NFL on FOX adds Chad Pennington & Gus Johnson

From Fox Sports -

NFL ON FOX DEEPENS TALENTED ROSTER, ADDS TWO-TIME NFL COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR CHAD PENNINGTON TO LINEUP

Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver Return as Top Crew for 10th Season

New FOX Sports Play-By-Play Announcer Gus Johnson Calls Select NFL Games

New York—FOX Sports returns for an 18th season as the favorite home for NFL viewers, adding quarterback Chad Pennington to its already outstanding roster of broadcasting talent. Six-time Emmy Award-winning play-by-play announcer Joe Buck, NFL Hall of Famer Troy Aikman and premier NFL pregame and sideline reporter Pam Oliver headline as the NFL on FOX’s lead broadcast team for the 10th season. The announcement was made today by FOX Sports Co-President and COO Eric Shanks.

“FOX Sports’ talented broadcasters are a big reason we’ve been the number one sports network for 14 straight years,” said Shanks. “We’ve built the best team to inform, analyze and entertain, with the goal of bringing fans closer to the NFL than ever before. The addition of Chad Pennington brings a fresh perspective to our already championship caliber lineup and we’re excited to welcome him to the FOX Sports team.”

An 11-year NFL veteran, former New York Jets and Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington is the only player to be named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year twice in his career. Pennington led the Jets and Dolphins to a combined four playoff appearances and holds the distinction of ranking number one on the NFL’s all-time career completion percentage list. He joins Sam Rosen in the booth this season, calling his first game Sunday, Sept. 11 as the Carolina Panthers take on the Arizona Cardinals.

This season marks Buck’s 18th with FOX Sports and Aikman’s 11th, while sideline reporter Pam Oliver returns for her 17th. The group calls its first game from Washington on Sunday, Sept. 11 as the Redskins host the New York Giants. For the fifth consecutive year, former Cowboys fullback Daryl Johnston teams with play-by-play announcer Kenny Albert and on-field analyst Tony Siragusa. Kenny, “Moose” and “Goose” are in Chicago Week 1 as the Bears take on the Atlanta Falcons. Former NFL vice president of officiating Mike Pereira returns for his second season as FOX Sports’ first-ever rules analyst. Pereira is available to interact with FOX NFL SUNDAY studio personalities and interpret officiating calls with game crews at stadiums across the country, both on- and off-camera.

Renowned play-by-play broadcaster Gus Johnson, who joined the FOX Sports Media Group in May as the lead college football announcer, calls select NFL on FOX games this season. His first assignment comes Week 4 when he teams with his FX College Football Game of the Week team, analyst Charles Davis and former University of Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster, to call the Washington Redskins’ game against the St. Louis Rams.

Each week, the NFL on FOX broadcast day begins with FOX NFL SUNDAY (12:00 PM ET), America’s most-watched NFL pregame show. The one-hour prelude is the recipient of 20 Emmy Awards and stars co-hosts Terry Bradshaw and Curt Menefee, analysts Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson and Michael Strahan, premier NFL insider Jay Glazer, comedic prognosticator Frank Caliendo, and Pereira. Bradshaw and Long have been with the show since its debut in 1994, and Bradshaw won the 2008 Emmy for Outstanding Studio Analyst, his third.

The 2011 NFL on FOX campaign kicks off Sunday, Sept. 11 (1:00 PM ET) with doubleheader coverage of seven games, highlighted by a clash between last season’s NFC South Champion Atlanta Falcons led by Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Ryan traveling to Soldier Field to face the reigning NFC North Champion Chicago Bears. Week 1 also features Eli Manning and the Giants taking on their NFC East division foe the Washington Redskins and what some are calling the Philadelphia Eagles “Dream Team” traveling to St. Louis to battle the Rams.

Following are the NFL on FOX announcer pairings for 2011:

Joe Buck, Troy Aikman & Pam Oliver
Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston & Tony Siragusa
Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick & Laura Okmin
Dick Stockton & John Lynch
Chris Myers & Tim Ryan
Ron Pitts & Jim Mora
Sam Rosen & Chad Pennington
Gus Johnson, Charles Davis & Tim Brewster

Stockton, Pitts and Albert have the distinction of being the only members of the group to work NFL on FOX games full-time since FOX Sports’ inception in 1994. Oliver, as previously mentioned, is in her 17th season, followed by Rosen (16), Buck (14), Aikman and Johnston (11), Ryan (10), Brennaman (9), Glazer and Siragusa (8), Myers (7), Billick (4), Okmin (4), Lynch (3), Mora (2) and Pennington.

The complete 2010 regular season averaged 20.1 million viewers, smashing the previous NFL on FOX record of 19.1 million set in 2009 by a million viewers. As for the household ratings, 2010 averaged an 11.8/24, its best rating in 15 years (12.5/29 in 1995) and surpassed 2009’s then record-setting campaign by +4% in rating (11.8 vs. 11.4) and +5% in viewership (20.1 million vs. 19.1 million).

Fox makes Gus Johnson Official

From Fox Sports, we get news that the hardest working and most electrifying man in sports entertainment (sorry The Rock!) is officially now working at Fox Sports!

RISE AND FIRE … COUNT IT!!!

GUS JOHNSON NAMED THE VOICE OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL FOR FOX & MEN’S BASKETBALL ON BIG TEN NETWORK

Teams with Analyst Charles Davis on FX in 2011; FOX Sports in 2012 and Beyond

Los Angeles & Chicago -- The voice renowned for March Madness buzzer-beaters is now the voice of fall’s gridiron glory and more as FOX Sports Media Group has named Gus Johnson lead play-by-play announcer for its college football coverage and men’s basketball on the Big Ten Network. He will team with FOX Sports football analyst Charles Davis to form the Group’s lead college football announce team. The announcement was made today by FOX Sports Executive Producer and Co-President & COO, FOX Sports Media Group, Eric Shanks.

This season, Johnson and Davis call Big 12, Conference USA and Pac-12 regular-season games on FX, as well as a pair of games for Big Ten Network, one of FOX’s two conference football championship games and the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic. In 2012, they’ll call FOX’s regular-season over-the-air broadcast schedule, culled primarily from the network’s recently completed rights agreement with the Pac-12, as well as the aforementioned postseason assignments. In addition, Johnson also continues as the lead play-by-play voice for college basketball on Big Ten Network, will call FOX’s Pac-12 men’s basketball tournament games come 2013 and select NFL on FOX broadcasts following the college football season this year.

“We are thrilled to have one of the most dynamic play-by-play announcers working today join us at FOX, and team him with someone we believe to be one of the brightest, most astute college football analysts in the country,” said Shanks. “Gus’ energy, enthusiasm and passion are evident in every game he broadcasts, and Charles is one of the most respected, knowledgeable and hard-working analysts in all of football, meticulous in his preparation and concise in his delivery. We can’t wait for college football fans to see just how terrific a team this can be.”

“Big Ten Network viewers have been overwhelming in their support of Gus Johnson,” added Big Ten Network President Mark Silverman. “Now they get to enjoy more Gus than ever before, as BTN expects to double his number of basketball games as a result of his new deal with FOX."

Over the years, Johnson has developed a cult-like following among college hoops fans during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and more recently for men’s basketball on Big Ten Network, mainly for his use of his signature phrases including "Oh my goodness!", "Rise and fire... Count it!", "From the parking lot!", "And the Runner....Bang!", "Pure!", "BAM!", "Cold-Blooded!", and "HA-HAAA!"

“Ahhhhhh! I am beyond excited to join the FOX Sports family today,” said Johnson. “Being able to call play-by-play for the nation’s premier collegiate football conferences like the Big Ten, Pac-12 and Big 12 is a tremendous honor and I can’t wait to get started! Is it August yet?”

Johnson, no stranger to the FOX Sports Media Group having called men’s hoops for Big Ten Network the last three season, joins FOX full-time after serving as a play-by-play announcer at CBS Sports since 1995. At CBS, Johnson was a play-by-play voice for the network’s college basketball coverage including NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament broadcasts and provided play-by-play for the NFL on CBS since 1998. Johnson's credits at CBS Sports also include play-by-play for college football, track & field, boxing, the Hambletonian, and bobsled and luge at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games. He also served as host of CBS‘s At the Half and Sportsdesk programs.

In 2009, he was named play-by-play announcer for Showtime Championship Boxing. In addition, he served as play-by-play announcer for CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights and is a practicing martial artist who has studied Kung Fu and boxing, and continues studying Jiu-Jitsu.

While with Madison Square Garden, Johnson provided radio play-by-play for New York Knicks games and television play-by-play for the New York Liberty. He served as anchor and reporter for MSGN's SportsDesk and worked the New York City Golden Gloves Tournament. He also served as host of AT&T Yankees Scorecard and New York Rangers and Knicks GameNight. In addition, Johnson has called play-by-play for the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Big East Network, college basketball on ESPN and the Canadian Football League on ESPN2.

Davis, a former University of Tennessee cornerback, was lead BCS on FOX analyst from 2007 to 2010. In 2009 he made his NFL on FOX debut, and has teamed with Dick Stockton the last two seasons. Davis also teamed with Thom Brennaman to call Big Ten Network games in 2007-08. He is also an analyst on NFL Network's College Football Now, Path to the Draft, and NFL Total Access.

Prior to joining FOX and BTN, Davis worked five seasons as lead analyst for TBS's college football coverage of the Big 12 and Pac-10 conferences. Davis also served as a sideline reporter for Jefferson Pilot's SEC Football Game of the Week in 2000 and 2001, as well as host of SEC Football Today pre-game show and SEC-TV halftime reports on CBS.

Davis' other football assignments include analyst for the NFL Network’s broadcasts of the Texas Bowl and Under Armour Senior Bowl.

Gus Johnson headed to FOX

We would've posted this last night, but we were lamenting the Celtics rough night.

Gus Johnson, as we told you last week, is out at CBS and now headed to FOX. Read more from the man who wrote it last night in the NY Daily News, Bob Raissman.

Props to SI.com's Richard Deitsch who also broke it last week.

Gus Johnson, CBS Sports part ways after 16 years - Richard Deitsch - SI.com

Say it isn't so!

The most electrifying man in sports broadcast is leaving CBS!

Gus Johnson, CBS Sports part ways after 16 years - Richard Deitsch - SI.com

Now with this, enjoy some of our favorite Gus moments...