MNF was excellent entertainment when Frank joined Howard and Don in 1971. Frank replaced Keith Jackson who went back to do college football games in the fall of 1971. Frank, Howard and Don were fun. It was almost a party atmosphere some nights. They revolutionized Monday TV viewing habits. For me, Monday Night Football personalized the game. Up until 1970 - and believe me when I say this - there were maybe a half dozen to a dozen, perhaps, NFL players that a lot of fans would recognize -outside of their home teams - if they saw their face (e.g. Namath, Starr, Butkus, Sayers, Unitas, Karras, Brodie, Tarkenton - not very many more) . Starting with the 1st MNF game on Sept 21, 1970, they introduced the players on both sides - offense and defense - by showing their faces. That, more than anything else, resonated with me. That was the particular brilliance of Roone Arledge.
Nice interview as always with Al Michaels, but hardly a word about Gifford's time on Monday Night Football with Al and Dan Dierdorf. The news must be written by older people, because all of today's obituaries are about Cosell and Meredith, but for me MNF will always be Frank and Al and Dan.
There was an anniversary the day before. Al Michaels called the Pirates' John Candelaria's no-hitter of the Dodgers on ABC's Monday Night Baseball. It was on August 9, 1976 at Three Rivers Stadium. That time he was also the voice of the San Francisco Giants. It's funny because the day of the Candelaria anniversary, the Pirates beat the Dodgers, 13-6, at PNC Park on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. Al called the Rose Aug. 1981 game with Bob Uecker. He's the voice of NFL football now, but he was a baseball guy before. I hope he wins the Ford C. Frick Award someday.
I liked Frank Gifford. He appeared to have been a a nice guy but as a play-by-play announcer during his time at MNF, he was an average play-by-play caller at best. He was seldom critical of players, and when he lost the top job to Al Michaels, -a superior play-by-play man, Frank should have retired at that point. As a MNF analyst, Gifford was again reluctant to criticize players, and he suffered terribly in comparison to Dan Dierdorf or Joe Namath who were not shy about calling players out for dropped passes, fumbles, bad decisions, or lack of effort. A new generation of analysts had taken over, individuals who, in the immortal words of Howard Cosell, were "telling it like it is."
Good cop, bad cop. Dan was more critical. Frank was more like a cheer leader. If they both would have been critical, it might have been to much. I personally liked him.
Was not Gifford an analyst with CBS? As evidence, view the 1970 Lions/Cowboy playoff - his last program with CBS Sports - where he worked with Frank Gleiber, on You Tube.
