Joe Tessitore
Encyclopedia
Joe Tessitore is a national sports TV broadcaster.
and ABC
. Joe anchors ABC/ESPN Horse Racing
presentations including The Belmont Stakes and The Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Joe is also a popular longtime blow-by-blow boxing broadcaster on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights. For the past four years he has been the host of ESPN’s live New Year's Eve specials including RedBull New Year, No Limits and the debut of ESPN's Year of the Quarterback. During the football season Joe also appears throughout the week on ESPN's BCS Countdown, SportsCenter and College Football Live with his Heismanology segment.
Among his most notable recent assignments Joe teamed up with Todd Blackledge and Tim Brown to call the BCS National Title Game on ESPN3D. In 2010 Joe called two of the biggest upsets of the year. On November 26, 2010 he was ESPN's play-by-play broadcaster for #19 Nevada's overtime upset of #4 Boise State. The loss broke the Broncos' twenty-four game win streak. Joe also was ESPN's host/anchor when Zenyatta's unbeaten streak was stopped. The champion race horse was defeated in the Breeders' Cup Classic by Blame. Zenyatta was 19-0 prior to that race.
In addition to his regular duties of football, horse racing and fights Joe has covered a wide array of sporting events for ESPN and is also a featured contributor for ESPN.com.
For the 2010 football season ESPN Joe was once again the play-by-play for the Friday Night Prime Time game as well as the play-by-play broadcaster for ESPN's Saturday college football game in 3D. Joe is paired in the booth with Rod Gilmore on Fridays and former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown for the 3D games.
In 2010 Tessitore was honored for his on air work. On January 18, 2010 he accepted an Eclipse Award on behalf of his ESPN production team for their 2009 Belmont Stakes broadcast on ABC. On June 4, 2010 the Boxing Writers of America presented Tessitore with the prestigious Sam Taub award for Broadcast Excellence. The Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame has included Tessitore in their 2010 class of inductees.
Since 2004, Tessitore has been the voice for the top selling Fight Night
video game series produced by EA Sports. Joe is considered an expert in many of the fields he covers. He is part of Ring Magazine’s rankings panel as well as a voter for the Heisman Trophy.
Through the years Joe has also worked play-by-play or host duties on The Contender, HBO pay-per-view, international pay-per-view, Showtime pay-per-view and many ESPN properties, including NCAA college basketball, Arena Football, High Stakes Golf, the PBA Tour, and the World Arm Wrestling Championships. Tessitore also has hosted numerous ESPN Classic Boxing shows and has reported for ABC’s Good Morning America.
In 2008, he was the host anchor of Big Brown's failed Triple Crown attempt in the Belmont Stakes. On December 31, 2007, he called motorcyclist Robbie Maddison’s World Record 300+ foot jump. On December 31, 2008, he presented Maddison’s jump up/down from the Arc de Triomphe at the Paris Resort on the Vegas strip. On December 31, 2009 Joe broadcast Travis Pastrana's world record rally car jump over Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach, California. On November 7, 2009 he was the host of Zenyatta's history making victory on the Breeders' Cup Classic, a broadcast which earned ESPN an Emmy nomination. On December 26, 2009 he was the broadcaster of USC's bowl victory over Boston College. It was the last game in the USC career of head coach Pete Carroll. On April 3, 2010, Joe was the lead host and ringside broadcaster for Bernard Hopkins victory over longtime rival Roy Jones Jr on pay-per-view. In October 2010 Joe had the call of LSU's dramatic last second win over Florida.
Joe has worked with numerous broadcast partners in his career. In the ABC/ESPN College Football booth he is joined by Rod Gilmore
. For boxing he is teamed ringside with Teddy Atlas
. On ESPN horse racing he’s on the set along with Randy Moss
and Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey
. He has also been teamed with Todd Blackledge, Bill Curry, Mike Tomczak, Ray Bentley, Marcellus Wiley, Shaun King, Scott LeDoux, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roy Jones Jr, Bernard Hopkins, Nate Campbell and Shannon Briggs.
Tessitore’s distinct voice-over work has been used in several feature films, including Annapolis and The Breakup, plus numerous TV programs. He has also appeared in the TV drama The Dead Zone acting as himself in an episode.
Recent work
Joe Tessitore is a well known football, horse racing and boxing TV broadcaster. In 2011 Tessitore also was named executive producer of the new ESPN Film Roll Tide, War Eagle set to premiere in November. Among his primary assignments is his work as a College Football play-by-play commentator on ESPNESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. Joe anchors ABC/ESPN Horse Racing
Thoroughbred Racing on ESPN
ESPN and ESPN2's coverage of Thoroughbred racing currently consists of NTRA Racing to the Kentucky Derby, The Breeders' Cup on ESPN. In addition, ESPN on ABC broadcasts a portion of the Breeders Cup. Among its regulars on its horse racing telecasts are hosts Joe Tessitore and Kenny Mayne, along...
presentations including The Belmont Stakes and The Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Joe is also a popular longtime blow-by-blow boxing broadcaster on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights. For the past four years he has been the host of ESPN’s live New Year's Eve specials including RedBull New Year, No Limits and the debut of ESPN's Year of the Quarterback. During the football season Joe also appears throughout the week on ESPN's BCS Countdown, SportsCenter and College Football Live with his Heismanology segment.
Among his most notable recent assignments Joe teamed up with Todd Blackledge and Tim Brown to call the BCS National Title Game on ESPN3D. In 2010 Joe called two of the biggest upsets of the year. On November 26, 2010 he was ESPN's play-by-play broadcaster for #19 Nevada's overtime upset of #4 Boise State. The loss broke the Broncos' twenty-four game win streak. Joe also was ESPN's host/anchor when Zenyatta's unbeaten streak was stopped. The champion race horse was defeated in the Breeders' Cup Classic by Blame. Zenyatta was 19-0 prior to that race.
In addition to his regular duties of football, horse racing and fights Joe has covered a wide array of sporting events for ESPN and is also a featured contributor for ESPN.com.
For the 2010 football season ESPN Joe was once again the play-by-play for the Friday Night Prime Time game as well as the play-by-play broadcaster for ESPN's Saturday college football game in 3D. Joe is paired in the booth with Rod Gilmore on Fridays and former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown for the 3D games.
In 2010 Tessitore was honored for his on air work. On January 18, 2010 he accepted an Eclipse Award on behalf of his ESPN production team for their 2009 Belmont Stakes broadcast on ABC. On June 4, 2010 the Boxing Writers of America presented Tessitore with the prestigious Sam Taub award for Broadcast Excellence. The Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame has included Tessitore in their 2010 class of inductees.
Since 2004, Tessitore has been the voice for the top selling Fight Night
Fight Night (EA video game series)
Fight Night is a series of video games created by EA Sports. The series consists of* Fight Night 2004** Updates: Total Punch Control.* Fight Night Round 2...
video game series produced by EA Sports. Joe is considered an expert in many of the fields he covers. He is part of Ring Magazine’s rankings panel as well as a voter for the Heisman Trophy.
Through the years Joe has also worked play-by-play or host duties on The Contender, HBO pay-per-view, international pay-per-view, Showtime pay-per-view and many ESPN properties, including NCAA college basketball, Arena Football, High Stakes Golf, the PBA Tour, and the World Arm Wrestling Championships. Tessitore also has hosted numerous ESPN Classic Boxing shows and has reported for ABC’s Good Morning America.
In 2008, he was the host anchor of Big Brown's failed Triple Crown attempt in the Belmont Stakes. On December 31, 2007, he called motorcyclist Robbie Maddison’s World Record 300+ foot jump. On December 31, 2008, he presented Maddison’s jump up/down from the Arc de Triomphe at the Paris Resort on the Vegas strip. On December 31, 2009 Joe broadcast Travis Pastrana's world record rally car jump over Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach, California. On November 7, 2009 he was the host of Zenyatta's history making victory on the Breeders' Cup Classic, a broadcast which earned ESPN an Emmy nomination. On December 26, 2009 he was the broadcaster of USC's bowl victory over Boston College. It was the last game in the USC career of head coach Pete Carroll. On April 3, 2010, Joe was the lead host and ringside broadcaster for Bernard Hopkins victory over longtime rival Roy Jones Jr on pay-per-view. In October 2010 Joe had the call of LSU's dramatic last second win over Florida.
Joe has worked with numerous broadcast partners in his career. In the ABC/ESPN College Football booth he is joined by Rod Gilmore
Rod Gilmore
Rodney "Rod" Gilmore is an American college football analyst for ESPN. He works with Joe Tessitore on the network's Friday and Saturday night telecasts. Prior to joining ESPN in 1996, Gilmore worked for Prime Time Sports, SportsChannel Bay Area, and Pacific Sports Network...
. For boxing he is teamed ringside with Teddy Atlas
Teddy Atlas
Theodore A. "Teddy" Atlas, Jr. is a well-known boxing trainer and fight commentator.-Personal life:...
. On ESPN horse racing he’s on the set along with Randy Moss
Randy Moss (sports reporter)
Randy Moss is an American sports reporter who currently covers horse racing for NBC Sports, ESPN, Versus, and Daily Racing Form and football for the NFL Network.-Early life:...
and Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey
Jerry Bailey
Jerry D. Bailey is a retired American Hall of Fame jockey. He began his racing career in November 1974. His first mount was on a horse named Pegged Rate, who ran off the board. He notched his first career win the next day on his second career mount, Fetch, at New Mexico's Sunland Park, and has...
. He has also been teamed with Todd Blackledge, Bill Curry, Mike Tomczak, Ray Bentley, Marcellus Wiley, Shaun King, Scott LeDoux, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roy Jones Jr, Bernard Hopkins, Nate Campbell and Shannon Briggs.
Tessitore’s distinct voice-over work has been used in several feature films, including Annapolis and The Breakup, plus numerous TV programs. He has also appeared in the TV drama The Dead Zone acting as himself in an episode.