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For more than 30 years, John Kiesewetter has been the source for information about all things in local media — comings and goings, local people appearing on the big or small screen, special programs, and much more. Contact John at johnkiese@yahoo.com.

Remember When Boomer Esiason Was On ‘Monday Night Football?’

Wikipedia

On this date in TV Kiese history…

Sept. 7, 1998: Former Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason debuts as an ABC “Monday Night Football” analyst.

Esiason retired from the Bengals after the 1997 season and walked immediately into the “MNF” booth with Al Michaels and Dan Dierdorf, after Frank Gifford retired.

He didn’t last long - dumped after two seasons and replaced by comedian Dennis Miller and former quarterback Dan Fouts - but that didn’t hurt his broadcasting career.

After ABC, Esiason was hired by the Westwood One/Dial Global to be radio analyst for Monday night NFL games and the Super Bowl. In 2002 he joined the panel on the CBS “The NFL Today” Sunday pregame show which kicks off its 48th season at noon Sunday.

Esiason also co-hosts “Inside the NFL” at 9 p.m. Tuesdays on Showtime with Phil Simms, Brandon Marshall and Adam Schein.

And he does all of this while broadcasting a national morning radio show, “Boomer and Carton in the Morning” weekdays on the CBS Sports Network. The show with Craig Carton began in 2007 after New York’s WFAN-AM fired Don Imus.

Esiason has been a broadcaster longer than a pro football player. He played 14 seasons for the Bengals (1984-92; 1997), New York Jets (1993-95) and Arizona Cardinals (1996).

His brief “MNF" career began on Sept. 7, 1998, doing the Patriots-Broncos game with Michaels and Dierdorf. The second season Esiason and Michaels worked as a duo. 

Then ABC revamped the booth again, replacing Esiason with comedian Miller, Fouts and sideline reporters Melissa Stark and Eric Dickerson in 2000. Two years later, ABC hired John Madden and dumped Miller and Fouts.

John Kiesewetter, who has covered television and media for more than 35 years, has been working for Cincinnati Public Radio and WVXU-FM since 2015.