network.-Early life:Siragusa attended David...
. Though the show returned to Hollywood for two weeks, Jillian Reynolds did not rejoin the cast, presumably to go on maternity leave, as she was pregnant with her first child.
During Wild Card weekend, Curt Menefee substituted for Joe Buck as host, as the pregame show broadcast from Hollywood. Meanwhile, Buck called the game between the New York Giants
2006 New York Giants season
The 2006 New York Giants season began with the team trying to improve on their 11–5 record in 2005, which saw them win the NFC East. They did not win the NFC East or improve on that record, falling to 8-8 on the season after starting 6-2...
at the Philadelphia Eagles
2006 Philadelphia Eagles season
The 2006 Philadelphia Eagles season ended in the Eagles finishing 10–6, reclaiming the NFC East, and winning a playoff game at home. The season ended in a Divisional Round playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints, but was seen as a success in the face of the adversity of losing starting quarterback...
on Sunday, January 7.
During the Divisional Playoffs, Curt Menefee once again substituted for Joe Buck as host, as the pregame show broadcast again from Hollywood for both games. Dick Stockton called the game between the Philadelphia Eagles
2006 Philadelphia Eagles season
The 2006 Philadelphia Eagles season ended in the Eagles finishing 10–6, reclaiming the NFC East, and winning a playoff game at home. The season ended in a Divisional Round playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints, but was seen as a success in the face of the adversity of losing starting quarterback...
at the New Orleans Saints
2006 New Orleans Saints season
The 2006 New Orleans Saints season began with the team trying to improve on their 3-13 record in 2005. All of the team's 2006 regular season home games were played in the Louisiana Superdome, which had been damaged all of the previous season by Hurricane Katrina...
on Saturday, January 13 and Buck called the game between the Seattle Seahawks
2006 Seattle Seahawks season
The 2006 Seattle Seahawks season was the team's 31st season in the National Football League. The season began with the team attempting to improve on their 13-3 record from 2005, repeat as National Football Conference champions, and return to the Super Bowl...
at the Chicago Bears
2006 Chicago Bears season
The 2006 Chicago Bears season was their 87th regular season and 25th post-season completed in the National Football League. The club posted a 13-3 regular season record, the best in the NFC, improving on their previous year’s record of 11-5...
on Sunday, January 14.
For the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, January 21 between the New Orleans Saints
2006 New Orleans Saints season
The 2006 New Orleans Saints season began with the team trying to improve on their 3-13 record in 2005. All of the team's 2006 regular season home games were played in the Louisiana Superdome, which had been damaged all of the previous season by Hurricane Katrina...
and Chicago Bears
2006 Chicago Bears season
The 2006 Chicago Bears season was their 87th regular season and 25th post-season completed in the National Football League. The club posted a 13-3 regular season record, the best in the NFC, improving on their previous year’s record of 11-5...
, Joe Buck hosted the pregame show with the Fox NFL Sunday crew on-site from Soldier Field
Soldier Field
Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears...
. After Buck joined Troy Aikman for the play-by-play, Curt Menefee took over as host for the remainder of the game and hosted the halftime and postgame shows. Terry Bradshaw
Terry Bradshaw
Terry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League . He played 14 seasons. He is a football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday...
handled the trophy ceremony during the postgame show.
2006-2007 On-location broadcast sites
|
2007-present
In March 2007, it was announced that The Built FordFord Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
Tough Fox NFL Sunday would move back to the studio for the 2007 season
2007 NFL season
The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30....
, with Curt Menefee
Curt Menefee
Curt Menefee , is an American sportscaster who is the host of the Fox network's NFL show Fox NFL Sunday. His co-hosts are Jimmy Johnson, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, and Michael Strahan....
assuming full-time host duties and Joe Buck reverting to play-by-play only. Jillian Reynolds, coming off of maternity leave, returned full-time to report weather. However, the pre-game show was on-site at Lambeau Field
Lambeau Field
Lambeau Field is an outdoor football stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the home of the NFL's Green Bay Packers. Opened in 1957 as City Stadium, it replaced the original City Stadium as the Packers' home field...
for the 2007 NFC Championship Game between the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers and at Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
.
Fox NFL Sunday had a new feature, a pre-recorded segment named "Grumpy Old Coaches", where Jimmy Johnson and fellow former Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
head coach Barry Switzer
Barry Switzer
Barry Switzer is a former football coach, active in the college and professional ranks between 1962 and 1997. He has one of the highest winning percentages of any college football coach in history, and is one of only two head coaches to win both a college football national championship and a...
talk about the week in football. A segment of highlights and commentary of the previous day's college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
games is also featured, as a gesture to Fox's recent acquisition of the Bowl Championship Series
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
(BCS). This segment lasted on the show for only the 2007 season.
On June 24, 2008, it was announced that Michael Strahan
Michael Strahan
Michael Anthony Strahan is a former National Football League defensive end who played his entire career for the New York Giants; a career where he set the record for the most sacks in a single season and won a Super Bowl in his final year. He is currently a football analyst on Fox NFL Sunday, and...
would join the show.
On November 8, 2009, there was a special 2-hour pregame show that took place from Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. While the regular Fox NFL Sunday crew did the pregame show, Chris Rose
Chris Rose
Christopher Rose is an American sportscaster.-Early life and career:Rose attended University School in Hunting Valley during high school. Rose attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and graduated in 1993...
served as the studio host and anchored the in-game highlights, as John Lynch
John Lynch (American football)
John Terrence Lynch, Jr. is a former National Football League strong safety and current NFL on Fox color commentator. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Stanford.A nine-time Pro Bowl selection, Lynch earned a Super...
and Trent Green
Trent Green
Trent Jason Green is a retired professional American football quarterback. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Indiana University....
served as studios analysts this week for the halftime and postgame reports. On January 24, 2010, Fox NFL Sunday was on-site in New Orleans for the 2009 NFC Championship.
On January 23, 2011, Fox NFL Sunday was also on-site at Soldier Field
Soldier Field
Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
for the 2010 NFC Championship and at Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League champion for the 2010 season. The game was held at Cowboys Stadium in...
in Arlington, TX on February 6, 2011.
Starting with the 2011 NFL season
2011 NFL season
The 2011 NFL season, the 92nd regular season of the National Football League, began on Thursday, September 8, 2011 with the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers defeating the New Orleans Saints 42–34 at Lambeau Field and will end with Super Bowl XLVI, the league's championship game, on...
, the show introduced a new feature called "Fox :45", which is usually a sing-along parody of a famous song, or a comedic sketch. The parodies and sketches usually relate to current events in the football season. Another feature introduced was the Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
tracker, which scrolls tweets of NFL players and coaches.
Current on-air staff
- Curt MenefeeCurt MenefeeCurt Menefee , is an American sportscaster who is the host of the Fox network's NFL show Fox NFL Sunday. His co-hosts are Jimmy Johnson, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, and Michael Strahan....
(Studio host, 20062006 NFL seasonThe 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...
–present) - Terry BradshawTerry BradshawTerry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League . He played 14 seasons. He is a football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday...
(Analyst, 19941994 NFL seasonThe 1994 NFL season was the 75th regular season of the National Football League. To honor the NFL's 75th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season...
–present) - Howie LongHowie LongHoward "Howie" Matthew Moses Long is an American former National Football League defensive end and actor. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000...
(Analyst, 19941994 NFL seasonThe 1994 NFL season was the 75th regular season of the National Football League. To honor the NFL's 75th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season...
-present) - Jimmy JohnsonJimmy Johnson (American football coach)James William "Jimmy" Johnson is an American former NCAA and National Football League head coach. As of 2010, he is currently an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday, the Fox network's NFL pregame show. He was the first football coach whose teams won both an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a...
(Analyst, 19941994 NFL seasonThe 1994 NFL season was the 75th regular season of the National Football League. To honor the NFL's 75th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season...
-19951995 NFL seasonThe 1995 NFL season was the 76th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 30 teams with the addition of the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars...
; 20022002 NFL seasonThe 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each...
–present) - Jay GlazerJay GlazerJay Glazer is an American senior writer for FoxSports.com and is a sideline reporter for the NFL on Fox since 2004. He is also the studio host, alongside Frank Trigg, on Fox Sport Net's PRIDE Fighting Championship show. Currently, he is the "NFL insider" for Fox NFL Sunday and hosts Pros vs Joes...
(NFL Insider, 20072007 NFL seasonThe 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30....
–present) - Frank CaliendoFrank CaliendoFrank Caliendo is an American comedian and impressionist, best known for his work on the Fox Network television series MADtv, and as the in-house prognosticator for Fox NFL Sunday. In 2007 and 2008, he performed his impersonations on his own show, Frank TV, which aired on TBS...
(Prognostication, 20032003 NFL season-Milestones:The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:-Team:-Individual:-Awards:-External Links:**-References:*NFL Record and Fact Book *...
-present) - Michael StrahanMichael StrahanMichael Anthony Strahan is a former National Football League defensive end who played his entire career for the New York Giants; a career where he set the record for the most sacks in a single season and won a Super Bowl in his final year. He is currently a football analyst on Fox NFL Sunday, and...
(Analyst, 20082008 NFL seasonThe 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the...
–present) - Pam OliverPam OliverPamela Donielle "Pam" Oliver is an American sportscaster known for her work on the sidelines for various NBA and NFL games.-Early life:...
(Reporter 19951995 NFL seasonThe 1995 NFL season was the 76th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 30 teams with the addition of the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars...
-present) - Mike PereiraMike PereiraMike Pereira is a former Vice President of Officiating for the National Football League . He first took over the position in 2001, succeeding Jerry Seeman. He was also a game official in the NFL for two seasons as a side judge on the officiating crew headed by referee Mike Carey...
(Rules analyst, 20102010 NFL seasonThe 2010 NFL season was the 91st regular season of the National Football League.The regular season began with the NFL Kickoff game on NBC on Thursday, September 9, at the Louisiana Superdome as the New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV champions, defeated the Minnesota Vikings 14–9.Tom Brady,...
–present)
Former on-air staff
- James BrownJames Brown (TV personality)James Brown , commonly called "J.B.", is an American sports announcer known for being the host of The NFL Today on CBS and Inside the NFL on Showtime. He is the former host of the FOX network's NFL pregame show, Fox NFL Sunday.-Early life:Born on February 25, 1951 in Washington, D.C. to John and...
(Studio host, 19941994 NFL seasonThe 1994 NFL season was the 75th regular season of the National Football League. To honor the NFL's 75th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season...
–20052005 NFL seasonThe 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
) - Joe BuckJoe BuckJoseph Francis "Joe" Buck is an American sportscaster and the son of legendary sportscaster Jack Buck. He has won numerous Sports Emmy Awards for his play-by-play work with Fox Sports.-Education:...
(Pregame host, postgame host 20062006 NFL seasonThe 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...
) - Ronnie LottRonnie LottRonald Mandel "Ronnie" Lott is a former American football player who starred as a cornerback, free safety, and strong safety in college football and the NFL. He is most well known for his crushing hits on opposing players...
(Analyst, 19961996 NFL seasonThe 1996 NFL season was the 77th regular season of the National Football League and the season was marked by notable controversies from beginning to end...
–19971997 NFL seasonThe 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee...
) - John ElwayJohn ElwayJohn Albert Elway, Jr. is a former American football quarterback and currently is the executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He played college football at Stanford and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos...
(Rotating analyst, week 2 of 20022002 NFL seasonThe 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each...
) - Cris CollinsworthCris CollinsworthAnthony Cris Collinsworth is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for eight seasons in the 1980s. He played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played his entire professional career for...
(Analyst, 19981998 NFL seasonThe 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League.The Tennessee Oilers moved their home games from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, still awaiting construction on a new stadium in Nashville.This was the first season that CBS...
–20012001 NFL seasonThe 2001 NFL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Football League.Following a pattern set in 1999, the first week of the season was permanently moved to the weekend following Labor Day...
) - Priscilla HojiwalaPriscilla HojiwalaPriscilla Hojiwala is an American broadcast journalist and sports anchor in Los Angeles, California last reported as working as an on-air correspondent for REELZCHANNEL freelance, covering Hollywood movie premieres, awards shows, red-carpet events, and press junkets...
(Reporter) - Jimmy KimmelJimmy KimmelJames Christian "Jimmy" Kimmel is an American television host and comedian. He is the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, a late-night talk show that airs on ABC. Prior to that, Kimmel was best known as the co-host of Comedy Central's The Man Show and Win Ben Stein's Money...
(Prognostication, 19991999 NFL seasonThe 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season...
–20022002 NFL seasonThe 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each...
, guest appearances in 2007) - "Cousin Sal" IaconoSal IaconoSal Iacono is an American comedian, writer and game show host best known as "Cousin Sal" on The Man Show and the late night television show Jimmy Kimmel Live.-Biography:...
(Prognostication guest star with Kimmel in 20022002 NFL seasonThe 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each...
) - Jim CantoreJim CantoreJames D. Cantore is an American meteorologist. He is best known as an on-air personality for The Weather Channel.- Career :...
(Weather, 19991999 NFL seasonThe 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season...
) - Barry SwitzerBarry SwitzerBarry Switzer is a former football coach, active in the college and professional ranks between 1962 and 1997. He has one of the highest winning percentages of any college football coach in history, and is one of only two head coaches to win both a college football national championship and a...
(Analyst, 20072007 NFL seasonThe 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30....
) - Jeanne ZelaskoJeanne ZelaskoJeanne Zelasko is a journalist and sportscaster who took over as the pre-game host of Fox's MLB games in 2001 after the departure of Keith Olbermann until October 2008. She also covered pre-game for MLB 2K6, MLB 2K7, and MLB 2K8 alongside Steve Physioc...
(Reporter) - Jillian Reynolds (née Barberie)Jillian BarberieJillian Reynolds , best known by her former name Jillian Barberie, is a Canadian actress, television hostess, and sportscaster...
(Weather, 20002000 NFL seasonThe 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants.Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000...
–20052005 NFL seasonThe 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
, guest appearances in 20062006 NFL seasonThe 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...
, 20072007 NFL seasonThe 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30....
, 20082008 NFL seasonThe 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the...
)
On-air staff chart
| Season | Studio host | Studio analysts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 1994 NFL season The 1994 NFL season was the 75th regular season of the National Football League. To honor the NFL's 75th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season... |
James Brown James Brown (TV personality) James Brown , commonly called "J.B.", is an American sports announcer known for being the host of The NFL Today on CBS and Inside the NFL on Showtime. He is the former host of the FOX network's NFL pregame show, Fox NFL Sunday.-Early life:Born on February 25, 1951 in Washington, D.C. to John and... |
Terry Bradshaw Terry Bradshaw Terry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League . He played 14 seasons. He is a football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday... |
Howie Long Howie Long Howard "Howie" Matthew Moses Long is an American former National Football League defensive end and actor. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000... |
Jimmy Johnson Jimmy Johnson (American football coach) James William "Jimmy" Johnson is an American former NCAA and National Football League head coach. As of 2010, he is currently an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday, the Fox network's NFL pregame show. He was the first football coach whose teams won both an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a... |
Vacant |
| 1995 1995 NFL season The 1995 NFL season was the 76th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 30 teams with the addition of the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars... |
|||||
| 1996 1996 NFL season The 1996 NFL season was the 77th regular season of the National Football League and the season was marked by notable controversies from beginning to end... |
Ronnie Lott Ronnie Lott Ronald Mandel "Ronnie" Lott is a former American football player who starred as a cornerback, free safety, and strong safety in college football and the NFL. He is most well known for his crushing hits on opposing players... |
||||
| 1997 1997 NFL season The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee... |
|||||
| 1998 1998 NFL season The 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League.The Tennessee Oilers moved their home games from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, still awaiting construction on a new stadium in Nashville.This was the first season that CBS... |
Cris Collinsworth Cris Collinsworth Anthony Cris Collinsworth is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for eight seasons in the 1980s. He played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played his entire professional career for... |
||||
| 1999 1999 NFL season The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season... |
|||||
| 2000 2000 NFL season The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants.Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000... |
|||||
| 2001 2001 NFL season The 2001 NFL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Football League.Following a pattern set in 1999, the first week of the season was permanently moved to the weekend following Labor Day... |
|||||
| 2002 2002 NFL season The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each... |
Jimmy Johnson Jimmy Johnson (American football coach) James William "Jimmy" Johnson is an American former NCAA and National Football League head coach. As of 2010, he is currently an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday, the Fox network's NFL pregame show. He was the first football coach whose teams won both an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a... |
||||
| 2003 2003 NFL season -Milestones:The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:-Team:-Individual:-Awards:-External Links:**-References:*NFL Record and Fact Book *... |
|||||
| 2004 2004 NFL season The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005... |
|||||
| 2005 2005 NFL season The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006... |
|||||
| 2006 2006 NFL season The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006... |
Joe Buck Joe Buck Joseph Francis "Joe" Buck is an American sportscaster and the son of legendary sportscaster Jack Buck. He has won numerous Sports Emmy Awards for his play-by-play work with Fox Sports.-Education:... (pregame host) |
||||
| Curt Menefee Curt Menefee Curt Menefee , is an American sportscaster who is the host of the Fox network's NFL show Fox NFL Sunday. His co-hosts are Jimmy Johnson, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, and Michael Strahan.... (halftime host) |
|||||
| 2007 2007 NFL season The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30.... |
Curt Menefee Curt Menefee Curt Menefee , is an American sportscaster who is the host of the Fox network's NFL show Fox NFL Sunday. His co-hosts are Jimmy Johnson, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, and Michael Strahan.... |
||||
| 2008 2008 NFL season The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the... |
Michael Strahan Michael Strahan Michael Anthony Strahan is a former National Football League defensive end who played his entire career for the New York Giants; a career where he set the record for the most sacks in a single season and won a Super Bowl in his final year. He is currently a football analyst on Fox NFL Sunday, and... |
||||
| 2009 2009 NFL season The 2009 NFL season was the 90th regular season of the National Football League.The preseason started with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009, and the regular season began September 10. The season ended with Super Bowl XLIV, the league's championship game, on February 7, 2010 at... |
|||||
| 2010 2010 NFL season The 2010 NFL season was the 91st regular season of the National Football League.The regular season began with the NFL Kickoff game on NBC on Thursday, September 9, at the Louisiana Superdome as the New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV champions, defeated the Minnesota Vikings 14–9.Tom Brady,... |
|||||
| 2011 2011 NFL season The 2011 NFL season, the 92nd regular season of the National Football League, began on Thursday, September 8, 2011 with the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers defeating the New Orleans Saints 42–34 at Lambeau Field and will end with Super Bowl XLVI, the league's championship game, on... |
Cleatus the Fox Sports Robot
"Cleatus the Robot" is the official mascot of Fox NFL Sunday, named by a viewer during a contest in the winter of 2007 in which fans were able to submit entries as to what they thought the robot's name should be. Cleatus made his first appearance during the 2005-2006 NFL season, but was not used regularly until the following season.Cleatus mainly appears during the intro sequence
Intro sequence
An intro sequence is a non-interactive introductory sequence for a computer or video game. Previously, intro sequences were very often prerendered, hand drawn, or otherwise outside the main game engine...
of the show as well as brief commercials for movies and TV shows. In these commercials he commonly gets attacked by a CGI character from whatever the advertisement is about. He has thus far been attacked by Iron Man
Iron Man (film)
Iron Man is a 2008 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark, an industrialist and master engineer who builds a powered exoskeleton and becomes the technologically advanced superhero, Iron...
, a dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
from the movie Eragon
Eragon
Eragon is the first book in the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, who began writing at the age of 15. After writing the first draft for a year, he spent a second year rewriting it and fleshing out the story and characters. Paolini's parents saw the final manuscript and decided to...
, and a T-1000
T-1000
The T-1000 is a fictional nanomorph mimetic poly-alloy assassin and the main antagonist in Terminator 2: Judgment Day controlled by the series main antagonist Skynet. The T-1000 is portrayed primarily by Robert Patrick; however, being a shape-shifter, the T-1000 is played by other actors in some...
robot from the TV show Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Cleatus is also known to hop on two feet, play the electric guitar, shake out his limbs, and dance using such moves as the swim and the electric slide. Games on the weekend following New Years' Day shows Cleatus sitting on a bench holding an ice pack to his head, nursing a hangover. When the MLB postseason begins on Fox in October, he will also take baseballs from a basket and hit them with a bat towards the background of the screen. After the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
is over, he will not do this again until the next year's postseason begins.
If a Thanksgiving NFL game is on Fox, he is usually replaced with a robot turkey.
The character has an action figure on sale from Fox's website. He is available as he appears normally and even in special uniforms customized for all 32 NFL franchises.
In response to Cleatus, NASCAR on Fox
NASCAR on Fox
NASCAR on Fox is the Emmy-winning branding used for Fox Sports's broadcasts of NASCAR races airing on the Fox network since 2001. The production has been in high-definition since 2005.-Background:...
created Digger, an animated gopher mascot who was originally only used in the broadcast involving the "Digger Cam" but his role has since expanded. Unlike Cleatus, however, Digger had an animated short series aired during the 2009 NASCAR season; the series was not brought back for 2010, and Digger now has a role similar to that of Cleatus.
See also
- The NFL TodayThe NFL TodayThe NFL Today is an American sports series that precedes the American football program The NFL on CBS on CBS Sports. The program usually airs at noon on Sundays of the National Football League regular season...
- The NFL on NBC Pregame ShowThe NFL on NBC Pregame ShowThe NBC television network's pregame/studio coverage for their National Football League coverage has had a rather inconsistent history in comparison to The NFL Today on CBS and Fox NFL Sunday on the Fox Broadcasting Company...
- Sunday NFL CountdownSunday NFL CountdownNFL GameDay redirects here. For the video games series, see NFL GameDay Sunday NFL Countdown is a pregame show of all the NFL action for that week. The official name is Sunday NFL Countdown presented by IBM. The show airs on ESPN, ESPN HD, TSN and TSN HD from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern time every...
- List of NFC Championship Game broadcasters
- List of Super Bowl broadcasters