Christopher James "Chris" Berman, born May 10, 1955, in Greenwich, Connecticut, and nicknamed "Boomer," is one of the most recognizable figures in American sports broadcasting. Raised in Irvington, New York, he graduated from Brown University in 1977 with a degree in history, having cut his teeth as a sports commentator on the school's radio station. After early stops covering sports for a Waterbury radio station and working as a weekend sports anchor at WVIT-TV in Hartford, in October 1979 — one month after its inception — ESPN hired a little-known 24-year-old sports anchor named Chris Berman. He would go on to become one of ESPN's longest-tenured employees, and the only remaining SportsCenter anchor from 1979, helping to define the fledgling network's voice during its formative years.
Over more than four decades, Berman built a legacy defined by infectious enthusiasm, encyclopedic sports knowledge, and a playful wit, becoming famous for catchphrases like "He could go all the way!" and for the punning nicknames he coined for athletes, such as Bert "Be Home" Blyleven and Fred "Crime Dog" McGriff. He hosted ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown program from 1985 to 2016 and NFL Primetime from 1987 to 2005 and since 2019, while also anchoring coverage of the U.S. Open golf, the Stanley Cup Final, the MLB Home Run Derby, and numerous Super Bowls. Six times the versatile Berman has been selected National Sportscaster of the Year, and he received the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award in 2010 along with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He suffered personal tragedy in May 2017 when his wife of more than three decades, Kathy, was killed in a car accident. Still with the network he helped build, in May of 2025, ESPN extended Berman's contract and as a result, in 2029 he will be ESPN's first employee to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
Sources: ESPN Press Room, Wikipedia