Al Michaels

Al Michaels
Michaels playing golf in July 2008
Born	Alan Richard Michaels (1944-11-12) November 12, 1944 (age 72) Brooklyn, New York City
Spouse(s)	Linda Anne Stamaton (m. 1966)
Children	2
Parent(s)	Jay and Lila Michaels
Sports commentary career
Genre(s)	Play-by-play
Sports	National Football League, baseball, ice hockey, National Basketball Association

Alan Richard "Al" Michaels (born November 12, 1944) is an American television sportscaster.

Now employed by NBC Sports after nearly three decades (1977–2006) with ABC Sports, Michaels is perhaps best known for his many years calling play-by-play of National Football League games, including nearly two decades with Monday Night Football. He is also known for famous calls in other sports, including the Miracle on Ice at the 1980 Winter Olympics and the earthquake-interrupted Game 3 of the 1989 World Series.

Michaels was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, to Jay Leonard Michaels and Lila Roginsky/Ross. He grew up as a Brooklyn Dodgers fan. Coincidentally, at the time the Dodgers left Brooklyn, Michaels's family also moved to Los Angeles in 1958. Michaels attended Alexander Hamilton High School in L.A. and was a baseball player. He graduated in 1962 and later attended Arizona State University, where he majored in radio and television and minored in journalism. He worked as a sports writer for ASU's independent student newspaper, The State Press. He also is a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity.

Michaels's first job in television was with Chuck Barris Productions, choosing women to appear on The Dating Game. His first sportscasting job came in 1964, when he was hired to do public relations for the Los Angeles Lakers. Later, he was hired by the team to serve eight games as a color commentator but fired after the first four, after Laker play-by-play announcer Chick Hearn disapproved of him. Michaels, who had worked on the team's media guide, was also considered to be the first color commentator of the Los Angeles Kings, where he would have been with Jiggs McDonald. That assignment went to Ed Fitkin instead.