Career Timeline of Mike Tirico: Major Achievements and Milestones

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Mike Tirico made an impact.

Mike Tirico is a prominent American sportscaster. He currently serves as the lead play-by-play announcer for NBC Sunday Night Football, a position he assumed in 2022. He is also slated to become the lead announcer for NBC's NBA coverage in 2025. Beyond football and basketball, Tirico plays a key role in NBC's Olympic coverage as the primary primetime host and hosts the Triple Crown races. He is a versatile and well-known figure in sports broadcasting.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

1991: Joined ESPN

In 1991, Mike Tirico joined ESPN as a SportsCenter anchor, after four years as sports director at CBS affiliate WTVH in Syracuse, New York. He was also the first host seen on ESPNews.

1993: Host on ESPN's Monday Night Countdown

From 1993 to 2001, Mike Tirico hosted studio coverage of various ESPN and ABC covered events, including a stint on ESPN's Monday Night Countdown.

1997: Lead Announcer for PGA Tour on ABC

In 1997, Mike Tirico became the lead announcer for the PGA Tour on ABC.

1997: College Football, Basketball, and Golf Coverage on ESPN

In 1997, Mike Tirico handled play-by-play for ESPN's Thursday night college football package (1997 to 2005), college basketball coverage (1997 to 2002), and golf coverage for ESPN/ABC (1997 to 2015).

2002: NBA Coverage on ESPN

From 2002 to 2016, Mike Tirico provided NBA coverage on ESPN, including play-by-play for the NBA Finals on ESPN Radio.

2005: End of College Football Package

In 2005, Mike Tirico's coverage of the ESPN's Thursday night college football package came to an end.

2006: NBA Games with Hubie Brown

During his career with ESPN, Mike Tirico has called most of NBA games with Hubie Brown beginning in the 2006–07 season, when Mark Jackson replaced Brown as lead analyst on ABC.

2006: Play-by-Play Announcer on ESPN's Monday Night Football

In 2006, Mike Tirico began serving as a play-by-play announcer on ESPN's Monday Night Football.

September 20, 2007: Hosted The Mike Tirico Show on ESPN Radio

On September 20, 2007, Mike Tirico began hosting the short-lived "The Mike Tirico Show" on ESPN Radio with co-host Scott Van Pelt.

2007: Guest Host on Pardon the Interruption

In 2007, Mike Tirico appeared as a guest host, filling in for Michael Wilbon, alongside Tony Kornheiser on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption.

May 2008: The Mike Tirico Show Renamed

In May 2008, The Mike Tirico Show was renamed Tirico &Van Pelt.

May 19, 2009: Left The Mike Tirico Show

On May 19, 2009, Mike Tirico announced he would be leaving "The Mike Tirico Show" to focus more on his television duties.

2009: Anchored 2009 U.S. Open

In 2009, Mike Tirico anchored the 2009 U.S. Open (tennis).

2010: Co-Anchored FIFA World Cup

In 2010, Mike Tirico co-anchored the FIFA World Cup.

2011: Outback Bowl

In 2011, Mike Tirico worked with Jon Gruden on the Outback Bowl (2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014) and Orange Bowl (2011 and 2012).

2012: Outback Bowl

In 2012, Mike Tirico worked with Jon Gruden on the Outback Bowl (2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014) and Orange Bowl (2011 and 2012).

2013: Outback Bowl

In 2013, Mike Tirico worked with Jon Gruden on the Outback Bowl (2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014) and Orange Bowl (2011 and 2012).

2014: NBC Started Thinking About Life after Bob Costas

Following the 2014 Winter Olympics, NBC Sports chairman Mark Lazarus explained that the division had begun to "think about what life after Bob might be."

2014: Co-Anchored FIFA World Cup

In 2014, Mike Tirico co-anchored the FIFA World Cup.

2014: Outback Bowl

In 2014, Mike Tirico worked with Jon Gruden on the Outback Bowl (2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014) and Orange Bowl (2011 and 2012).

2015: End of Golf Coverage for ESPN/ABC

In 2015, Mike Tirico's coverage of golf for ESPN/ABC came to an end.

2015: End of Monday Night Football Announcer role at ESPN

In 2015, Mike Tirico's tenure as a play-by-play announcer on ESPN's Monday Night Football came to an end.

May 8, 2016: Last NBA Game

On May 8, 2016, Mike Tirico called his last NBA game during the second round of the 2016 NBA playoffs.

May 9, 2016: Announcement of Joining NBC Sports

On May 9, 2016, it was officially announced that Mike Tirico would join NBC Sports effective July 1, 2016, after a leak the prior month.

June 30, 2016: Last Sign-off on ESPN

On June 30, 2016, Mike Tirico signed off for the last time on ESPN during the conclusion of that day's coverage of the UEFA Euro 2016 soccer tournament.

July 1, 2016: Effective date for joining NBC Sports

On July 1, 2016, Mike Tirico officially joined NBC Sports.

November 2016: Sunday Night Football Games

In November 2016, NBC announced that Mike Tirico would perform play-by-play with Cris Collinsworth on three Sunday Night Football games and one Thursday Night Football game, filling in for Al Michaels.

2016: Filled in for Al Michaels on Sunday Night Football

In 2016, Mike Tirico filled in for Al Michaels on a few Sunday Night Football games.

2016: Hired by NBC Sports

In 2016, Mike Tirico left ESPN after 25 years and was hired by NBC Sports. He debuted during NBC's coverage of the 2016 Open Championship and has since served as the network's lead host for golf coverage.

2016: Served as NBC's Lead Play-by-Play Announcer

In 2016, Mike Tirico served as NBC's lead play-by-play announcer for Thursday Night Football and called the two preseason games allocated to NBC.

2016: Hosted NBC's Broadcasts of the Summer Olympics

In 2016, Mike Tirico served as a studio host and contributor for NBC's broadcasts of the 2016 Summer Olympics from Rio de Janeiro in August.

2016: UEFA Euro 2016

In 2016, Mike Tirico's last assignment at ESPN/ABC was UEFA Euro 2016.

February 9, 2017: Costas announced retirement

On February 9, 2017, Bob Costas announced that he would be retiring as the primetime host of NBC's coverage of the Olympics.

May 31, 2017: Replaced Al Michaels

On May 31, 2017, it was announced that Mike Tirico would permanently replace Al Michaels as the play-by-play commentator for all of NBC's Thursday Night Football games. Starting that year, he took over the role of Tom Hammond in Triple Crown coverage and became full-time as the play-by-play announcer for Notre Dame football.

2017: Notre Dame Football Announcer

From 2017 until he assumed Al Michaels’ Sunday Night Football post, Mike Tirico served as play-by-play for Notre Dame Football on NBC.

2018: Replaced Costas

In 2018, Mike Tirico replaced Bob Costas as the primetime host of NBC's coverage of the Olympics, starting with the 2018 Winter Olympics.

2018: Super Bowl LII and Winter Olympics

In 2018, Mike Tirico skipped Super Bowl LII in order to focus on preparing for the 2018 Winter Olympics, which began the following Friday, but contributed to NBC's pregame coverage from Pyeongchang.

February 20, 2019: First NHL Game on NBCSN

On February 20, 2019, Mike Tirico called his first NHL game on NBCSN's Wednesday Night Hockey, between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings.

2020: Filled in for Al Michaels on Sunday Night Football

During the 2020 season, Mike Tirico filled in for Al Michaels on a few Sunday Night Football games due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

2020: Hosted 2020 NHL Winter Classic

Starting in January of that year, Mike Tirico hosted the 2020 NHL Winter Classic.

2021: Drew Brees Joined NBC Sports

In 2021, Drew Brees joined NBC Sports as Mike Tirico's partner for Notre Dame games and on Football Night in America with Tirico and Dungy.

2022: Hosted Winter Olympics and Super Bowl LVI

In 2022, Mike Tirico hosted both the Winter Olympics and the Super Bowl LVI, traveling to Los Angeles part-way through the Games to anchor Olympics coverage from outside SoFi Stadium on the weekend of the Super Bowl.