Rich Eisen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rich Eisen
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Eisen in 2011
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| Born | June 24, 1969 New York City, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University of Michigan (BA) Northwestern University (MS) |
| Occupation | Sportscaster |
| Spouse(s) |
Suzy Shuster
(m. 2003) |
| Children | 3 |
Richard Eisen (born June 24, 1969) is an American sportscaster and radio host. He is famous for his work with NFL Network, where he has hosted many shows since 2003. He also has his own daily sports radio show and podcast, The Rich Eisen Show. Before joining NFL Network, he worked at ESPN from 1996 to 2003. There, he was a well-known anchor for SportsCenter.
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Early Life and School
Rich Eisen was born in Brooklyn, a part of New York City. He grew up on Staten Island, another part of New York City.
He went to the University of Michigan. While there, he was a co-sports editor for the school's newspaper, Michigan Daily. He earned his first degree in 1990. Later, in 1994, he got a Master's degree in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
Rich Eisen's Broadcasting Career
Starting Out (1990–1996)
Rich Eisen began his career as a writer. He wrote for the Staten Island Advance from 1990 to 1993. Then, he wrote for the Chicago Tribune in 1993 and 1994. After that, he worked in television. He was a sports anchor and reporter for KRCR-TV in California from 1994 to 1996.
Time at ESPN (1996–2003)
Before joining NFL Network, Rich Eisen worked for ESPN. He was known for his humor and funny impressions. He often worked with Stuart Scott on SportsCenter. He also hosted ESPN's reality show, Beg, Borrow & Deal. For ESPN Radio, he hosted baseball shows and was a guest host on other popular sports talk shows.
One big moment for Eisen at ESPN was when he announced that baseball star Mark McGwire was retiring in 2001. Days later, he got to interview McGwire about his decision.
Working at NFL Network (2003–Present)
Rich Eisen was the very first person hired to be on-air at NFL Network in June 2003. He hosted NFL Total Access, which was the network's main show, until 2011.
He signed a new contract with NFL Network in 2010. After that, he became the host of NFL GameDay Morning. This was the first pregame show on the NFL Network. Eisen also hosts other NFL Network shows. These include NFL GameDay Highlights and the pregame, halftime, and postgame shows for Thursday Night Football. He also covers big NFL events like the NFL Draft and Super Bowl.
In 2010, Eisen started "The Rich Eisen Podcast." This was the first podcast ever for NFL.com. It comes out every week and features guests from sports and entertainment. They talk about football and other news. This podcast has been downloaded millions of times.
The 40-Yard Dash Challenge
In 2005, former NFL player Terrell Davis challenged Rich Eisen. He dared Eisen to run the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. This is where college football players show off their skills for NFL teams.
Eisen has run the 40-yard dash every year since then. He always runs it while wearing a suit! His fastest time was 5.94 seconds in 2016.
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| 6.77 | 6.22 | 6.43 | 6.34 | 6.34 | 6.21 | 6.18 | 6.03 | 6.03 | 5.98 | 6.10 | 5.94 | 6.02 | 5.97 | 6.00 | 5.98 | 6.03 | 6.16 | 6.22 | 6.25 |
Eisen turned his yearly run into a charity event called "#RunRichRun." This event raises money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. So far, his campaign has raised over $5.2 million to help children. Because of his great work, he received the 2017 Pat Summerall Award.
The Rich Eisen Show (2014–Present)
On October 6, 2014, Rich Eisen started his own sports talk TV and radio show. It's called The Rich Eisen Show. The show was first broadcast live from DirecTV studios.
In 2020, the show moved its broadcast to YouTube. Later that year, NBCSN and NBC's streaming service Peacock also started showing it. In September 2022, the program moved again to The Roku Channel.
The show has been very successful. In 2022, The Rich Eisen Show was nominated for a Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Studio Show.
Other Appearances
Rich Eisen has also appeared in other TV shows and movies.
- He hosted the TNT reality series, The Great Escape in 2012.
- He played himself in two episodes of The League in 2012 and 2014.
- In 2014, he appeared as himself in the movie Draft Day.
- From 2015 to 2017, he had a role on the CBS sitcom The Odd Couple. He played a rival to the main character.
- He has been on Comedy Central's @midnight several times since 2016.
- In 2018, he co-hosted The American Rescue Dog Show.
- In 2020, Eisen 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, his show was featured in a comedy bit on Saturday Night Live. He also did an introduction for The Roast of Tom Brady on Netflix.
Personal Life
Rich Eisen is Jewish. In 2003, he married Suzy Shuster. She used to be a sideline reporter for college football. They have two sons and one daughter. They also have two Golden Retriever dogs that they rescued. The family lives in Beverly Hills, California.
Eisen wrote a book called Total Access, which came out in 2007. He is a big fan of the New York Jets and the New York Yankees. He also supports the Michigan Wolverines college sports teams.
