For the past two seasons, we’ve known Monday Night Football as an ESPN property, but from 1970 until 2005, it was exclusive to ABC and before ESPN took over ABC Sports in the mid-1990’s, executives like Roone Arledge treated the game as special. And the openings to Monday Night Football were done quite well. These were all done before Hank Williams became the standard to open the games.
Let’s go over the various opens.
This was the open from 1973 which shows Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell and Don Meredith.
By 1978, MNF was finishing its 9th season and the booth had undergone some changes since 1973, but Giff, Howard and Dandy Don had been reunited by this time. ABC had won the rights to broadcast the Pro Bowl and this was the period before it was played in Honolulu. On this night, it was played in Tampa at the Big Sombrero. I liked this particular open. And you have a bonus, you get to hear from the Giffer and watch Howard and Don interact.
In 1980, the theme had undergone some changes and the open had been totally overhauled.
In this open from 1988, the announcing booth went through even more changes, Cosell left in 1984, Meredith left the following year and the announcing crew had been in flux. , but by this time, had settled with Al Michaels, Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf. And this open, known as the Pinball Open was the last before Hank Willliams was used.
And here’s a closing to Monday Night Football in 1988, just after the Philadephia Eagles beat the New York Giants. This was one of the weeks when Al was away doing the National League Championship Series leaving Frank and Dan as a duo in the booth.
After 1989, it was all Hank Williams and since I’m not a fan of those opens, we’ll end it in 1988. Sunday Links coming up later as well as a look at the Week Ahead in Sports.
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