Dan Dierdorf To Enter The Hall Of Fame A Second Time, Wins Rozelle Award

Tuesday, July 08, 2008


Well this is an interesting piece of news. Dan Dierdorf is this years Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award winner and will receive a second spot in Pro Football's Canton Hall of Fame. Via Pro Football Weekly....

Dan Dierdorf will be entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, for a second time after being named the winner of the 2008 Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award.

He began his broadcasting career in 1984 and is a three-time Emmy Award nominee as Outstanding Sports Analyst. He served as an analyst on "Monday Night Football" for more than a decade and has filled a role as game analyst on "The NFL on CBS" since 1999.

Dierdorf, a star offensive lineman for the St. Louis Cardinals during his 13-year NFL career, was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1996.

He will receive the Rozelle award on Friday, Aug. 1 at the Enshrinees Dinner in Canton.
I personally was never that big of a Dierdorf fan, but the guy definitely has a great body of work. Here are some of his accomplishments via Tom Hoffarth's FOTW...
*Immediately after retiring as a Pro Bowl offensive lineman for the St. Louis Cardinals (the football team, not baseball) for 13 seasons, he started behind the mike in 1984 as the St. Louis Cardinals (football, not baseball) analyst on KMOX radio.
*He also did color commentary for the St. Louis Blues (yes, the NHL team).
*He was the sports director for KMOX TV in St. Louis.
*He did play by play on CBS Sports Radio NFL games in 1985. The next year, he switched to an analyst.
*He started on ABC's "MNF" in 1987, added to the Al Michaels-Frank Gifford team. He lasted 12 seasons, spending one of them with a Michaels-Boomer Esiason booth, but then left after 1998.
*He did Super Bowl XXII in 1988, XXV in '91 and XXIX in '95, each with Michaels and Gifford.
*He did boxing for ABC starting in 1989.
*He went to CBS to do NFL games in 1999 with Verne Lundquist. In 2000, he was paired with Dick Enberg. Since 2006, he's been with Greg Gumbel.
*He is referenced by George Carlin in his 1996 "Back in Town" album. Carlin is talking about capital punishment and wonders how a crucifixion would fly as a halftime show during a "MNF" game: "Wouldn't you like to hear Dan Dierdorf explain why the nails have to go in at a certain angle?"
I personally think Dan Dierdorf was one of the pioneers in making networks think they had to hire ex-players as analysts, but I'm sure most people in the business see that as a positive. Either way he's a Broadcasting Hall of Famer now.

Dierdorf is Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award winner (PFW)
Dan Dierdorf: Broadcast Hall of Famer (Farther Off The Wall)

Posted by Awful Announcing- at 3:49 PM

12 Comments:

I actually like Dierdorf. He's stupid, but for some reason he remains likeable.

GMoney said...
Jul 8, 2008, 4:13:00 PM  

Ouch... double negatives hurt my brain.

Anonymous said...
Jul 8, 2008, 4:29:00 PM  

I think Dan Dierforf has been better since he left MNF. I thought when he was on MNF he tried to be someone that he was not, and entratener.

Anonymous said...
Jul 8, 2008, 4:55:00 PM  

I liked the Enberg and Dierdorf pairing on CBS. They actually just talked about the game with no agendas. I preferred them to Nantz and Simms.

Was there a reason for CBS splitting up Enberg and Dierdorf ?

Anonymous said...
Jul 8, 2008, 8:37:00 PM  

I used to HATE Dierdorf as a commentator. He's Captain Obvious as times. But two things have happened: the other football announcers that have came since are alot worse, and I've developed alot of respect for Dierdorf's struggles with his injuries and his speaking out for the older players and their lack of benefits.

Anonymous said...
Jul 8, 2008, 8:41:00 PM  

Not sure where to send this, so I'll post the link here. Versus had a reporter in someones team car this morning on their live Tour de France coverage, and the team manager drops an F-bomb. Check out the look on the reporter's face when it's dropped.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtXoxTRR26c

Anonymous said...
Jul 8, 2008, 10:49:00 PM  

Enberg was dropped to CBS's #3 team with Randy Cross after James Brown left Fox and took over the NFL Today from Greg Gumbel. So CBS inserted Greg Gumbel as the #2 play-by-play voice, teaming with Dierdorf and then the domino effect. They did the same with Verne Lundquist who was their original #2 man. But Enberg got the gig after his move to CBS from NBC. So keep Verne in the mix, made him their #1 voice for college football.

Anonymous said...
Jul 9, 2008, 12:45:00 AM  

Dierdorf's best line last year as during the Bears Broncos game last year on Deviin Hester's kickoff return, "Why Why?" hilarious

Anonymous said...
Jul 9, 2008, 5:36:00 AM  

Dan gets too much crap, he's not NEARLY as bad as Aikman or Rich Gannon.

At least he likes the friggin game and has enthusiasm for it.

E Buzz said...
Jul 9, 2008, 8:38:00 AM  

What about the John Oates Award for most distinguished mustache?

Anonymous said...
Jul 9, 2008, 10:04:00 AM  

"I personally think Dan Dierdorf was one of the pioneers in making networks think they had to hire ex-players as analysts..."

Uh, not quite. A pioneer is someone who is among the first. CBS, ABC and NBC all used ex-players as analysts long before anyone ever heard Dan Dierdorf speak.

Anonymous said...
Jul 9, 2008, 10:32:00 AM  

Dan Dierdorf is so bad, I actually don't watch games that he announces, or I mute the TV and tune the radio in for a different commentator.

Quite possibly the worst announcer on television right behind Mike Goldbergh from UFC.

Anonymous said...
Sep 15, 2008, 12:22:00 AM  

Post a Comment