| Mike Francesa | |
|---|---|
Francesa during his television show Mike'd Up |
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| Born | March 20, 1954 Long Beach, New York, U.S. |
| Show | NFL Now |
| Station(s) | WFAN & YES Network, New York City |
| Time slot | 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Sunday (during the NFL season) |
| Style | Sports radio |
| Country | United States |
Michael Patrick "Mike" Francesa, Jr. (born March 20, 1954) is an American radio talk show host and television commentator. He is primarily known in his former role co-hosting the popular Mike and the Mad Dog show on WFAN in New York City. Francesa now hosts his own show, Mike'd Up: Francesa on the FAN, during the afternoon drive slot formerly occupied by Mike and the Mad Dog.
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Francesa started his career by spending six years at College and Pro Football Newsweekly. He was hired by CBS Sports in 1982 as a researcher, focusing primarily on college sports.[1] In CBS Sports, he was initially a behind-the-scenes, statistic-wielding editorial assistant, but network executives were so impressed by his knowledge that he was made a studio analyst for college basketball and football[2] and acquired such a reputation that The New Yorker termed him "Brent Musburger’s brain."[3]
When he was a studio analyst at CBS Sports, he said the most common complaint he heard was about his New York accent.[4]
ESPN tried to lure Francesa as its studio expert on college football, college basketball and NFL in 1991, but he declined the offer.[5]
Francesa announced on the radio that he quit CBS on April 1, 1993[6] before the 1993 Final Four began.[7]
When WFAN was launched in 1987, Francesa thought he would be good at radio and applied for a host job, but the station management was looking for top-shelf types, rather than someone with no experience and he was only offered a producer's job, which he rejected.[8] With his then-wife Kate's encouragement, Francesa continued to pursue WFAN. Finally WFAN gave him a job as a weekend host talking college football and basketball in August 1987.[9] Because of the positive reviews, Francesa began to guest-host other shows.[1]
Because of his initial success as a weekend and fill-in host, he was teamed with local New York City host Ed Coleman and the duo had a popular show on the 10 a.m.-2 p.m. slot. In 1989, WFAN was looking for hosts to replace the controversial Pete Franklin in the afternoon drive time period between 3 and 7 p.m. Station management decided to team the knowledgeable, but somewhat dry Francesa with the young and vibrant Chris Russo. While Francesa's brand of sports commentating was considered hard-hitting and serious, Russo's was lighter, unconventional, and more entertaining. The show was dubbed Mike and the Mad Dog. The show quickly gained popularity and was a staple of the New York sports scene from 1989-2008.
Francesa also hosts a weekly radio show called The NFL Now, which has originated from WFAN since 1987. It eventually became syndicated and at one time was simulcast on MSNBC and later via video Webcast on NBCSports.com. The NFL Now became a syndicated program again when WBZ-FM in Boston started airing the show, a few weeks after the station's launch. Francesa on the FAN can be seen on the YES Network.
He does the nightly "Sportstime" commentary on the CBS Radio Network and Westwood One. Francesa regularly contributed to the Imus in the Morning program with his views on sports while it aired on WFAN and Westwood One.
Francesa's trademark intro to a show he is hosting by himself is "From the studios of WFAN in New York and simulcast across the country on the YES Network this is Mike'd Up: Francesa on the FAN."
On August 14, 2008, it was announced that Chris "Mad Dog" Russo decided to leave WFAN, and thus ended the Mike and the Mad Dog show two weeks shy of its 19th anniversary scenario. This ended two months of speculation of whether the show was going to make it to a 20th season. At the same time, Francesa signed a five-year deal to stay at WFAN.[10] September 8, 2008 officially marked the kickoff of Francesa's new WFAN program, which he announced on air would be called Mike'd Up, the same name as his former weekly television program on WNBC.
Francesa hosted Around the NFL with Bill Parcells on MSG Network between August 30, 1991[11] and April 16, 1992. When the show was cancelled, Francesa said, "I was disappointed. I wanted to do a second year, but it's a very expensive show to produce."[12]
In 1990, Francesa began hosting a talk show following Knicks and Rangers games at Madison Square Garden called Live from the Play By Play. The Play By Play is a restaurant in Madison Square Garden. The show featured sports and entertainment figures in a "late night" talk style program.
In 1998, Francesa began a website called mikesports.com, but the project was abandoned and is no longer online.[13]
Francesa auditioned for the Monday Night Football job in 2000 that eventually went to Dennis Miller.[14]
In 2003, Francesa began hosting an 11:30 PM Sunday Night Sports Show on WNBC-TV in New York City entitled Mike'd Up: The Francesa Sports Final. Taking a live hand-off from the end of the WNBC-TV local news, Francesa then launches into in-depth analysis of the weekend games -- with a focus geared towards the New York-area teams. He also interviews notable athletes, coaches, and sportswriters. The show was intended to span the length of the NFL season, but proved so successful that WNBC extended the show to run year-round. Weekend sports anchor Bruce Beck usually filled in when Francesa had the summer off.
However, on July 15, 2011, it was reported in the New York Post and Newsday that Francesa would end his tenure as host of the Sunday night program, effective immediately, citing his wish to spend more time with his family.[15] Bruce Beck is continuing to host the program, but its future is still uncertain.
Francesa was born and raised in Long Beach, New York.[16] He is the second son of Michael Francesa, Sr., who abandoned the family when Francesa was eight years old.[3] He has an older brother, John and a younger brother, Marty, who committed suicide on November 27, 1990.[8] He attended Maria Regina High School, now Kellenberg, in Uniondale,[17] and graduated from St. John's University in 1977 (transferring there after one year at the University of South Florida), majoring in communications and athletic administration. He first married Kate in 1983[18] but divorced in the 1990s.
Currently a resident of Manhasset, New York. Francesa married his current wife, Rose (whom he usually refers to as Roe), on July 14, 2000[19] and they have three children, fraternal twins Emily Grace and Jack Patrick, born on January 17, 2005[20][21] and Harrison James, born on November 20, 2006.[22]
Francesa has also had a number of health problems. He had reconstructive surgery on both of his knees. He participated in junior varsity high school baseball, but was cut. He frequently refers to his "baseball career" on the air, garnering him some derision because of the use of the word "career" [3] in reference to his high school playing days.
During the first week of June 2006, Francesa missed a few days on the radio for what was termed as 'personal reasons'. Soon after returning, on the June 8, 2006 show, he revealed that following medical tests, he needed to change his diet due to his weight struggles.[23] He also admitted to going to the hospital to get an angioplasty done. Francesa had emergency knee surgery on August 31, 2006 to repair his shattered kneecap when he played golf the day before in Westhampton Beach, New York.[24][25]