Biography
Christopher James Berman began his sportscasting career at Hartford's WVIT-TV as a weekend sports anchor. He then joined ESPN in 1979, a month after its founding, where he remains one of the network's longest-tenured employees. An enthusiastic football fan, Berman is known for spirited catch-phrases that have become iconic in the sports world. He also has a penchant for integrating puns into nicknames for athletes, including Bert "Be Home" Blyleven for the former Minnesota Twins pitcher. After more than three decades, the 2016-2017 season of "Sunday NFL Countdown" is Berman's last as host - a role he has held since the program began in 1985. He was an original anchor for "Sportscenter" and has covered 34 Super Bowls. He has handled NFL draft coverage for ESPN since 1987. Berman has been named National Sportscaster of the Year six times by the National Sports Media Association, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010. In 2016 he was inducted into the National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame. Berman played himself in Adam Sandler's "The Longest Yard," as well as several other sports-centric feature films: "Little Big League," "Eddie," "Kingpin" and "Necessary Roughness."
