Rich Eisen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rich Eisen
|
|
|---|---|
Eisen in 2011
|
|
| Born | June 24, 1969 New York City, U.S.
|
| Alma mater | University of Michigan (BA) Northwestern University (MS) |
| Occupation | Sportscaster |
| Spouse(s) |
Suzy Shuster
(m. 2003) |
| Children | 3 |
Rich Eisen is a well-known American sportscaster and radio host. He was born on June 24, 1969. Since 2003, he has worked for NFL Network. He hosts many pre-game, halftime, and post-game shows about football. He also has his own daily sports show and podcast, The Rich Eisen Show. Before joining NFL Network, he worked at ESPN from 1996 to 2003. He was a popular host on their show SportsCenter.
Contents
Early Life and School
Rich Eisen was born in New York City. He grew up in the Staten Island area of the city.
He went to the University of Michigan. While there, he was a co-editor for the sports section of the school newspaper. He graduated in 1990. In 1994, he earned another degree in journalism. This was from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
Broadcasting Career
Rich Eisen has had a long career talking about sports. He started as a writer before moving to TV and radio.
Starting Out in Media (1990–1996)
From 1990 to 1993, Eisen worked as a writer for the Staten Island Advance newspaper. He also wrote for the Chicago Tribune in 1993 and 1994. After that, he became a sports anchor and reporter. He worked at KRCR-TV in California from 1994 to 1996. He also reported from Washington, D.C., for a news service.
Time at ESPN (1996–2003)
Before joining NFL Network, Rich Eisen worked for ESPN. He was often paired with Stuart Scott. People knew him for his funny impressions and interviews. He also hosted a reality show called Beg, Borrow & Deal. For ESPN Radio, he hosted baseball games. He was also a guest host on other popular sports radio shows. Eisen even hosted a show called Domino Day for ABC.
One big moment at ESPN was when Eisen announced that baseball star Mark McGwire was retiring in 2001. Days later, he had an exclusive interview with McGwire.
Working at NFL Network (2003–Present)
Rich Eisen was the very first on-air person hired by the NFL Network in June 2003. He was the main host of NFL Total Access for many years. This was the network's main show.
In 2010, Eisen signed a new deal with NFL Network. He became the host of NFL GameDay Morning. This was the first pre-game show on the network. He also hosts NFL GameDay Highlights. Plus, he covers Thursday Night Football and big NFL events. These events include the NFL Draft and the Super Bowl.
In 2010, Eisen also started "The Rich Eisen Podcast." This was the first podcast for NFL.com. It comes out every week and features guests from sports and entertainment. They talk about football and current news. The podcast has been downloaded millions of times.
Rich Eisen hosts his daily sports radio show with Chris Brockman, Michael Del Tufo, and TJ Jefferson. In November 2012, he had a special Thanksgiving show on NFL Network. It featured many celebrity guests.
The 40-Yard Dash Challenge
In 2005, former football player Terrell Davis challenged Eisen. He dared Eisen to run the 40-yard dash. This is a sprint that football players do at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Eisen now runs the 40-yard dash every year. He does it while wearing a suit! His best time was 5.94 seconds in 2016.
He turned his yearly run into a charity event called "#RunRichRun." This campaign raises money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. It has raised over $5.2 million. For his efforts, he received the 2017 Pat Summerall Award. A picture from one of his runs is now a symbol for his daily show.
The Rich Eisen Show (2014–Present)
On October 6, 2014, Rich Eisen started his own sports talk TV and radio show. It is called The Rich Eisen Show. The show was first broadcast from studios in California.
In November 2014, Fox Sports Radio began broadcasting the show daily. Over the years, the show has moved to different platforms. In March 2020, it moved to YouTube. Later in 2020, NBCSN and Peacock picked up the show. In September 2022, the program moved to The Roku Channel.
When the show moved to Roku, it also changed its radio home. It is now available on Sirius XM satellite radio. In July 2025, it was announced that the audio show will move to ESPN Radio starting September 2, 2025. The video show will also be available on ESPN+, Disney+, and ESPN's new streaming service.
In 2022, The Rich Eisen Show was nominated for a Sports Emmy Award. This award recognizes excellent sports shows.
Other Appearances
Eisen has also hosted other TV shows. He hosted The Great Escape on TNT in 2012.
He has appeared as himself in several TV shows and movies. He was in two episodes of The League in 2012 and 2014. In 2014, he was in the movie Draft Day. From 2015 to 2017, he played a recurring role on the CBS show The Odd Couple. He played a rival to a fictional sports radio host.
Since 2016, Eisen has been on many episodes of Comedy Central's @midnight. In 2018, he co-hosted The American Rescue Dog Show. In 2020, he and his show were featured in the video game Madden NFL 21. In 2022, he was a guest star in five episodes of the Disney TV series The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers.
In 2024, Eisen and his show were part of a comedy sketch on Saturday Night Live. He also did an introduction for a special event called The Roast of Tom Brady on Netflix.
Personal Life
Rich Eisen is Jewish. In 2003, he married Suzy Shuster. She used to be a college football reporter. They have two sons and one daughter. They also have two rescue dogs. They live in Beverly Hills, California.
Eisen wrote a book called Total Access, which came out in 2007. In 2012, he started a fun movement called "Punters Are People Too." This was after a punter was drafted early in the 2012 NFL draft.
He is a big fan of the New York Jets and the New York Yankees. He also supports the Michigan Wolverines college team.
