Don Criqui | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1940-10-01)October 1, 1940 (age 84) Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Years active | 1967–present |
| Spouse | Molly Criqui (d. 2024) |
| Children | 5 |
| Sports commentary career | |
| Genre | Play-by-play |
| Sport(s) | American football,basketball,ice hockey,golf,tennis |
Don Criqui (born October 1, 1940) is an Americansportscaster.
He holds the record for longest-tenured NFL broadcaster in U.S. TV history, callingNFL football for 47 seasons (1967–2013) onNBC andCBS.[1] Criqui's final NFL broadcast came on December 8, 2013, when he filled in forBill Macatee as he was having traveling issues in an ice storm in Dallas, calling the 27-26New England Patriots victory over theCleveland Browns.[2]
Criqui also had a long career calling college football. Criqui called 11Orange Bowl games while with NBC, including games that decided the college football national championship for1981,1983,1984,1985 and1987. From 2006 until 2017, Criqui served as the football radio play-by-play voice forNotre Dame, his alma mater.
Criqui's most recent network assignment was CBS Sports from 1998 until 2013, where he called theNFL, women's and men'scollege basketball andcollege football. From 1995 to 2012, he was the voice ofNew England Patriots pre-season football withRandy Cross.
Criqui is a native ofBuffalo, New York and grew up in the suburb ofKenmore.[3]
He graduated fromSt. Joseph's Collegiate Institute in Kenmore, before attending theUniversity of Notre Dame.[4] He served in theU.S. Air Force Reserve.[5]
Though he was theNFL on NBC's top announcer only once (Week 6 of the1990 season), Criqui has always been a featured announcer in the American sports scene and is notable for his longevity.
Criqui began with CBS in 1967 before moving toNBC Sports in 1979; he was 'traded' by CBS to NBC forCurt Gowdy.[6] When CBS reacquired the NFL in1998, Criqui rejoined the network, and continued to serve as a play-by-play announcer as part of theNFL on CBS until his retirement from that position after the 2012 season.[7] In 2013 he returned for the Cleveland Browns New England Patriots matchup on CBS with his former partnerSteve Tasker, asBill Macatee could not make it due to his flight being cancelled from a snowstorm.
He has also announced a number of other sports forCBS,NBC andESPN includingcollege football,college basketball, theABA, theNBA, theNHL, professionalgolf andtennis tournaments,Triple Crown horse racing, theCanadian Football League (Archived October 27, 2009, at theWayback Machine) and severalSummer Olympics events.
During his tenure at NBC, Criqui called 14Orange Bowl games. Criqui's most memorable call was the1984 Orange Bowl between undefeatedNebraska andMiami. Nebraska was on a 22-game winning streak coming into the game, but lost to Miami 31–30 when the Cornhuskers failed on a two-point conversion attempt which would have won the game. His most famous college basketball call was most likely the last-second upset bySt. Joseph's over top-seededDePaul in the Mideast regional second round of the 1981 NCAA Tournament.
Criqui was the radio play-by-play voice ofNotre Dame Fighting Irish football on the Notre Dame IMG Sports Network from 2006 to 2018.[8]
His other projects include hosting radio talk shows about sports, serving as a part-time TV announcer for theNew York Mets in 1991, and working as the play-by-play announcer forNew England Patriots pre-season telecasts onWCVB-TV,Boston from 1995 to 2008 and forWBZ-TV,Boston from 2009 to 2012. Criqui was also for many years the key spokesperson forTrans World Airlines, appearing as himself in many television, radio and print advertisements as part of theOgilvy & Mather-produced advertising campaign: "You're Gonna Like Us (sm). TWA.", which ran between 1978 and 1984 in support of the airline's domestic U.S. marketing efforts.
For years, he also served as co-host of the weekend version of the newsmagazineInside Edition. He also served as a sportscaster onWOR radio in New York on theRambling with Gambling show, as well as onWNBC radio onImus in the Morning.
One of Criqui's most memorable NFL calls came on November 8,1970:Tom Dempsey's 63-yard field goal that lifted theNew Orleans Saints to a 19–17 victory over theDetroit Lions atNew Orleans'Tulane Stadium. Other memorable NFL games that Criqui took part in were the1978 "Miracle at the Meadowlands" and the 1982 "Epic in Miami". Criqui also did play-by-play of the1985–86 seasons ofMonday Night Football and Super BowlsXX andXXI (alongsideBob Trumpy) forNBC Radio. He also called "Red Right 88" in1980, whenBrian Sipe threw an interception in the end zone to end theCleveland Browns' season. He along withRandy Cross called theDetroit Lions' comeback victory over the Browns in 2009.
He was presented with thePete Rozelle Radio-Television Award from thePro Football Hall of Fame in 2003.[9] He is also a member of the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame.[10]
Criqui lives inEssex Fells, New Jersey; He has four sons, one daughter, and fifteen grandchildren.[11] Don's wife of over 60 years Molly died June 2, 2024.[12]
| Preceded by | Monday Night Football national radio play-by-play announcer 1985-1986 | Succeeded by |