Joe Tessitore

Joe Tessitore
Tessitore in 2018
Born	Joe Tessitore (1971-01-01) January 1, 1971 Schenectady, New York, U.S.
Education	Christian Brothers Academy
Alma mater	Boston College Carroll School of Management
Occupation	Sportscaster
Years active	1991–present
Employer	ESPN
Television	KXAS-TV (1991–1994) WRGB (1994–1995) WFSB (1995–2002) ABC and ESPN (2002–present)

Joe Tessitore is an American sportscaster for ABC and ESPN. He is the play-by-play broadcaster of Monday Night Football, alongside color commentator Jason Witten.

Early career

Tessitore's broadcasting career began 1991 at KXAS-TV, an NBC affiliate in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. In 1994, he briefly moved to WRGB (CBS) in Albany, New York before joining WFSB (CBS) in Hartford, Connecticut in 1995.^[1] Tessitore took over the primary sports anchor role in 1997.^[2]

ESPN

In February 2002, Tessitore began calling boxing on ESPN as part of Tuesday Night Fights and Friday Night Fights. Soon to follow, he was appearing on NBA on ESPN, ESPN College Football and college basketball broadcasts. In addition to his regular duties of football, horse racing and fights Joe has covered a wide array of sporting events for ESPN and is also a featured contributor for ESPN.com. Alongside Monday Night Football he is also the lead broadcaster for college basketball's Super Tuesday on ESPN, and the SEC Basketball Tournament, where he is paired with Dick Vitale and Sean Farnham. Tessitore has also been a popular longtime blow-by-blow boxing broadcaster on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights, paired with legendary boxing trainer Teddy Atlas. He is known for his on-air work with ESPN/ABC College Football and ESPN Boxing. He is widely regarded as one of the most versatile broadcasters at the network.

Tessitore spent many years anchoring ABC/ESPN Horse Racing presentations including The Belmont Stakes and The Breeders’ Cup World Championships. In 2008, he was the leading the ABC broadcast team when undefeated colt Big Brown failed to win horse racing's Triple Crown. In 2015, he was trackside anchoring Sportscenter's weeklong coverage of American Pharoah's history making win. Tessitore also was ESPN's host/anchor when famed race horse Zenyatta's unbeaten streak was stopped. The champion filly was defeated in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Tessitore has produced documentaries for ESPN's award-winning 30 for 30 series. In 2011, he was the executive producer of the ESPN Film Roll Tide, War Eagle. In 2012, he was the consulting producer on ESPN's 30 for 30 featuring Bo Jackson.

For five years, Tessitore was the host of ESPN’s live New Year's Eve specials, including RedBull New Year, No Limits, and the debut of ESPN's Year of the Quarterback.

Honors

Tessitore has been honored for his on-air work. Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch has twice named him a finalist for Sports Media Person of the Year. On January 18, 2010, he accepted an Eclipse Award on behalf of his ESPN production team for their Belmont Stakes broadcast on ABC. On June 4, 2010, the Boxing Writers of America presented Tessitore with the prestigious Sam Taub award for Broadcast Excellence. The Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame included Tessitore in their 2010 class of inductees.

Outside ESPN

Since 2004, Tessitore has been the voice for the top selling Fight Night video game series produced by EA Sports. He also played himself in three national commercials for Dr. Pepper which aired extensively through fall of 2016 and winter of 2017. Tessitore’s distinct voice-over work has been used in several feature films, including Annapolis, The Breakup, plus numerous TV programs. He has also appeared in the TV drama The Dead Zone acting as himself in an episode.

Tessitore was considered an expert in many of the fields he covers. He was part of Ring Magazine’s rankings panel as well as a voter for the Heisman Trophy. On April 3, 2010, he was the lead host and ringside broadcaster for HBO PPV's Bernard Hopkins victory over longtime rival Roy Jones Jr on pay-per-view.

Through the years Tessitore has also worked play-by-play or host duties on The Contender, HBO pay-per-view, international pay-per-view, Showtime pay-per-view and many ESPN properties.

In 2017, he became the co-host of ABC's Battle of the Network Stars, a reboot of the Howard Cosell led celebrity classic from the 1970s and 80s.^[5]

Announcing style

Tessitore has become a sports fan favorite through the years with his distinctive style, commanding voice and penchant for thrilling moments to materialize during his broadcasts. National media and sports writers have dubbed it "the Tess effect," as social media buzzes when Tessitore is calling a big game or live event.^[6] In August 2012, he was the subject of an extensive feature story titled, "Tessitore becoming major voice of college football, one upset at a time", written by Stewart Mandel.^[7]

Education

Tessitore graduated from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College with a degree in Marketing. He completed his college preparatory studies at Christian Brothers Academy in Albany, NY.

Personal life

Tessitore is a member of the National Italian-American Foundation. He is on the board of Directors for the Connecticut Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Tessitore founded the annual Sportscasters' SuperBall for CF Research.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Joe Tessitore.

• Joe Tessitore on IMDb
• Profile on Tessitore by The Ringer
• "Brad Nessler Out at ESPN, Will Be Replaced by Joe Tessitore". The Big Lead. 2016-05-18. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
• "Seven headed to state boxing Hall of Fame". Nhregister.com. 2010-07-24. Retrieved 2017-04-29.