Ian Eagle | |
|---|---|
 Eagle in 2021 | |
| Born | (1969-02-09)February 9, 1969 (age 57) Miami, Florida, U.S.[1] |
| Other names | "Bird" |
| Alma mater | Syracuse University |
| Occupation | Sports announcer/commentator |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Spouse | Alisa Eagle |
| Children | 2 includingNoah |
| Parents |
|
Ian Eagle (/ˈaɪ.ən/EYE-ən; born February 9, 1969) is an Americansports announcer. He callsNFL andcollege basketball games onCBS, as well asNBA games onPrime Video andBrooklyn Nets games on theYES Network, for which he has been the voice since 1995. Since 2024, Eagle has been the lead announcer of theNCAA Tournament onCBS and TNT Sports.[2] Other announcing experiences includeArmy–Navy football games,boxing, and NCAAtrack and field for CBS.[3]
Eagle was born in Miami to entertainersJack Eagle and Monica Maris. Jack, a Jewish former "Catskills comedian" and commercial actor, was best known for portraying "Brother Dominic" and "Mr. Cholesterol" inXerox andFleischmann's margarine television commercials respectively in the 1970s. Maris was a singer.[4][5][6]
Eagle grew up inForest Hills, Queens, in New York City where his favorite sport was baseball and his favorite team was theNew York Mets.[7] His favorite announcer growing up wasMarv Albert.[7] He graduated fromSyracuse University'sS. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in 1990.[8] He was in theAlpha Epsilon Pi, a traditionally Jewish fraternity.
While at Syracuse, Eagle joinedWJPZ his freshman year and announced women's basketball games at theCarrier Dome.[8] In his sophomore year, he was given more opportunities to call high-profileSyracuse Orangemen games onWAER, a student run radio station.[9][6] He also joinedUUTV (nowCitrusTV), to gain on-camera experience.[8] Outside the campus, Eagle interned with then-recent graduateMike Tirico atWTVH in Syracuse for three years. He hosted 10 shows during his senior year.[10]
Following his graduation in 1990, Eagle began working forWFAN Radio in New York City as a producer. In 1992, WFAN gave him his own show (Bagels and Baseball). In1993, Eagle was given pregame and postgame duties for the Jets.1994 saw Eagle's first year as a Netsplay-by-play radio announcer. A year later, he was made a TV announcer forSportsChannel, which later becameFox Sports Net New York (nowMSG Plus). In1997, WFAN made Eagle play-by-play announcer for Jets games.
Eagle joined CBS in 1998 doing announcing work for NFL and NCAA basketball. He continues to serve these roles today. In 2010, he joinedDan Fouts to make up the number three broadcast team for CBS' NFL coverage. The pair was elevated to the number two team behindJim Nantz andPhil Simms in the 2014 season.[11] After Fouts parted ways with CBS, and with the NFL's playoff expansion, which included CBS gaining rights to an extra playoff game, during the 2020 offseason, the network paired him with former Fox analystCharles Davis. Beginning in 2025,J. J. Watt became Eagle’s partner on the number two broadcast team, while Davis succeededGary Danielson as lead analyst for CBS'scollege football coverage.[12] Other CBS work for Eagle includesboxing,The Pilot Pen Tennis tournament, theU.S. Open (both the late night show and daytime studio host for2008 U.S. Open coverage), and the NCAA Track and Field Championships.
Prior to joining the YES Network as Nets announcer in2002, Ian Eagle served the same role for the Nets on theMSG Network andFox Sports Net New York. WhenMarv Albert joined the YES Network prior to the2005-06 NBA season, the games were split between the two broadcasters, before Eagle again became the primary announcer for the Nets in the2011-12 NBA season upon Albert's departure.
During the2010 NBA Playoffs, Eagle called two games onTNT, a likely move to promote him to calling national television broadcasts, similar to what Albert, formerMinnesota Timberwolves play-by-play manKevin Harlan andKnicks play-by-play manMike Breen experienced. He was again called up by TNT for the2011 NBA Playoffs, pairing with his YES colleague Mike Fratello. He has since continued to cover the NBA Playoffs for TNT through the first two rounds, though the number of games fluctuates on whether the Nets make the playoffs (in 2019 and 2020, with the Nets making the playoffs, he instead covered the team locally on YES and missed the entire 1st round of TNT coverage, withSpero Dedes filling-in. He returned to cover part of the Toronto-76ers 2nd round series for TNT). He also does play-by-play forThursday Night Football onWestwood One. On Sirius, in addition to his daily talk show, Eagle did a weekly talk show,The Phil Jackson Show, withLos Angeles Lakers coachPhil Jackson. And Eagle retains his roots to WFAN, occasionally serving as a fill-in talk show host on his old station.
Eagle also serves as the voice-over host ofNBA Action replacedSpero Dedes in 2005 and previously,NBA Jam. In 2013, he called the international telecasts of the2013 NBA Finals alongsideJim Spanarkel, his partner on Nets broadcasts on YES.[13]
Prior to the 2019-20 NBA season, it was announced that as a replacement to the recently eliminated "Players Only" broadcasts which occurred on Tuesday nights beginning during the second half of the season, TNT would instate a more traditional broadcast format to their Tuesday Night slate of games. Eagle was announced to be one of the play-by-play announcers to the weekly scheduled doubleheader, along with Brewers announcerBrian Anderson. Eagle was partnered with eitherStan Van Gundy orJim Jackson.
In October 2022, it was announced that Eagle would succeedJim Nantz as the lead play-by-play announcer forCBS andTNT Sports'coverage of theNCAA Tournament starting in 2024.[14]
Following TNT's loss of NBA rights, Eagle will joinPrime Video as a lead play-by-play announcer for the streaming service'sNBA coverage. He will share these duties withKevin Harlan, but is expected to work the service's conference finals coverage. Eagle and Harlan will both remain with CBS and TNT for their NFL and college basketball duties.
Since Eagle pronounces his first name "EYE-un" (instead of the more common "EE-an"), he has often admitted that life was easier prior to the 1986 release of the movieIron Eagle. In fact, many callers (including prominent sports figures) continue to call him "Iron Eagle"—much to his chagrin.[15]
Eagle lives inEssex Fells, New Jersey with his wife Alisa. They have two children,Noah and Erin. Noah, also a Syracuse alum,[17] is a play-by-play announcer for college football and college basketball on NBC, theBrooklyn Nets onYES Network,[18] and has held the same role forNFL coverage on NBC andNickelodeon.[10][19]
| Preceded by | #2 play-by-play announcer,NFL on CBS 2014–present | Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Play-by-play announcer, NCAA Men's Final Four 2024–present | Succeeded by Incumbent |