Former NBC Sports President Dick Ebersol is being honored at the Pro Football HOF this week with the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award, and on Thursday's HOF Game telecast, NBC’s Al Michaels told Ebersol, “You put a pretty good blueprint together, you know.” Ebersol said he “had a great teacher” in late Broncos Owner Pat Bowlen, who will be enshrined on Saturday. Ebersol said Bowlen at "one point in time" was the "only one who bought into the vision of what 'Sunday Night Football' could be." NBC’s Cris Collinsworth: “It really is amazing but for the two of you that we’re not sitting here. ... ‘Monday Night Football’ was all the rage, and you guys had a strategy that if you got to Sunday night, then it would create some flexibility with the schedules" (“Broncos-Falcons,” NBC, 8/1).
At Saturday's enshrinement ceremony, Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones will introduce Gil Brandt, who like Bowlen is being honored as a contributor. Presenting for Bowlen will be former Broncos trainer Steve Antonopulos, who said of his goals for the speech, "I just want people to know how much he cared -- how much he truly loved and cared for his players and his players' health and his players' lives off of the football field" (KDVR.com, 8/1).
