Tom Jackson
Jackson was a mainstay on ESPN’s NFL programs alongside Chris Berman for nearly three decades. Together, they became one of sports television’s longest-running and most-beloved duos. Jackson joined ESPN’s newly formed Sunday NFL Countdown pregame show (then NFL GameDay) in 1987. That same year, he and Berman also became partners on NFL PrimeTime. Spanning 19 years (1987-2005) on Sunday nights, PrimeTime was the preeminent NFL highlights show and the highest-rated studio program on cable television.
In addition to Sundays, Jackson was part of ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown pregame show, as well as the company’s year-round NFL coverage of major events, including the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, NFL Draft and Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement weekend. He was also part of ABC’s Super Bowl XL pre-game show in 2006. One of the industry’s most respected analysts, Jackson has been a strong voice on football topics and on broader social issues that often intersect with sports.
In 2015, Jackson was honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the distinguished Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award for longtime exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football. He earned a Sports Emmy award as Outstanding Studio Analyst in 2009 and the Best Sports Analyst Cable Ace in 1996. He also helped Sunday NFL Countdownearn seven Sports Emmy awards for Outstanding Weekly Studio Show.
Jackson played his entire NFL career with the Denver Broncos, appearing in three Pro Bowls and two Super Bowls as a linebacker in the team’s famed “Orange Crush” defense. In 1992, he was inducted into the Broncos’ Ring of Fame.