For the second consecutive year, a suburban Cincinnati resident will be presented the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award for broadcasting career achievement at the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Canton.
Former Denver Broncos linebacker Tom Jackson, who has lived in Indian Hill most of his 28 years at ESPN, will receive the award August 8. Glendale resident Bob Trumpy, former NBC commentator and WLW-AM “SportsTalk” host, won the award last year for ''longtime exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football.”
Jackson, host of ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown” with Chris Berman, joined ESPN in 1987 after a 14-year career with the Denver Broncos. He won the Sports Emmy for best studio analyst in 2009.
I ranked Jackson No. 13 on my 2013 list of the Top 25 National Sportscasters from Cincinnati. Dennis Janson and Andy Furman helped me rank network sports personalities who were Cincinnati broadcasters, athletes, coaches or residents. (Jackson never worked for a Cincinnati station.) Trumpy was No. 4 on the list, following Cris Collinsworth, Al Michaels and Boomer Esiason.)
A Cleveland native, Jackson played three seasons for the University of Louisville Cardinals, where he twice was a Missouri Valley Conference player of the year (1970, 1972). He was drafted by Denver in 1973. Jackson was a four-time All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowl member. He played on two Denver Super Bowls champs, in 1978 (XII) and 1987 (XXI).
