Rich Eisen | |
|---|---|
 Eisen in 2011 | |
| Born | (1969-06-24)June 24, 1969 (age 56) New York City, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan (BA) Northwestern University (MS) |
| Occupation | Sportscaster |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | richeisenshow |
Richard Eisen (/ˈaɪzən/EYE-zən; born June 24, 1969)[1] is an American televisionsportscaster andradio host. Since 2003, he has worked forNFL Network as a host of various pregame, halftime, and postgame shows and doing occasional play-by-play. He also hosts a daily sports radio show and podcast,The Rich Eisen Show. From 1996 to 2003, he worked atESPN, most prominently as an anchor ofSportsCenter. He returned to the company in 2025 following a merger between NFL Network and ESPN.
Eisen was born in theBrooklyn borough ofNew York City, and was raised onStaten Island, New York City.[1][2]
Eisen attended theUniversity of Michigan, where he served as co–sports editor of the school'sMichigan Daily and was a member of thePi Kappa Phi fraternity.[3] He graduated in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 1994, he earned a Master of Science degree in journalism from theMedill School of Journalism atNorthwestern University.
Eisen was first a staff writer for theStaten Island Advance from 1990 to 1993, and theChicago Tribune in 1993 and 1994. He was then a sports anchor and reporter atKRCR-TV inRedding, California, from 1994 to 1996, and also worked in television as the Medill News Service's Washington correspondent (1994).[1]
Before working for theNFL Network, he worked forESPN. He was part of a duo withStuart Scott, where he became well known for his humor, most notably his impressions ofAtlanta Braves broadcasterSkip Caray, and provided interviews during theHome Run Derby. Eisen was also the host of ESPN's reality series,Beg, Borrow & Deal. ForESPN Radio, he served as host ofMajor League Baseball on ESPN Radio and as a guest host onThe Tony Kornheiser Show andThe Dan Patrick Show. Outside of the world of sports, Eisen hosted theABC showDomino Day.
Among Eisen's notable achievements while at ESPN was breaking the news ofSt. Louis sluggerMark McGwire's retirement from baseball in2001 onSportsCenter. Days later, he sat down with McGwire for an exclusive interview elaborating on the decision.
Rich Eisen was the first on-air talent added to the NFL Network roster in June 2003. He was the main host ofNFL Total Access, the network's flagship program, until August 2011.Eisen signed a new long-term deal with NFL Network in 2010 and became the new host ofNFL GameDay Morning, the first pregame show on the NFL Network. Eisen also remains host ofNFL GameDay Highlights, as well as NFL Network'sThursday Night Football pregame, halftime and postgame shows and special on-location coverage from league events such as Kickoff, Pro Football Hall of Fame, NFL Scouting Combine,NFL draft andSuper Bowl.
Eisen expanded his résumé in 2010 with the debut of "The Rich Eisen Podcast," the first-ever podcast for NFL.com. The weekly podcast, available onApple Podcasts among many other sources, features guests from the world of sports and entertainment news talking football and all the latest headlines. Since its debut, the podcast has been downloaded more than seven million times and celebrated its 200th episode. Eisen hosts his nationally syndicated sports talk radio show with Chris Brockman, Michael Del Tufo, and TJ Jefferson.
In November 2012, Eisen's first Thanksgiving Special aired on theNFL Network with a variety of celebrity guests talking mostly sports and current events.[4][5]
In 2005,Terrell Davis challenged Eisen to compete in the 40-yard dash at theNFL Scouting Combine.[6]
Eisen runs it annually, wearing a suit, and his times are:
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| 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[7] | 6.03 | 6.16 | 6.22 | 6.25 | 6.47 |
That makes his best time 5.94, in 2016.[8]
Eisen turned his annual sprint into a charitable campaign "#RunRichRun" which raises money forSt. Jude Children's Research Hospital. His campaign has raised over $5.2 million[9] and for his work he was honored with the2017 Pat Summerall Award.[10] A graphic based on one of his runs is the trademark of his weekday radio and television talk show.
On October 6, 2014, Eisen began a new sportstalk TV/radio show,The Rich Eisen Show. The show was broadcast live fromDirecTV'sEl Segundo, California Studios onAudience Network[11] and NFL Now.[12]
On November 3, 2014, the show was picked up byFox Sports Radio and broadcast daily from noon to 3 p.m. ET.[13] Eisen took over the slot fromJay Mohr, who moved to the 3–6 p.m. slot.[14]
In early March 2020, the show's broadcast moved from Audience to YouTube due to the impending shutdown of Audience.NBCSN and eventually NBC's streaming servicePeacock picked up the show later in 2020. The program moved again, toThe Roku Channel in September 2022.[15]
When the show moved to The Roku Channel, it also moved to a new location onSirius XM satellite radio and Internet streaming, after several years on NBC Sports Audio; it is now available on Sirius 216, XM 202, and SXMapp channel 992.[16]
In 2022, the show was nominated for theOutstanding Studio ShowSports Emmy Award.[17]
In May 2025, reports surfaced that Eisen was nearing a deal to move the show from Roku toESPN Radio, later confirmed byESPN.[18][19] Officially announced in July 2025, the audio show will move to ESPN Radio's 12:00 pm ET slot starting on September 2, 2025. The video show will be streamed onESPN+,Disney+, and ESPN's forthcomingdirect-to-consumer streaming service.[20][21]
As a part of his deal to return to ESPN, he will make appearances on other parts of the platform. On August 18, 2025, he made his first appearance as a SportsCenter anchor since 2003, hosting a retro-themed show alongsideMina Kimes and honoring Stuart Scott, who had died in early 2015.
Eisen was the host of theTNT original reality series,The Great Escape, which debuted on June 24, 2012, and was cancelled in October 2012.[22]
In 2012 and 2014, Eisen appeared as himself on two episodes ofThe League.
In 2014, Eisen appeared as himself in the filmDraft Day.
From 2015 to 2017, Eisen had a recurring role as himself on theCBS sitcomThe Odd Couple, playing the archrival of fictional sports radio personality Oscar Madison (played byMatthew Perry).
Since 2016, Eisen has appeared on multiple episodes of Comedy Central's TV series@midnight. In February 2018, Eisen co-hosted, withRebecca Romijn,The American Rescue Dog Show on The Hallmark Channel.
In 2020, Eisen andThe Rich Eisen Show are featured onMadden NFL 21: Face of The Franchise.[23]
In 2022, Eisen was as guest star in five episodes of the Disney TV seriesThe Mighty Ducks: Game Changers.
In 2024, Eisen and his show were featured byJerry Seinfeld andColin Jost in a comedy bit onSaturday Night Live'sWeekend Update.[24] Shortly after, Eisen did an introduction forThe Roast of Tom Brady on Netflix.[25]
Eisen isJewish.[26] In 2003, Eisen marriedSuzy Shuster, formerly acollege footballsideline reporter forESPN on ABC. They have two sons and a daughter, as well as two Golden Retriever rescue dogs. They live near Coldwater Canyon inBeverly Hills, California.[27]
Eisen wrote the bookTotal Access, which was published in 2007.[28] In 2012, he started the "Punters Are People Too" movement[29] afterBryan Anger was drafted by theJacksonville Jaguars in the third round of the2012 NFL draft.
He also does a charity run forSt. Jude Children's Hospital called Run Rich Run. It has raised approximately $5.2 million for the hospital.
He is a longtime fan of theNew York Jets,New York Yankees,New York Knicks and also of theMichigan Wolverines.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y. on June 24, 1969, and raised in Staten Island...
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
