Rich Eisen

Rich Eisen was the first on-air talent added to the NFL Network roster in June 2003. Eisen is lead host of the 24-hour, cable and satellite channel dedicated to football that debuted in November 2003.

Known for his wit and intelligence, Eisen hosts NFL Total Access, NFL GameDay Final, as well Thursday Night Football’s Thursday Night Kickoff Presented by Sears, Sprint Halftime Show and Kay Jewelers Postgame show.

In August 2009, Eisen served as emcee of the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Canton, OH where the 2009 class included fellow NFL Network cohort Rod Woodson.

Eisen has also taken a turn in the game announcer chair calling play-by-play for the Under Armour Senior Bowl in 2007 and 2008.

Eisen was nominated for a Sports Emmy as Outstanding Studio Host in 2005 and 2006 for his work on this program.

One of television’s most visible anchors and personalities from the past decade, Eisen was a mainstay on ESPN’s SportsCenter from 1996 to 2003. Outside the world of sports, Eisen has been a regular contributor on VH1’s popular TV series I Love The 70’s, I Love the 80’s and I Love the 90’s.

Prior to joining ESPN, Eisen worked at KRCR-TV in Redding, California, as a sports anchor (1994-96). His television journalism career includes serving as the Medill News Service’s Washington correspondent (1994) and as a production assistant for the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather and Connie Chung in 1994.

In 2007, Eisen penned Total Access: A Journey to the Center of the NFL Universe about his experiences as host for NFL Network. He worked in print journalism as a staff writer for the Staten Island Advance (1990-93) and at the Chicago Tribune covering Chicago public high school football and basketball (1993-94).

Eisen is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and earned a Master of Science degree in Broadcast Journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism in 1994.

He and wife, fellow broadcaster Suzy Shuster, reside in Los Angeles with their son Xander and yellow rescue dog, Hudson.