Instead of doing music videos this week, I thought I would give you some vintage NFL TV opens from NBC and ABC.
Here’s an open from NBC dating back to 1978 – 79, Oakland vs. Seattle when NBC had the rights to the AFC games.
From 1983, the opening to the AFC Wild Card game between Denver and Seattle. Again, NBC had the broadcast, the legendary Charlie Jones and Bob Griese did the play-by-play and color.
Let’s go to Monday Night Football. This dates back to 1973 when MNF was in its infancy. Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford and Dandy Don Meredith are all in this clip.
This is the 1988 MNF “pinball” open. Notice Hank Williams had not arrived on the scene for MNF as of yet. Featured are Al Michaels, Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf.
Here’s ABC’s open for Super Bowl XXII.
By 2002, John Madden joined Al and so had Hank Williams singing “All My Rowdy Friends.” Here’s an ABC promo for MNF.
Finally, many of you may not know that before NBC broadcast and butchered its Olympics coverage, the network of the Summer and Winter Games was ABC. It had done so many and by 1984, it had pretty much done them like clockwork. Note some of TV’s greatest announcers including Jim McKay, Jack Whitaker, Keith Jackson, a young Jim Lampley and my broadcasting hero, HOWARD COSELL!!! And yes, the familiar Olympic theme was first heard on ABC.
