Al Michaels: The Famous 5 Time Emmy Award-Winning TV Sportscaster
Who is Al Michaels?
Al Michaels is a five-time Emmy Award-winning American T.V. sportscaster working on network sports TV since 1971. Presently employed as the play-by-play announcer for Thursday Night Football on Prime Video, Al Michaels plays an emeritus role for NBC Sports. Additionally, Al Michaels has worked with NBC Sports for nearly three decades.
He has also been associated with the calling of play-by-play of National Football League games on ABC Monday Night Football from 1986 to 2005 and NBC Sunday Night Football from 2006 to 2021. Moreover, Michaels called the Miracle on Ice at the 1980 Winter Olympics and Game 3 of the 1989 World Series.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Alan Richard Michaels |
| Popularly Known As | Al Michaels |
| Birthdate | November 12, 1944 |
| Age | 79 years old |
| Sun sign | Scorpio |
| Traits | Positive traits- Loyal, calm, and hardworking Negative traits- Ruthless, indecisive, and stubborn |
| Birthplace | Brooklyn, New York City, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Ethnicity | Caucasian |
| Gender | Male |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| Height | 5 feet and 10 inches |
| Eyes | Dark Brown |
| Hair | Dark brown |
| Parents | Jay Leonard Michaels (father) Lila Roginsky/Ross (mother) |
| Siblings | 2 |
| Alma Mater | Arizona State University |
| Marital status | Married |
| Name of Wife | Linda Anne Stamaton |
| Children | 2 |
| Profession | Sportscaster |
| Net Worth | USD 30 million |
Al Michaels Birthday
Al Michaels was born on November 12, 1944. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA. As of 2023, he is 79 years old.
Early Life, Family, and Educational Background
Al Michaels was born and raised in a Jewish family. His parents were Jay Leonard Michaels and Lila Roginsky/Ross.
Growing up, Al Michaels was a huge Brooklyn Dodgers fan. Coincidentally, after relocating with his family to Los Angeles in 1958, the Dodgers left Brooklyn.
Al Michaels’ younger brother is David Michaels. Like Al, David has been long associated with several sports shows on television.
He produced NBC’s Coverage of the Olympic Games and Fox Sports’ Beyond the Glory series. Al Michaels also has a younger sister named Susan Michaels.
Regarding his educational background, Al Michaels finished his high school education at Alexander Hamilton High School. He graduated in 1962.
Following his high school graduation, Michaels joined Arizona State University. Michaels majored in radio and television and minored in journalism.
While at Arizona State University, Michaels contributed to ASU’s independent student newspaper, The State Press as a sports writer. Likewise, he called Sun Devils football, basketball, and baseball games for ASU’s campus radio station.
Career
Initial Career
In 1967, Al Michaels kick-started his sportscasting career. He was employed as a color commentator for the Los Angeles Lakers.
However, his career with the Lakers was short-lived, as he worked on the team’s radio broadcasting for only a short period of time. In 1968, he relocated to Honolulu and started working as a sports anchor for KHVH-TV.
Michaels was named Hawaii’s “Sportscaster of the Year” in 1969. While living in Hawaii, Michaels called the play-by-play for the Hawaii Islanders baseball team and the football and basketball teams of the University of Hawaii.
1972 was monumental in Michaels’ career since he was appointed play-by-play commentator for NBC Sports’ hockey coverage at the Winter Olympics held in Japan. He also covered the World Baseball Series Fall Classic for MLB’s Cincinnati Reds.
Two years later, Al Michaels called the play-by-play for the San Francisco Giants. He also covered UCLA’s basketball games.
Michaels left NBC in 1975. Following this, he joined CBS Sports as the regional NFL announcer.
In 1976, Michaels was appointed the backup announcer for Monday Night Baseball for ABC Sports. In 1983, he was promoted to the position of a lead baseball announcer. Al Michaels worked with ABC Sports for three decades.
Al Michaels and the 1980 Winter Olympics
Al Michaels was the top broadcaster of the ice hockey match between the U.S. and the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics held in Lake Placid, New York. Michaels famously uttered his most famous call to date: “Do you believe in miracles? YES!” at the event. Due to Michaels’ famous call, the game is often known as “The Miracle on Ice.”
Baseball Broadcasting Career
In 1985, Al Michaels called several Major League Baseball games. First, Michaels and Jim Palmer called Game 5 of the American League Championship Series. The game was between the California Angels and the Boston Red Sox.
In 20003, Michaels performed the guest commentary on ESPN’s Wednesday Night Baseball. Another career highlight for Al Michaels was the earthquake-interrupted Game 3 of the 1989 World Series.
Michaels and Palmer covered the game between the Giants and the Oakland Athletics. Unfortunately, however, Michaels and Palmer got injured while reporting due to an earthquake. This incident also earned Michaels a nomination for Emmy Awards for news broadcasting.
The announcer of Monday Night Football
Since 1986, Michaels has been a play-by-play announcer for ABC Sports’ Monday Night Football broadcast. Michaels has been associated with the network for 20 seasons, and he also called the Super Bowl in 1988 and 1991.
NBA Broadcasts and NBA Sports
During the 2003 and 2004 seasons, Al Michaels was the lead broadcaster of the NBA on ABC Network. Although he initially worked with Doc Rivers, Michaels’ later partnership with Hubie Brown earned them the title of ABC’s number-one broadcast team. The duo famously covered Shaquille O’Neal vs. Kobe Bryant game on Christmas Day 2004.
Although many appreciated Michaels’s unique style that he brought to basketball games, many slammed him for not being “a basketball guy.” They noted that he lacked the enthusiasm and confidence needed for basketball commentary.
After MNF moved from ABC to ESPN before the 2006 season, Michaels stepped down from this role and officially ended his 30 years as a sportscaster with ABC and 20 years with MNF.
He eventually joined Madden on Sunday Night Football on NBC. The duo called jointly until 2009, after which Cris Collinsworth replaced Madden. While at NBC, Michaels called Super Bowls XLII, XLVI, XLIX, and LII.
Olympics and MLB
During the 2010 Winter Olympics, Al Michaels was the daytime host. He also co-hosted the closing ceremony for NBC.
Moreover, Michaels also covered the 2012 Summer Olympics and hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics. However, during the 2014 Winter Olympics, Michaels’ was a host on weekdays and daytime on weekends on NBCSN.
Michaels also covered the daytime events of the 2016 Summer Olympics. In 2011, Michaels and Bob Costas called the baseball game between the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants for MLB Network.
Al Michaels Net Worth and Lifestyle
One of the highest-paid television sportscasters, Al Michaels, has an estimated net worth of approximately USD 30 million. Michaels has made impressive earnings due to his prolific career as a sportscaster.
His long-standing associations with ABC and NBC have enabled him to make over USD 6 million yearly. Additionally, Michaels has two more years of contract with NBC, so his net worth is expected to increase even more in the coming years. As a result, Al Michaels leads a lavish lifestyle.
Marriage and Children
In 1966, Al Michaels tied the knot with Linda Anne Stamaton. Linda and Al have known each other since their teenage years.
Both Linda and Al were students at Hamilton High School in Los Angeles. They were only 15 years old when they met each other. The couple shares two children named Jennifer Michaels and Steven Michaels.
Both Jennifer and Steven are married. Steven Michaels currently serves as the president and CEO of Asylum Entertainment. It is an independent film company in Los Angeles.
Social Media
Al Michaels Twitter
Al Michaels does not have a very active social media presence. He only has an unverified Twitter account registered under the username @alrmichaels.
Michaels has over 1,277 Twitter followers. Unfortunately, Michaels has not been active on Twitter since January 2018.
