Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application 1928 to Ray and Catherine (Emmert) Bell in Brazil Mildred worked as a secretary/bookkeeper at Forest Hill and Hinkle Creek Elementary in Noblesville She was a member of Delta Sigma and Noblesville First United Methodist Church John (Kelli) Dierdorf and Dan (Kenda) Dierdorf; daughter 11 great-grandchildren; 1 great-great-grandchild; and her brother Mildred was preceded in death by her husband Visitation will be from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm 2025 at Randall & Roberts Funeral Home Mildred will be laid to rest next to John at Crownland Cemetery in Noblesville Memorial contributions may be made to your favorite charity Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Waking up to a phone call from the Pro Football Hall of Famer made it perfect Friends share the story as they mourn the loss of Dr. Daniel C. Minocchi, who died of complications from cancer this week is survived by his wife and two school-aged children who live in Clarence Long after Minocchi left to be a four-year University of Buffalo lineman everyone who bought a hot dog couldn’t help but to notice the very large man running Central Catholic’s football concession stand Dan Minocchi was worth the price of admission He made first-team All-Ohio twice as a Crusaders offensive tackle 290-pound senior on the 1999 All-Ohio team whose first-team quarterback was Willard’s Charlie Frye The Crusaders didn’t win a state championship until a year later but the ’99 team gave a Game 9 teaser against state power Orrville “We scored near the end and were down by a point,” then-head coach Lowell Klinefelter recalls The Orrville guy was ready to make the tackle when all of a sudden Dan came over and wiped him out.” Current Central Catholic head coach Jeff Lindesmith was offensive line coach then strong kid who understood the importance of being prepared,” Lindesmith said and he worked very hard at throwing the shot and discus I remember how important it was to him to break Dierdorf’s record “It was one of those records old-timers thought would never be broken Dierdorf had one of the most famous faces in football not so much because he was an All-American offensive lineman at Michigan and then went from the NFL's St but more for his jovial presence in the heyday of "Monday Night Football." Dierdorf was in the booth with Al Michaels and Frank Gifford when Minocchi came through Central Catholic Seldom did a Monday go by when Dierdorf didn’t mention Canton A favorite Dierdorf story was setting the Stark County record while at Glenwood High School in the mid-1960s didn’t come in either of Dierdorf’s state meets in which he placed second as a junior and third as a senior Shot putters approached “the Dierdorf line” over the years went 58 feet to place third at the 1984 state meet But Dierdorf’s mark stood like Plymouth Rock 33 years later when Minocchi was a senior in the spring of 2000 who met Minocchi in first grade at Massillon St now the head football coach at Bucyrus High School He was genetically and intellectually gifted “He was as violent as you needed to be to be a good football player “His brother Joey and I were just talking about how light on his feet he was for as big as he was he carried around a shot put in a ripped-up St Dierdorf called him at 6 the next morning.” Minocchi further one-upped Dierdorf at the state meet He went back and forth with a bruiser from Cleveland Benedictine and trailed going into the final round of throws winning a state championship with a 61-9¾ bomb They settled in the Niagara Falls region and had two children He became a chiropractor who developed his own business and worked with the university Word of Minocchi’s passing spread through the Central Catholic community “He was one of those larger than life guys who lived for other people and was taken from us too early,” said Jim Sicker a longtime Central Catholic teacher and coach but he didn’t have a mean bone in his body He was as friendly and had as good a sense of humor as anyone you would meet “He was a special guy right from youth right to the day died.” “Losing him makes you think about the things you believe in “He practiced the things he learned growing up with Frank and Kathy in line with the faith Central Catholic teaches A mass of Christian burial will be held at 10 a.m Reach Steve at steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com E-edition PLUS unlimited articles & videos Personalized news alerts with our mobile app *Refers to the latest 2 years of stltoday.com stories Please subscribe to continue reading… and Dan Dierdorf were broadcast teammates on CBS television’s NFL coverage from 2006 until Dierdorf retired after the 2013 season Email notifications are only sent once a day Prominent sportscaster Greg Gumbel died Friday of cancer at age 78 His family made the announcement via a statement released by CBS Sports “He passed away peacefully surrounded by much love after a courageous battle with cancer,” his wife “Greg approached his illness like one would expect he would inspiration and dedication to over 50 extraordinary years in the sports broadcast industry; and his iconic voice will never be forgotten Greg’s memory will forever be treasured by his family Gumbel was the last NFL broadcast partner for St who joined CBS after his epic 12-year run as a commentator on “Monday Night Football” ended They were together for eight seasons before Dierdorf retired from network broadcasting nearly 11 years ago Dierdorf fondly recalls those times they spent together “The games don’t matter,” he said Friday night He said the actual games are “way down the list when I think of the time I spent with Greg Gumbel a great storyteller and conversationalist.” who often traveled with him in his later years with CBS (Longtime Dierdorf ‘Monday Night Football colleague) Frank Gifford had that gift of making everyone around him feel welcome Greg Gumbel certainly checked off all those boxes.” Gumbel’s sportscasting career began in 1973 at the NBC affiliate in Chicago where he and his prominent-broadcasting brother Bryant grew up He also had a stint in New York and with ESPN before doing some NFL games for CBS in 1988 before being hired full time by that network the following year including becoming the first Black announcer in the U.S to do network television play-by-play of a major sports championship when he called Super Bowl XXXV for CBS (on Jan the first of two NFL title contests for which he had the lead role “Greg was a role model and a pioneer,” CBS Sports executive producer Harold Bryant said in a statement “He broke barriers being one of the few Black broadcasters covering sports at the highest levels His work was beyond reproach as he became one of the most respected broadcasters in the industry He treated everybody with respect and gratitude.” Gumbel also hosted the network’s legendary “The NFL Today” show and anchored its prime-time coverage of the 1994 Winter Olympics in addition to doing so for college football “There has never been a finer gentleman in all of television,” CBS Sports president David Berson said in a statement “He was beloved and respected by those of us who had the honor to call him a friend and colleague Greg led one of the most remarkable and groundbreaking sports broadcasting careers of all time He was a familiar and welcoming voice for fans across many sports Greg broke barriers and set the standard for others to follow It is an extremely sad day for all of us at CBS Sports and the entire sports community.” After CBS lost its NFL and MLB broadcast rights in 1994 Gumbel moved to NBC but returned four years later after the CBS regained a significant portion of the NFL contract He was well known most recently for co-hosting the NCAA Tournament coverage shared by CBS and Warner Bros “Greg Gumbel was broadcasting royalty,” Jim Nantz who was CBS’ lead NCAA Tournament game broadcaster for 32 years before relinquishing that role after the 2023 event “He was as selfless a broadcaster as anyone in the industry has ever known Our careers intersected for nearly 35 years and he was the consummate teammate and friend There’s not a member of the CBS Sports family who doesn’t have a sweet or kind memory of Greg Gumbel had hosted the tourney’s show in which the field and pairings are revealed every year since 1998 before missing this year’s edition because of what was said to be a family health issue “He didn’t tell anybody” that it actually was himself who was sick but he didn’t tell any of his friends he was battling cancer I talked to a whole bunch of the guys at CBS and nobody knew but (maybe) he just didn’t want everyone to worry Dierdorf said he talked to Gumbel a few months ago but it wasn’t until recently that he received a big clue as to his former broadcast partner’s situation “He would always write out his own Christmas cards and address them himself.” “That’s when I knew it was Greg who was sick and not a member of his family,” Dierdorf said “When that Christmas card didn’t come a couple weeks ago He took the time to sit and write something When that card didn’t come this year I thought to myself Dierdorf praised the versatility of his former colleague In today’s 10 a.m. “Ten Hochman” video — brought to you by Siteman Cancer Center and Window Nation — Ben Hochman discusses the St Louis football Cardinals legend Dan Dierdorf who turns 74 today (he’s in the Pro Football Hall of Fame) a happy birthday shoutout to Pedro Guerrero Television viewers will have two choices on how to watch Tuesday's Winter Classic the NHL outdoor game between the Blues and Chicago Blackhaw… an outdoor game played in baseball or football stadiums It will mark the fifth consecutive season in which every Chiefs game that has been shown on a broadcast or cable channel will have been televi… Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device she was born to Wayne and Gloria (Kennedy) Dierdorf.  Melanie Diane Dierdorf of Florida; half-sister Melanie (Edward) Fisher of Michigan City and Gabrielle Osowski of Michigan.  Preceding her in death were her parents; brother Eileen Dierdorf and Deborah; nephew Michael LaFollette Carolyn graduated from Elston High School in 1965 and went on to earn a degree in Elementary Education from Spring Arbor College and earned her Master's Degree from Indiana University One of her most exciting adventures was teaching at the American School in Kuwait from 1975 to 1977.  When the American School in Kuwait was on breaks she and a group of teachers would take the opportunity to travel around that corner of the world One Easter was spent visiting the pyramids in Egypt She kept in touch with her fellow teachers and traveled to Hawaii and Seattle to visit Another trip took her on a whirlwind tour of Germany with a local church group.  Carolyn devoted her spare time to her obsession with genealogy She spent many hours working with her Clay County Genealogy Society to document the Dierdorf history and visiting area cemeteries to get as much information as possible Many of the memorials on "Find-A-Grave" were submitted by Carolyn Arrangements are being entrusted to Haverstock Funeral Home and Cremation Services Memorial contributions may be made to the Michigan City Free Methodist Church Online condolences may be made at www.haverstockfuneralhome.com If you need help accessing the online public file due to a disability, please contact us WCOE Public File  |  WLOI Public File Ann Arbor — Michigan football radio broadcasters Jim Brandstatter and Dan Dierdorf will be retiring from the booth after this season announced their joint decision in the opening minutes of Saturday’s season-opening game broadcast Brandstatter had been the radio analyst on Michigan games for 34 years when he shifted responsibilities and Dierdorf joined the booth in 2014 The two said they reached the decision early this year “Neither of us wants to make this about us,” Brandsatter told The Detroit News it’s time to move on and get somebody else in there “I thank the gods of broadcasting that brought Dierdorf to work the final eight years It isn’t often when you get an opportunity to go out on your own in this business and do it in the best scenario possible and that’s exactly what I got.” enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football of Fame joined the Michigan football broadcast after spending three decades in the television booth calling NFL games for ABC and CBS He was part of  ABC’s Monday Night Football crew from 1987-1999 and then moved to CBS He retired from television broadcasting after the 2013 NFL season He said the only reason he took the Michigan job was to work with Brandstatter “That sealed the deal,” Dierdorf said who made a promise at the time to then-athletic director Dave Brandon that he would be part of the radio broadcast for three years we said when the time is right we’ll both know it and we’re going together,” Dierdorf said “Then it became a question of when,” said Brandstatter who has been a fixture on the Michigan broadcasts for four decades “We’re at peace with this decision what did we just do?’ We’re looking forward to this year big time.” They said they don’t want to be the story today or this season and will make their goodbyes later this fall “We hope our last year is a resurgence of sorts for Michigan football after last year,” Dierdorf said We’re happy because we know in our heart of hearts we made the right call next fall for both of us is gonna be weird I’ve been in a football stadium every Saturday or Sunday of my life since 1967 when I was a freshman here at Michigan and Jim since 1968 It’s gonna be weird having time for myself in the fall.” News / Sports Subscribe to the CITY Scene newsletter to get a fan’s guide to the pro soccer scene in St Start your mornings with a fresh take on the day’s top local news from Sarah Fenske and Ryan Krull Our award-winning content brings readers revealing profiles Start your mornings with a fresh take on the day’s top local news It was nearly a year ago when Dan Dierdorf had major back surgery a "12-level fusion" in which three rods and 33 screws were inserted into his spine It was a rough go for the Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive lineman from the St Louis Cardinals who later ascended to national football broadcasting prominence including a 12-season stint as an analyst on "Monday Night Football." But he was far from done with the surgeons after that grueling ordeal it stalled things" from fully recovering from the back surgery "I'm hanging in there," said Dierdorf, who plans to return to the U-M booth next fall. "I feel great, it's just waiting for all the nerves in my legs to completely regenerate. But it's been going great, I'll be playing golf in a couple months. I can't wait; it's been a long year. But really, I'm feeling great." BAY VIEW — After a tremendously successful career across multiple professions, one might forgive University of Michigan great and NFL Hall of Famer Dan Dierdorf if he wanted to retire for good. But, at 68, Dierdorf is still adding more chapters to his story, and, as he showed during a speech at a luncheon hosted by the Michigan Alumni Spirit Group of Little Traverse Bay on Wednesday at the Petoskey-Bay View Country Club, he remains as sharp, knowledgeable and entertaining as ever. A native of Canton, Ohio, Dierdorf had a stellar career as a tackle at the University of Michigan from 1967-70, earning consensus first-team All-American honors as a senior, and then embarking on a 13-year NFL career with the then St. Louis Cardinals that earned him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, based in his hometown of Canton, in 1996. “I might be the only Hall of Fame inductee that got to sleep in the house I grew up in the night before the ceremony,” joked Dierdorf, who remembered watching then NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle break ground on the Hall of Fame as a teenager in 1963. Following his playing days, Dierdorf stayed active in the game as one of ABC and later CBS’s top color commentators, covering the NFL for nearly 30 years for those two companies before retiring in 2013, including 12 years as a color analyst on Monday Night Football. That retirement proved to be short lived, as Dierdorf paired up with former Michigan teammate Jim Brandstatter in 2014 as the radio broadcast team for Michigan Wolverines football, and is now preparing for his fourth season in the booth. “Shortly after I’d retired, (then Michigan A.D.) David Brandon called me, and the first thing he said when I picked up the phone was ‘You’re going to be the new voice of Michigan football’ since Frank Beckmann had just retired,” Dierdorf said. “At first, I refused, because they wanted me to do play-by-play, but when Jim agreed to move to play-by-play and I would be color I decided that it was worth a shot.” The pairing has been a hit with listeners, as Dierdorf and his former backup at tackle on the Michigan football team under legendary coach Bo Schembechler, Brandstatter, have used that bond from their playing days to their advantage in the booth. “When we first agreed to do it, IMG told us they wanted to do a couple of practice runs to make sure the chemistry was there, and we both just laughed,” Dierdorf said. “We play the same position, w’ve known each other since I was 19 and he was 18 and we’ve been close friends the entire time, so whether or not we’d have chemistry was pretty low on our list of concerns.” Dierdorf is a summer resident in Northern Michigan, with a home on Pickerel Lake north of Petoskey that he purchased after he and his wife came to the area on a vacation 15 years ago. “Everything about it, from the area to the people, we just fell in love with on our trip up here, and we’ve been here every summer since, from May to when the leaves fall in October,” Dierdorf said. “While I’ve lived in St. Louis since I was drafted by the Cardinals out of college, I’ve got Northern Michigan in my blood and under my skin. This place has really become my home.” While his close proximity to Bay View made attending the luncheon easy for Dierdorf, it was his ability to help the Alumni Spirit Club raise money to support scholarships for local students attending the University of Michigan that was his biggest reason for attending. “When I was a freshman at Michigan, I had no idea what this experience was going to do for me or where I’d end up,” Dierdorf said. “I was just a kid from Ohio trying to make a roster and earn a starting job, and look at everything that’s happened to me because I got that first opportunity. “It’s really important to me that others get the chance to go to Michigan and get that opportunity, so I want to do anything I can do to help make that possible.” Dierdorf’s speech, titled “A Pigskin Life: Football Reflections” featured stories from his playing days at the University of Michigan under the tutelage of Schembechler, as well as tales of battling in the trenches against NFL legends like Chicago’s Dick Butkus and Dallas’ Ed “Too Tall” Jones, and his experiences as a broadcaster working alongside the voices that shaped two generations of football coverage, including Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, Dick Enberg, Greg Gumbel and Joe Buck. Dierdorf also got the chance to talk about the Michigan football team’s upcoming season, head coach Jim Harbaugh’s third with the team, and while Dierdorf anticipates early struggles for a young squad, he sees the potential for greatness in a talented group of freshmen and sophomores. “Out of 130 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision, Michigan is 130th in returning experience, and with only a few returning starters they’re going to make mistakes early on,” Dierdorf said. “Despite that, Michigan has had two stellar recruiting classes in back-to-back years, and I think the level of talent in those two classes is the highest Michigan has had since the national championship group in 1997. “Talent is a fine deodorant; if you have enough of it, you can cover up a lot of weaknesses, and I think the people who are writing Michigan off because of their youth might regret it by the end of the year. Remember that Ohio St. was 124th in returning experience last year and made the College Football Playoff, so it’s not a death sentence to be inexperienced.” Michigan has a challenging schedule this year, opening with a neutral-site game against defending SEC East champion Florida at 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 2 in Arlington, Texas. Dierdorf pointed to that non-conference matchup, along with another opening week game between Alabama and Florida State, as a positive thing for college football. “I think any time you get two strong programs and two well-known teams playing each other, it gets people excited and it drives a lot of interest,” Dierdorf said. “You’ve got four teams that could be ranked in the top 20, and potentially contend for a spot in the playoff, and two of them are going to start the season 0-1. “That’s great drama for fans of the sport, and I think a great way for college football to start the season.” And Dierdorf, as he has for the past 51 seasons of his football life as a player and commentator, will be a part of the action. “I love football,” Dierdorf said. “I owe so much to the game of football and it’s been such a huge part of my life. “And if you look at the TV ratings, I’m not alone. We’re a country of people who play, watch, and have great passion for football, and I’m lucky to have been and still be a part of it.” Join the conversation You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account former long-time Monday Night Football commentator Dan Dierdorf was watching live on TV as Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed to the turf Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience Don't have an account? Create Account We apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, ortap here to see other videos from our team.Play VideoArticle contentBut unlike nearly everyone else Dierdorf — because of two tragedies he experienced himself as a player in the 1970s — almost immediately noticed something abnormal college and pro football Hall-of-Famer and longtime football broadcaster Twice in his playing career he was in the similar cleats of Monday night’s Bills players The look is seared deep into his football memory bank “I probably have more experience along those lines than anybody,” Dierdorf said with a painful sigh “I actually had a teammate die 20 feet from me.” And in an earlier heart-wrenching incident in his playing career Dierdorf and his University of Michigan Wolverines teammates had to play in a Rose Bowl game only hours after learning that their beloved head coach and not knowing whether the seemingly indestructible man had already died a first-team all-conference tackle for the Wolverines that season as a junior took every snap on offence against Southern Cal in that Rose Bowl “I have no recollection of playing in that game,” Dierdorf said an incident such as Monday night’s is to a teammate’s personal and professional focus once his previously impenetrable shield of supreme alpha-male toughness gets punctured Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc The next issue of Your Midday Sun will soon be in your inbox Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 100 or so players from the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals plus 40 or so coaches and some 65,000 fans on hand at Paycor Stadium — as well as millions watching live on TV across North America — were all horrified to watch Hamlin collapse not just because they were the closest witnesses who could see far more horror than anyone viewing on a wide-screen TV These Bills players and coaches viewed in real time the heroic urgent and expert attempts by sideline medical personnel to successfully revive Hamlin’s unbeating heart the 24-year-old had collapsed around midfield seconds after getting up from a seemingly routine football play — taking a hard hit to the chest on his tackle of hard-charging Bengals receiver Tee Higgins Doctors and trainers immediately rushed onto the field from both sidelines fast deducing that Hamlin had suffered cardiac arrest with the additional aid of an automated external defibrillator (AED) restored Hamlin’s heartbeat — minutes before an ambulance that had driven onto the field would rush him and his parents whereupon Hamlin reportedly suffered a second Since then we have received nothing but encouraging reports on Hamlin’s recovery listed in critical condition in a cardiac intensive care unit at Cincinnati’s premier trauma hospital by Wednesday night Hamlin regained consciousness and began communicating By Thursday afternoon doctors said Hamlin was neurologically intact and tracking impressively toward recovery And by Friday morning reports said Hamlin already had been taken off the breathing tube and had begun talking with family and Bills teammates But while Hamlin lay in peril for those initial 10-15 minutes on the Paycor Stadium artificial turf as those medical heroes worked furiously to save his life ESPN’s TV cameras captured the utterly shocked devastated faces of his Bills teammates and coaches would actually be asked to pick up the game where it had been interrupted with the Bengals — up 7-3 — facing a 1st-and-10 from the Buffalo 48-yard line And on Thursday night the NFL confirmed afternoon reports that the game will never be completed But because that vacant result will skew season-ending standings in the AFC owners were set to vote Friday on unprecedented recommendations set forth by the league office for possible AFC playoff seeding adjustments depending on results of this Saturday and Sunday’s season-closing games was known as a particularly fierce offensive lineman with top-shelf technique — in college as a tackle at Michigan from 1968-70 to centre over his 13-season pro career with the Cardinals from 1971-83 Six times Dierdorf was a Pro Bowl selection And he was named to the official all-1970s team and four years after that he entered the College Football Hall of Fame He went into football broadcasting as commentator quickly standing out for his easy eloquence From 1987-99 Dierdorf was part of ABC’s three-man Monday Night Football broadcasting team From 1999-2013 he worked NFL telecasts for CBS From 2014-21 he teamed with his old Michigan teammate and strong-side backup tackle before hanging up his microphone just last year said he was thrust back into the hauntingest moments of his playing career while watching Monday night’s near tragedy unfold Those closeups of Bills players’ faces immediately jumped out to him as far too familiar “Football players normally are desensitized to injuries,” he said “I don’t want to say they don’t pay attention to it but you’ve learned that when somebody goes down You try to keep it from ever moving up to the front burner you realize you can’t be that surprised by it It’s a violent game and bad things can happen Not very often there’s a life-threatening injury “I could tell by the look on the Bills’ faces that this was very and the way they were comforting each other that there were guys who actually believed that Hamlin had passed away The 1969 Michigan Wolverines were stocked with uncommon talent Didn’t know what mental toughness really meant Former Woody Hayes protégé Bo Schembechler arrived as head coach that year and fixed those problems and others for good Because of the devastatingly physical practices he ran and his maniacal attention to detail that would become one of his trademarks the fiery Schembechler ran off so many returning and prospective players by the end of 1969 spring ball — dozens — he put up a sign to convince those who might still have considered quitting to tough it out: “Those who stay will be champions.” Michigan culminated a surprisingly good season with what ABC called one of the biggest college upsets of the century a 24-12 smashing of Hayes’ Ohio State juggernaut that hadn’t lost in two years and had been ranked No in leading them to the greatest football glory of their young lives The Wolverines’ prize as unexpected Big Ten champion to play in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day Dierdorf and his teammates didn’t see Schembechler at the pregame meal “When he had to gather about a half-hour before we were going to leave for the game,” Dierdorf said “that’s when they told us — Bo had had a heart attack My recollection is they told us he was alive They literally had to herd us like cattle onto the buses to go play in the Rose Bowl recovered weeks later and coached Michigan through 1989 despite suffering another heart attack in 1987 and undergoing numerous bypasses over the years if someone suffers a heart attack we generally expect them to live confirmed the shock and horror that swept through that team on that horrible day in Pasadena: “We were numb We all knew Bo well enough to know that if he wasn’t going to be at this game Continued Dierdorf: “There wasn’t one of us who wasn’t sobbing like a child which he remained until the day he died (in 2006) probably the only team in the history of the Rose Bowl to do that It wasn’t just Michigan players who were devastated Detroit newspaper reporters spotted one Michigan assistant up in the coaches’ booth of the press box I actually played in a Rose Bowl and I don’t remember it — and I don’t care to remember it Dierdorf said what was demanded of the Wolverines that day — to play no matter what was happening to their life-imperiled head coach which news was hushed up until after the game — “was asking the impossible of us For us to score just three points is ridiculous I’ll always have a regret that we never got to play USC in a legitimately contested football game That experience of Michigan players on January 1 sense of the extents to which Bills players might have struggled to perform if they’d been so instructed against the Bengals on Monday night Louis’ Cardinals 1979 training camp when a yet sadder deeper tragedy befell Dierdorf and a different set of football teammates He was in his ninth NFL season that scorching July 22 day doing drills with other offensive linemen off to the side as a 7-on-7 passing drill took place on the field among skill players That’s when a good friend and Cardinals teammate of Dierdorf’s was walking back to the huddle and basically just dropped dead It turned out he had some type of a congenital heart problem There wasn’t any question he was immediately fighting for his life “When he left in the ambulance we knew it was bad It was maybe an hour later that we learned they couldn’t resuscitate him 1 draft choice in 1974 and was immensely popular.” For how long were Cardinals players devastated “I can just tell you it pretty much ruined our whole season football was always the most important thing in my life died I really had to take stock in looking at football that way I realized how wrong I had been; it’s not the most important thing in the world I never looked at football the same way again.” When ESPN cameras first tightened in on the faces of some of the Bills players that’s when Dierdorf saw the ‘look’ and deduced they were fearing they might be losing a cherished friend and teammate When it was apparent that this young man was fighting for his life and that they were having to resuscitate him ‘There is no possibility of them playing the rest of this game.’” One of the many positive takeaways from this near-tragedy is that will wonder for a nano-second whether a mere game will ever resume after such a monumentally jarring potentially tragic interruption as Monday night’s to ask these guys to put on the charade of actually playing a football game after that It already had qualified as a life-altering experience JoKryk@postmedia.com transmission or republication strictly prohibited This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy You can manage saved articles in your account The impressive, seamless transition Dierdorf made from the gridiron for the St. Louis Cardinals franchise from 1971-83 to television won him widespread acclaim. In 2008, he won the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Pete Rozelle Radio-TV Award—a prestigious accolade for excellence in broadcasting. For the Canton, Ohio, native, being enshrined as a player in the class of 1996 had to be a dream come true, but Dierdorf's prowess as an analyst was recognized as being similarly exceptional. the Patriots honored Dierdorf during the game Dierdorf expressed his gratitude for CBS and how it was essentially his destination of choice as a sportscaster: I don't think we're doing anything because this is about playoff football The NFL is going to go on without me being in a booth every Sunday I would not want to clutter the end of a game by making it about me decided to take time to acknowledge Dierdorf's legacy in the final minutes of the contest which was appropriate since the outcome was well in hand ESPN's Mike Greenberg and plenty of other personalities and sports journalists paid tribute to Dierdorf as his constant 43-year career came to a close: It's difficult to imagine Dierdorf not being associated with the NFL and weighing in with his opinion after so many years in the spotlight he has put in many consecutive years in a row and can enjoy his retirement with a rare combination of having massively successful careers on and off the field Dan Dierdorf said he nearly didn't work as an NFL broadcaster this year especially the travel," Dierdorf told SI.com from his home in St Ask anyone who has seen me go through a press box." On Wednesday CBS announced that Dierdorf, the NFL's longest tenured announcer, will retire from broadcasting at the end of the 2013 season. He has worked as an NFL broadcaster since 1984, a journey that started as a color analyst for KMOX’s Radio coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals and NFL games for CBS Radio Network Dierdorf had a brief stint with CBS Sports from 1985 to '87 before joining ABC’s Monday Night Football for 12 years He returned to CBS Sports in 1999 and currently serves on the No 2 team with play-by-play announcer Greg Gumbel after a long tenure with Dick Enberg The 64-year-old Dierdorf said his health and attitude are good but his body is breaking down regarding travel He said he has been dropping hints for the past year to his friends and colleagues that this would be his last season in the booth and he called CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus last Wednesday to make it official He will continue to work this season for CBS and will get at least one playoff assignment Dierdorf praised his on-air partner Gumbel his producer Mark Wolff and director Bob Fishman "It was pretty obvious I caught Sean off-guard," Dierdorf said "I don't know why he thought I was calling but he didn't think I was calling to tell him that If another network called me and offered me some spectacular job It makes it easier to leave knowing I can't do it physically." Like most broadcasters who worked for such a long tenure -- Peter King profiled him for SI in 1991 -- Dierdorf had his supporters and detractors He has been a skilled analyst on line play but also one prone to talk incessantly during a broadcast "I am well aware of being criticized in the sense that I have grown kids and they tell me they see this on Twitter or that," Dierdorf said I don't go on message boards and I don't have a Twitter account Very few people take the time to go on there to say how much they like someone It's generally a negative but I also know it is like the old saying -- familiarity breeds contempt... I will tell you the truth: Fifteen or 20 years ago it would have bothered me But when you have been doing it as long as I have and been on the firing range as long as I have I have reached a point where I am pretty much unfazed by it." Dierdorf said that the advent of high definition television was the biggest broadcasting change in his professional lifetime "I would tell you from doing my job that it is more difficult now than anytime since I have been doing that and for one reason only --30 years ago the amount of time we had between plays was like forever," Dierdorf said "The play clock was 45 seconds and it did not even start until the guys were part-way back to the huddle You could do two and three relays and you had a long time in between plays to communicate whatever it is you wanted to get across to the viewer you have a lot of quarterbacks that snap the ball with 15 or 20 seconds left on the play clock and what that means is everything from the analyst perspective has been compressed Where maybe you used to have 30 or 35 seconds to make a cohesive point It doesn't sound like much to a casual viewer Dierdorf was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996 following a 13-year playing career as a standout offensive lineman with the St Louis Cardinals (he was also a two-time All-Big Ten tackle at the University of Michigan) he received the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award “For 43 NFL seasons Dan Dierdorf has been a consummate professional both on the field and in the broadcast booth,” said McManus “Very few people in any profession can boast a Hall of Fame playing career and Hall of Fame broadcasting career." RICHARD DEITSCHRichard Deitsch is a writer & editor for Sports Illustrated. He has worked at nearly every division of SI and now primarily covers sports media, women’s sports & the Olympics. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER -- The legend returned to Michigan on Saturday (Aug and getting geared up for a day he'd been imagining ever since agreeing to be the radio analyst for Wolverines football games in April an All-American offensive tackle at Michigan in 1970 before becoming an All-Pro for the St pulls himself out of the cart in the parking lot near Crisler Center to join college teammate Dick Caldarrazo for some serious tailgating Three hours before kickoff against Appalachian State Dierdorf is visibly thrilled while grabbing his crutches and making his way to the tented area for a seat on the tailgate of Caldarrazo's SUV Wolverines fans nearby stop to watch this and one of them says "It's Dierdorf -- he's doing the games this year." The massive man wears an enormous smile as he works his way through the crowd Dick!" And the two linemen from the Michigan team that upset Ohio State in 1969 hug and slap backs They were together again for football Saturdays with their beloved Wolverines and enjoying their primo locale right next to the veritable delicatessen known as "Mrs Wangler's Big House Café.'' The proprietors there are the parents of former Michigan quarterback John Wangler who just happens to have two sons on the current football team and a daughter on the Wolverines' basketball team If you are getting the feeling that this is a family affair drive from their homes near Chicago for every game and many in the group wear T-shirts to commemorate the 33rd consecutive year they have tailgated next to John and Theresa Wangler and it was the big guy with the walrus moustache broad shoulders and the deep yet soothing voice that puts everyone at ease "It's so great to have him back," says Caldarrazo while slicing fontinella cheese straight from Frankie's Deli in Chicago for a deli tray It's awesome that Dan is here again and doing the games And we got to go to the Chop House on Main Street last night Whatever it's like around their trees on Christmas morning isn't going to be much better than what they experienced in the hours before Dierdorf provided his spot-on insights with his other good buddy on the Michigan IMG Radio Network with flagship station WWJ-AM in Detroit Brandstatter backed up Dierdorf on that iconic '69 team that followed Bo Schembechler out of the tunnel at Michigan Stadium on a crisp late November afternoon and convincingly beat Woody Hayes and the Buckeyes despite being a more than two-touchdown underdog "Michigan people get accused of living in the past But those of us on the '69 team started something special and maybe this Wolverines team kick-starts the next big era And on the day it was announced that Dierdorf would be replacing Frank Beckmann in the booth with Brandstatter 72 said that he wanted to begin his game days tailgating with his friends After 30 years of calling NFL games -- he was part of the popular "Monday Night Football" team with Frank Gifford and Al Michaels for a dozen years -- Dierdorf retired and figured the only thing he'd be doing at Michigan games was the tailgating his former college teammate and the current athletic director placed a call with an offer to put that retirement thing on hold if he felt up to it after back surgery "And to do these games with Brandstatter of all things!" "Travel had become too difficult and I did it for 30 years and it was time to retire I had no intention of going into a broadcast booth again unless it was as a guest 'You are going to do Michigan on radio.' I said 'But you have two broadcasters!' And Dave said I usually came because something was being honored and I usually spent the whole game looking at my watch to leave for Metro Airport to fly to the game I was doing Sunday "But now I am going to be able to savor it all -- both before the game and in the booth." former Detroit television news anchor Robbie Timmons Brandstatter makes a bead for his new broadcast partner and places a bear hug on him They share a seat on the tailgate of the SUV and pull a couple of watermelon slices from a dish among the cornucopia of food spread over several folding tables Dierdorf requests a photo be taken of the moment but then realizes they were holding up watermelon slices and says "Do you know what this will do for our reputations?" "What we need are a couple greasy hamburgers." and the other Italian deli meats and that fontinella cheese They hold up the trays and smile for the camera you've got to have some of Momma Wangs' chili," Dierdorf tells a visitor "You haven't lived until you've tasted that stuff." He's beaming and smiles while glancing at his wife who shakes her head the way women do when the men they love act like this have accompanied him on a three and one half hour drive from their summer home on an interior lake near Lake Michigan at the tip of Michigan's mitten The Dierdorfs spend the rest of the year in St but will stay a bit longer in Michigan this year and commute to the games He'll make only one flight to cover his team for the game at Rutgers on Oct Dierdorf received coaches' videotape of last season to prepare for calling the games every day for two months" studying that and reading everything he could get his hands upon "I knew more about the New England Patriots than the college game," he says But the one thing about the job that he knew best was Brandstatter "I met Jim Brandstatter when I was 19 years old," Dierdorf says "He and I have been great friends ever since And I was a senior when Dave (Brandon) was a freshman I am back here staying at the Campus Inn with the team at the same place where we stayed when I played All the staff members keep telling me: 'Welcome back!' I've come full circle to a special place." He spots Caldarrazo adding a favorite dessert item to the tailgate table -- mounds of cannoli can you bring me up some cannoli at halftime?" asks Dierdorf Dierdorf and Caldarrazo crack up about the nifty way in which he worked that classic line from "The Godfather" into conversation again the game time nears and there is work to do Dierdorf works his way over to the golf cart and a trip to the stadium for the game Dierdorf reviews his notes for the game and the chart listing information on all the starters for both teams Brandstatter looks down on the field and then at Dierdorf as something dear to the hearts is about to unfold "This will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck." And the Michigan Marching Band plays "The Victors," the perfect background music for their reunion game as broadcasters Dierdorf rises for that spirited rendition of "the best fight song in the land," and for the national anthem with Brandstatter who always sings the "Star-Spangled Banner" with gusto before games They smile and nod to one another before going on the air » Watch: Brandstatter, Dierdorf First Touchdown Call And after some relentless blocking by left tackle Mason Cole, the first freshman offensive lineman to ever start the season opener for Michigan, Dierdorf says: "I watched Mason Cole and he made contact with three defenders on that play." But then comes the one sack Cole allows during an otherwise solid debut Brandstatter grins and adds: "Do I call you professor now And they chuckle easily like only two old friends can Brandstatter later says about true freshman nickel back and punt returner Jabrill Peppers: "He made one man miss - he made another man miss You can hear the crowd gasp when he has the ball Dierdorf nods and repeats Brandstatter's last sentence before adding: "In the next few years we are going to see some spectacular plays from him." Brandstatter has switched to play-by-play with Dierdorf the analyst but their comfort with one another allows for dueling analysis at times Dierdorf began looking ahead to Saturday night's game it's going to be up to someone else to step up." but my mind is already wandering to Notre Dame This Michigan program needs a big win on the road and that would be perfect there next week." The Michigan legend has never set foot in Notre Dame Stadium and can't wait to experience the thrill of that there will be another tailgate party to be had The start of the 2021 college football season also marks the end of an era for the University of Michigan radio broadcast team of Jim Brandstatter and Dan Dierdorf Prior to the Wolverines 47-14 opening day win over Western Michigan on Saturday (Sept the duo announced they were stepping away from the booth after the end of the season who was an offensive lineman for the Wolverines from 1969-1972 has been in the booth since 1979 serving as analyst on radio broadcasts until 2014 when Frank Beckman retired He took on play-by-play announcing duties at that time after a long broadcast career of calling NFL games on TV “Before we get started, there’s a quick announcement I want all of you to listen to,” Brandstatter said, according to Awful Announcing this will be our last season broadcasting Michigan football As Crash Davis said at the end of Bull Durham ‘We’re hangin’ ’em up.’ And that being said And those two words are completely inadequate in expressing my sentiments to all of you who have been so supportive — for over 40 years You’ve invited me into your homes on the radio for Michigan football and television for Michigan Replay and Inside Michigan Football I don’t have the job of my dreams and I am eternally grateful.” Dierdorf is well known for his 12 seasons on Monday Night Football with Al Michaels and Frank Gifford calling games for 14 seasons prior to joining Brandstatter University of Michigan football games are carried on Alpha Media news/talk WSGW-AM/FM Saginaw (790/100.5) Dierdorf played for the University of Michigan from 1967-1970 earning All-Big Ten and All-American honors during his college career He played professional football with the St He is a member of the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame The two decided they would retire together “We hope our last year is a resurgence of sorts for Michigan football after last year,” Dierdorf told the Detroit News “We’re happy because we know in our heart of hearts “Neither of us wants to make this about us,” Brandstatter added it’s time to move on and get somebody else in there.” Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: “Ten Hochman” video — brought to you by Siteman Cancer Center and Window Nation — Ben Hochman discusses the St gives former teammate Conrad Dobler a hug during a pregame retirement ceremonies for Dierdorf on Dec BOSTON — Conrad Dobler embraced the violent nature of the NFL so completely that in the 1970s he was dubbed "Pro Football's Dirtiest Player." All that violence may have damaged him worst of all Louis Cardinals offensive lineman said Wednesday that he had an advanced form of chronic traumatic encephalopathy a degenerative brain disease that has been linked to concussions and repeated hits to the head common in football and other contact sports but his love for the game took a toll on his body his mind and his relationships," said his daughter who was his primary caregiver when he died two years ago "His CTE diagnosis provides a sense of closure in terms of justifying his neurological and behavioral issues that took a toll not only on him but on all of us who loved and cared for him." A three-time Pro Bowl selection who also spent time with the Saints and Bills Dobler unabashedly milked his reputation as a dirty player including a Lite Beer commercial that identified him as a "Famous Troublemaker" and a 1977 Sports Illustrated cover story in which he said But in the later years of his life he told his family that he wanted to make the game safer he pledged to donate his brain to researchers at the Boston University CTE Center; Dobler died in February 2023 the day after the Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs who meet again for the NFL championship on Sunday Researchers said Dobler had cortical sparing CTE which tends to have slightly less severe cognitive symptoms but earlier onset of behavioral symptoms "Conrad started as my teammate and ultimately became my brother," Pro Football Hall of Famer and fellow Cardinals lineman Dan Dierdorf said in a news release from the Concussion Legacy Foundation "It broke my heart to watch him struggle and slowly slip away He was a force of nature … until he wasn't." which can only be diagnosed by examining the brain posthumously depression and violent mood swings in athletes combat veterans and others who sustain repeated head trauma A 2017 survey said signs of the disease had been found in nearly 90% of the 200 brains examined Dobler had been active in the fight for better disability benefits for retired NFL players The CLF said his family is encouraging other football players to participate in research while they are alive and to pledge to donate their brains when they die Short clip of "Tough Guys" from NFL Films featuring Conrad Dobler Visions of big Dan’s youth return to him in amusing bits It is hard to see the Canton of the 1950s and 1960s from here — he has been a famous NFL man for many years now — but the sands of time clear about six houses in from Cleveland Avenue,” he says “The businesses I remember for some reason all revolve around food My dad worked his entire life at the Hoover Company.” who returned to Stark County on Friday as part of the Hometown Hall of Famers program was such a Browns fan back then that the feeling is with him even now at age 63 He does not suppress it except when it is a professional must in his role as a CBS analyst partly because big galoots like him weren’t allowed in pee-wee football “I was maybe the worst-hitting little leaguer of all-time,” he says I thought my signal to swing was when I heard the ball hit the mitt “I didn’t play football until the seventh grade at Taft “By the time I was a sophomore at Glenwood Dierdorf told his stories while anticipating a visit to GlenOak High School which was formed from Glenwood and Oakwood about 10 years after he came through A huge crowd greeted him on a weekend when the GlenOak football team is in the playoffs GlenOak has beaten both Massillon and McKinley two years straight To have beaten either of those teams just once in his day would have been like beating his Cleveland Browns Dierdorf’s boyhood dreams hardly included the Pro Football Hall of Fame in which he was enshrined for his prowess as an offensive lineman He would have laughed out loud if told in the mid-1960s he would return to his alma mater as one of its most famous alumni “I was one of those just-glad-to-be-here kids,” Dierdorf said “I sure didn’t think my football career was going anywhere but Glenwood High School.” Reichenbach was the Glenwood head coach whose picture was next to “hard-nose” in the dictionary “Jim pushed me — along with everyone else — harder than I’d ever been pushed,” Dierdorf said “He made me start to understand I was capable of things I had not thought I was capable of doing “I was on a good team surrounded by good players Glenwood was good the whole time Jim was there it started to come together my junior and senior years.” Woody Hayes was in his heyday as Ohio State’s head coach (Michigan State’s) Duffy Daugherty didn’t offer me Reichenbach called one of his fellow former Massillon Tiger players This was before James did big things at Kent State and won a national championship at Washington He was one of Bo Schembechler’s assistants at Michigan “Don James was one of Jim Reichenbach’s oldest friends ‘This guy has a chance to be a really good college player.’ Jim didn’t necessarily want everyone to know about that not one one-hundredth of one percent of guilt about it.” Glenwood’s late bloomer became one of the better players in Michigan history Dierdorf came home to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996 “I was really grateful for the background of growing up in Stark County,” Dierdorf says “Some high school kids are surprised by everything that is required when they get to college After 43 consecutive years in the National Football League — first as a Hall of Fame player and then as a Hall of Fame broadcaster — Dan Dierdorf has announced his retirement following this season who is the longest-tenured NFL analyst on television and teams with Greg Gumbel on CBS' coverage has spent the past 30 years as an NFL broadcaster That followed the Glenwood High School graduate's 13-year playing career with the St "I have been blessed to spend my entire life in the game I love," Dierdorf said in a statement released by CBS "I had an opportunity to go from the field directly to the broadcast booth ,where I have had the privilege of working with the giants of our business "It has become a challenge for me to travel to a different NFL city every week Dierdorf was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996 and was the 2008 recipient of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award The Rozelle Award is annually given by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of "long-time exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football." John Madden and Len Dawson as the only members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to also have won the Rozelle Award "For 43 NFL seasons Dan Dierdorf has been a consummate professional both on the field and in the broadcast booth," said CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus in a statement released by the network "Very few people in any profession can boast a Hall of Fame playing career and Hall of Fame broadcasting career." Dierdorf first starred in football at Glenwood in the 1960s helping the Eagles win the Federal League title as a senior in 1966 He also was a standout thrower on the track and field team He held the county shot put record from 1967-2000 Dierdorf entered the Stark County High School Football Hall of Fame in its inaugural class in 2002 Dierdorf went on to become a two-time All-Big Ten tackle at Michigan where he was named to seven All-American teams as a senior and inducted into the school's hall of fame Dierdorf was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000 selected as the NFL's top offensive lineman three times and voted to the NFL Team of the Decade for the 1970s He began his NFL broadcasting career in 1984 as a color analyst for KMOX's radio coverage of the St Louis Cardinals and NFL games for CBS Radio Network He was a play-by-play announcer for CBS in 1985 before switching to color analysis in 1986 In 1987 Dierdorf joined ABC's Monday Night Football for 12 years Gumbel said in statement Dierdorf has "a unique combination of knowledge and experience that few others can match." "There has never been a day I've worked with Dan when I didn't learn something about the game of football Few knew Pro Football Hall of Famer and broadcaster Frank Gifford as well as Canton’s own Dan Dierdorf Even fewer were as surprised as Dierdorf was about Gifford’s sudden death on Sunday at the age of 84 Frank had such a wonderful life,” Dierdorf said by phone from his home in Michigan “He had a full life and did so many things Dierdorf was here in town for some of the week’s Hall of Fame festivities but the Hall of Fame lineman said he still was feeling some effects from back surgery and went home to rest and watch the enshrinement on television And television is how Dierdorf knew Gifford They were broadcasting’s powerhouse trio for ESPN’s Monday Night Football from 1987-1997 Frank and I were a team for 11 years,” Dierdorf said “I did Monday Night Football another year after Frank retired “I never started out a broadcast without realizing I was spending time in the booth with NFL history in Frank He played in the (1958 televised championship game) that was the most important in history Gifford was inspiration for Dierdorf both as a player and an announcer Gifford started his epic 27-year run on MNF in 1972 when Dierdorf was a second-year player for the NFL St and I can remember hurrying home to watch Frank and Howard (Cosell) and Don (Meredith) do Monday Night Football,” Dierdorf said “I never took it for granted working with Frank.” Dierdorf said he relished his time around Frank and his wife “I am lucky I was able to know him,” said Dierdorf “Lucky to have spent so much time not only with him but Kathy Lee Dan Dierdorf is one of the greatest players in football history earning induction into both the College Football Hall of Fame and the NFL Hall of Fame Dierdorf was told by Michigan State and Ohio State that he wasn't good enough to play in the Big Ten and wasn't offered a scholarship Dierdorf talks about how he ended up at U-M blocking for tailback Ron Johnson on his 347-yard performance against Wisconsin and more MICHAEL SPATH On Monday morning, the Dallas Cowboys revealed that Pro Football Hall of Famer Larry Allen had suddenly died at the age of 52 To lose someone like Allen in this fashion -- in any capacity -- is absolutely heartbreaking May the legendary offensive lineman rest in peace it lets us fondly recount the massive imprint Allen left on the NFL Beyond the concrete individual accolades -- six First-Team All-Pro selections, 11 Pro Bowls -- it was always abundantly clear Allen had broken the mold for your bog standard franchise offensive lineman. Short episodes of him demolishing the 2006 Pro Bowl Skills Competition were just the tip of the iceberg for this icon Here are eight incredible stories about Allen's otherworldly athleticism and his sheer dominance from some of the people who knew him best during his career John Madden's true appreciationThe late Madden never hid his affinity for players he genuinely appreciated as a broadcaster Madden gushed about Allen's remarkable talent in 2011 after it was revealed he would join the Cowboys' Ring of Honor. More from ESPN: Another of Allen's ex-Cowboys teammates, fellow Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, knew that the guard's strength wasn't something to be trifled with. The receiver recalled the time Allen humbled everyone with an astonishing bench press set during the 2006 Pro Bowl: A Hall of Fame offensive lineman in his own right it took a lot for Dierdorf to be impressed with someone's play in the trenches Allen did it from the jump and from another position entirely After watching Allen save a pick-six by running down a linebacker in 1994 More from The Athletic: Allen had been forced to play tackle because Erik Williams had been injured The Cowboys led 7-0 in the second quarter when a pass was deflected at the line of scrimmage Darion Conner picks it off and runs it the other way Allen runs him down the sideline and tackles him to save a pick-6 with Dan Dierdorf losing his mind at the marvel he just saw “This guy has a rocket booster strapped to his back that is one of the most impressive athletic feats I have ever seen!” Dan Dierdorf spent his first Super Bowl in a chair “I remember sitting there and looking at the camera when the producer said everybody,’ ” Dierdorf recalled in a recent phone interview then you get to 15 and I thought to myself Either I’m going to freeze or I’m going to say what I said to myself a Glenwood High graduate who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996 broadcast three Super Bowls as part of ABC’s Monday Night Football crew joining Al Michaels and Frank Gifford for Super Bowl XXII (Redskins 42 “If you’re in the business of broadcasting to do the largest event in your profession you can plug in a lot of different words — it’s an honor you realize you’re in very select company and it’s the top of the mountain,” he said I was thrilled to be on that stage because it’s the largest stage there is in sports television.” While his first Super Bowl was a blowout — “Washington ran that old counter trey and Denver couldn’t do anything about it,” he said — his second was one of the most memorable in NFL history America was in the middle of the Gulf War and Tampa Stadium had extra security “The only thing in the air was a Black Hawk helicopter,” Dierdorf said “And there was a guy hanging out the door with a big ol’ gun.” The MNF crew met with the FBI and stadium security during the week where they were briefed on handling a hostage situation “We had to be on high alert because if a terrorist tried to storm the stadium the broadcast booth would be the perfect place to go,” said Dierdorf a 6-foot-3 offensive tackle who played 13 NFL seasons for the St “So they talked to us about how to be a hostage first for Whitney Houston’s national anthem — “That got almost as much attention as the game,” he said — then for the ending Bills kicker Scott Norwood was wide right on a 47-yard field goal Dierdorf’s final Super Bowl wasn’t nearly as good “That was the Steve Young show,” he said of the 49ers quarterback “I think he threw six touchdown passes in that game It was a complete and utter annihilation of the Chargers.” Dierdorf went 0-3 in the playoffs as a player something that bothered him more during his career than afterward it’s terribly disappointing to play your whole career and not get a sniff of that (the Super Bowl); that’s why you play,” he said “But let me tell you — there’s a lot more of us that haven’t been there than have.” When asked if he would trade his Hall of Fame jacket for a Super Bowl ring “There are backup punters that have Super Bowl wins I don’t think you could find a single guy that would say he would trade his gold jacket for a Super Bowl ring.” NEW YORK -- Hall of Famer Dan Dierdorf is retiring from broadcasting after 43 straight years involved with the NFL CBS announced Wednesday that he will leave the booth after this season The 64-year-old Dierdorf has called NFL games for three decades the longest current tenure by a TV analyst Dierdorf was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996 he was recognized with the Hall's Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award John Madden and Len Dawson are the only others to receive both honors Dierdorf spent 12 years on ABC's "Monday Night Football" before rejoining CBS in 1999 adding: "This has been a wonderful ride as I really have lived the dream." by | Jan 11 Subscribe: Android Click here to listen to more “Kilcoyne Conversations” Michael Spath posted a column breaking down some shocking comments recently made by Dan Dierdorf while he was a guest on Inside the Huddle Spath is a fan of Dierdorf as evidenced by this introduction from that column He is one of the preeminent Michigan Men of all time most dominant offensive linemen in the history of football (he is in both the NFL and college football Hall of Fame) He is the model for which all of "Bo's Boys" gets measured against represents the ideal that "Those Who Stay Will Be Champions" and is extremely competitive That description is exactly why Dierdorf's comments surprised Spath Spath called into the show today to discuss the comments and dig deeper into what would make such a true blue Wolverine say them without hesitation What did you think of Dierdorf's words BRANDON BROWN (WXYZ) — Michigan play-by-play announcer Jim Brandstatter announced he is retiring following the end of the 2021 Michigan Football season Analyst Dan Dierdorf will also be retiring Both men made the announcement shortly before their season-opening broadcast on Saturday Brandstatter has been heard on Michigan radio in some form since 1987 He was previously the color analyst while Frank Beckmann called play-by-play but he shifted over to the play-by-play role in 2014 "As Crash Davis said at the end of 'Bull Durham' we're hanging 'em up," Brandstatter said on the broadcast And those two words are completely inadequate in expressing my sentiments to all of you who have been so supportive for over 40 years in my case." this stadium full of people," said Dierdorf and (Jim) and I are just going to savor this season." “We had a great run,” Brandstatter told The Detroit News. “I have had the best run of all. It’s been a dream job. Now, it’s time to move on and get somebody else in there." Both men also played for Michigan. Brandstatter was an offensive tackle from 1969-1972 and Dierdorf played from 1968-1970. Dierdorf is a member of both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame. Dining Lou Garesche, owner/operator of Dierdorf & Hart’s has decided not to renew the lease at 323 Westport Plaza that expires in June.  The decision to close a 30-year-old landmark restaurant never comes easily Garesche told staffers he “just couldn’t commit to the level of dedication it takes to sign a lease.” Louis Dining In and Dining Out newsletters to stay up-to-date on the local restaurant and culinary scene Garesche reminisced that “we have a lot of guests that have gotten engaged and closed big business deals in the restaurant We hope to give guests that have a history with D&H over the last 30 years time to come in one more time.” A new ownership group recently took over at Westport Plaza (Bob O’Loughlin’s LHM group) but Garesche said that had nothing to do with his decision “The new ownership at West Port has been understanding and wishes we would stay open,” he said “This is the first time since Tom White owned the Plaza in the 80’s and early 90’s that we have had local ownership and they have a good long term vision of the Plaza LHM has already invested a lot of money… they are the right owner for Westport at this time.” in response to the popularity of casual restaurants we thought) a different component—D&H American Bistro (right)—that effectively offered diners two concepts and two menus under one roof The Bistro offered 20 items under the magical $10 mark as the allure of Westport has faded in recent years beginning this spring with a massive landscaping project Garesche expects the restaurant to remain open for 5-7 weeks noting that “the staff is on board with giving the best service to our guests” during that time Update: Lunch service will end April 19, and dinner service will end May 18. 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Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Dan Dierdorf traveled to GlenOak High School on Nov 2 to take part in the Pro Football Hall of Fame's presentation of the Hometown Hall of Famers plaque program Louis Cardinals and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996 the program honors the roots of the players' great careers and promotes the positive values of sports GlenOak students and staff planned a welcome home party balloons and a general festive atmosphere welcomed Dierdorf 17 issue for a complete story of the day's events Jim Brandstatter and Dan Dierdorf would be going through their pregame paces now in preparation for making the radio call of yet another season together played on Bo Schembechler’s first team in 1969 that scored that David-vs.-Goliath victory over Woody Hayes’ spectacular Ohio State Buckeyes and they’ve been together in the Michigan radio booth since 2014 who worked more than three decades as Lions radio analyst a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame and a Monday Night Football broadcast veteran But with the Big Ten’s decision Aug. 11 to postpone the season because of lingering health and safety concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic there will be no Michigan football this fall  Big Ten coaches are working on plans to play in late November but that will be subject to approval from the university presidents and chancellors it’s nearly 60 years that we won’t be either wearing a uniform reporting on a game,” said Brandstatter who along with Dierdorf joined The Detroit News’ “View from the Press Box” podcast this week Like everybody else out that follows and loves collegiate football we’re trying to figure out when we can go back to work and do what we love to do The two speak regularly and since April, both believed it unlikely there would be a Big Ten football season this fall. The Big Ten and Pac-12 announced their decisions to postpone fall sports the same day while the three remaining Power 5 conferences Less than a week before that announcement, Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren released a conference-only 10-game schedule even though I had been talking myself into it for months I was surprised how hard it hit me,” Dierdorf said “I had a couple days where I just kinda moped around and went ‘It really has happened.’ This really is our new reality Dierdorf said he has spoken to those who have been worn down psychologically by the pandemic “We’re in a pandemic and that’s deadly serious All our energy needs to be focused on coming out of this on the other side,” Dierdorf said “We’re going to see what happens this fall with the SEC but if there’s no college football at all I just have so many people that come up to me College football runs so deep with so many millions of people in this country facing the prospect of no season is really demoralizing to them like It’s piling on with everything else we have going on.” Making the situation tougher to handle was the release of the schedule “Everybody’s hopes were up,” Brandstatter said suggesting poor communication in the Big Ten and that the university presidents might not have been involved in the schedule making “How can you set a schedule up one day that looks good It was like the left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing “That was not a good look for the Big Ten.” Although Warren has indicated the presidents voted overwhelmingly to postpone a lingering question remains — why postpone then Why not wait and see if there are advancements in COVID-19 testing “I think they threw us all a curveball,” Dierdorf said “I was pessimistic the whole way and then they come out with the new schedule I actually allowed myself to get my hopes up they’re really going to try to do this.’ And then That was a mixed message and that’s probably what has riled up the parents and the players.” and Michigan will hold one in Ann Arbor on Saturday “This is a demonstration that they have their sons’ backs and support them,” Dierdorf said if they were in the shoes of these players in the midst of a pandemic want to play knowing what testing currently is available “In a heartbeat,” Dierdorf said I was indestructible,” Brandstatter said Both said no player should ever question a teammate’s decision to opt out because of COVID-19 concerns Brandstatter is burned out listening to speculation about a Big Ten season starting later this year or early next. There were several reports last Friday that coaches are coming up with plans to start the season after Thanksgiving and looking at options for a season starting Jan. 1 would hinge on whether rapid testing could be developed in abundance and made readily available to the teams Ohio State’s Ryan Day reportedly is among the coaches pushing hardest to get a season going “Let’s not kid ourselves about Ryan Day He wants to play as early as possible,” Dierdorf said He’s maybe got the best team in the country this year You’re splitting hairs between Clemson and Ohio State if the Big Ten goes ahead and plays starting March 1 Justin Fields isn’t going to be the quarterback for Ohio State and a lot of his football team isn’t going to be playing because they’re going to be getting ready for the NFL Draft Dierdorf wouldn’t have returned to Michigan to work the radio booth with anyone but Brandstatter and Brandstatter said each time he works with Dierdorf is like “Christmas morning.” They’re planning on a few more years together before heading into retirement “We’d both like to do it a couple more years,” Dierdorf said My plan was to do it for another three years and fade off in the sunset (Former Michigan offensive lineman) Jon Jansen is waiting in the wings When the two will broadcast a Michigan game together again is unclear what would have been the Wolverines’ season opener “There’s going to be a whole bunch of college games on television to watch and that’s what’s going to be hard,” Dierdorf said this would be a lot easier if everybody was out it’s going to become a painful exercise for those us from the Big Ten and the Pac-12 and the MAC to watch everybody else play and we’re not I may not even want to watch,” Brandstatter said “I may try to sit on the porch with him and have a glass of Pinot instead of watching the game play golf.  That’s going to be hard I couldn’t agree more with my partner.” © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices All the contract-related upheaval in NFL television coverage with NBC taking ABC's prime-time Monday slot who spent 12 years in the booth as part of ABC Sports' Monday Night Football crew has worked for two networks -- going from CBS to ABC and back to CBS -- with a variety of broadcast partners ABC Sports will no longer show Monday Night Football after 36 years during which it became an American institution "I think there are a couple of generations out there (for whom) Monday Night Football and ABC are just synonymous," Dierdorf said in a phone interview ahead of his Saturday night appearance at a fund-raising dinner in Bradenton "There was always a sense of drama about Monday Night Football It was a huge stage that it always seemed to be the type of game where the best players always seemed to come up with something memorable Pro Bowls could be won or lost on a Monday night game." which is paying the NFL $600 million per year over the next six years will try to transform its Sunday night game into the league's showcase game while ESPN ($1.1 billion per year) takes over the Monday night telecast Al Michaels and John Madden have moved from Monday night with ABC to Sunday night with NBC Mike Tirico and Tony Kornheiser manning the Monday night booth for ESPN "I'm sure ESPN will put their stamp on it and try to do it the way they've done Sunday night football It'll take us old-timers a while to readjust." Dierdorf worked with Michaels for 12 seasons on Monday nights who had worked with Dick Enberg for the past six years will now have Greg Gumbel as his partner in the booth for CBS' No Dierdorf will be the keynote speaker Saturday night for the Manatee Glens Celebrity Dinner at the Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club The fund-raiser will benefit children's programs for kids suffering from substance and alcohol abuse and other forms of abuse and mental illness "I'm just going to talk a little bit about responsibility I think it's valuable to be part of a team," said Dierdorf who played 12 seasons as an offensive tackle for the St Dierdorf worked Monday Night Football from 1987-98 with Frank Gifford and Michaels for his first 11 years Two memorable Monday night games stand out equally for Dierdorf One was the Raiders' Bo Jackson's famous two-touchdown effort running over Brian Bosworth for one touchdown and going 91 yards for another against Seattle on Nov "That was just an astonishing performance by a rare athlete," Dierdorf said when Montana had just returned from a back injury to play for Kansas City He led the Chiefs on a 75-yard scoring drive in 81 seconds throwing the winning TD with eight seconds left Dierdorf said that Bucs owner Malcolm Glazer's patience through two losing seasons was rewarded by coach Jon Gruden taking the team to a NFC South division title and a 11-5 record in 2005 It was reminiscent to Dierdorf of Steelers owner Dan Rooney not firing head coach Bill Cowher a few years ago after a rough couple of seasons Cowher led Pittsburgh to its fifth Super Bowl title in February Louis Cardinals offensive lineman Dan Dierdorf waves to fans as he is inducted into the Arizona Cardinals' ring of honor during a ceremony at halftime of a football game against the Chicago Bears in Glendale Hall of Famer Dan Dierdorf is retiring from broadcasting after 43 straight years involved with the NFL that he will leave the booth after this season was on ABC's "Monday Night Football for 12 seasons — all of them with Al Michaels Dan Dierdorf is set for prime time one last time Dierdorf had a Pro Football Hall of Fame 13-year run in St Louis as an offensive lineman with the old football Cardinals Then he embarked on an even higher profile second career in network broadcasting that has run for 30 seasons but he signs off for the final time Saturday night He’ll be on CBS’ telecast of the Indianapolis-New England playoff game working in his customary analyst role with play-by-play partner Greg Gumbel as his run of either playing in or broadcasting the NFL ends after nearly 4½ decades And it’s been a difficult week for him as the finale nears “It’s been a little more traumatic than I thought it would be,” he said Wednesday “I didn’t realize how many people wanted to talk to me and how much time it would take I had this vision of quietly passing off into that night It’s not easy giving up something when it’s all you know.” in part by-products of playing and practicing on artificial turf with the Cardinals and travel now takes a heavy toll on his body “I just have to get away from going to an airport every Friday,” says Dierdorf Every game is a road game (because CBS rarely has had a Rams game to which he was assigned) He has been with CBS for the last 15 seasons a strong bookend to his network broadcast career that began there in 1985 Then two years later he was lured to what is one of the biggest stages in the history of American sports television — ABC’s “Monday Night Football.” And he thrived in the analyst role that previously had been held by legends Howard Cosell and Don Meredith He had a longer stay on prime-time network television than Jerry Seinfeld had with his dysfunctional friends on “Seinfeld,” longer than Archie Bunker had spewing bigoted views to his “dingbat” wife and “meathead” son-in law in “All in the Family,” and longer than Lucille Ball had being zany with Desi Arnaz on “I Love Lucy.” “MNF” forever will be the defining era of Dierdorf’s career “That’s a part of television history,” Dierdorf says “I did ‘Monday Night Football’ when we dominated the television landscape We were the highest-rated game every week; it was an automatic all I had to do was turn to my left and 12 inches away was Frank Gifford “What I’m really proud of — and Dan is one of my all-time favorite guys not only as a partner but as a friend too — is that Frank and Dan and I danced that dance 11 years That’s a long time,” Michaels said this week Add in a year Michaels and Dierdorf had with Boomer Esiason after Gifford retired and they were together for a dozen seasons a great close friend you can always count on.” ABC hired Dierdorf entering the 1987 season a year after a major shakeup had been orchestrated by new ABC Sports boss Dennis Swanson — who had taken over from the legendary Roone Arledge In ’86 Michaels had been brought aboard to take over the play-by-play job from Gifford who was shifted to the analyst role that previously had been shared by O.J “MNF” thus had its first two-man booth in its 17-season history But Swanson decided to return to the show’s roots the next year “Swanson decided that we really needed somebody more contemporary and somebody who really could deal the nuts and bolts of football,” Michaels recalled He had retired from the Cardinals after the 1983 season and worked in St Louis radio in ’84 before being hired to do games at CBS-TV He quickly worked his way up to the network’s No He was on the fast track in his new career which suddenly roared into the fastest lane possible — “Monday Night Football.” “I was the right guy in the right place at the right time.” Dierdorf says But that fortune almost didn’t happen — ABC at first had other plans for Dierdorf “They initially offered me a college football job,’’ he says I’m not leaving that for college football.’’’ He says he also told them that “two or three weeks after (college football) starts We should have hired him for Monday nights.’ Yeah But that brashness paid off — for both sides that he really was going to be a key cog in an iconic program but I knew a lot about him and I knew that he had a good deal of experience at CBS with football,” Michaels recalls “I knew enough about him to know that he had paid a lot of attention to the business of broadcasting I really have to say it meshed right from the beginning.” Dierdorf had his critics — as does any high-profile broadcaster was nominated for an Emmy Award three times And he and his broadcast teammates had a memorable cameo as themselves in the popular 1996 film “Jerry Maguire.” Ultimately Dierdorf’s “MNF” run ended the same way it began — a new boss was in charge This time it was Steve Bornstein of then-relatively new ABC and ESPN owner The Walt Disney Company I don’t care what your occupation is — when you no longer work for the guy who hired you “(Bornstein) wanted to put his thumb prints on things comedian Dennis Miller joined the show along with former football players Dan Fouts and Eric Dickerson So Dierdorf wasn’t exactly heartbroken to not be riding a carousel that crashed after two seasons “I knew it wasn’t going to work out,’’ Dierdorf says “And let’s be realistic — their answer was to do things like Dennis Miller But he was apprehensive at first about returning because his self-pride was bruised as the offer was to work on its No “Initially I thought there was no way I could be on the ‘B’ team,’’ Dierdorf said at the time Once you do ‘Monday Night Football’ (you think) ‘What am I going to do to top this?’ .. But reality set in as he considered the situation “Did I expect Fox to fire (its top NFL analyst) John Madden Did I expect (lead CBS analyst) Phil Simms to go away with his son to college?” he was determined not to have his life’s work peak while he was in his 30s he and Cardinals quarterback Jim Hart did a show on the team’s flagship radio station He went into business with Hart on a restaurant that carried their names at Westport Plaza — “I’m thinking of a steak” was its well-known slogan —then added a downtown location (both of which now are closed) hosted more shows on KMOX (including the high-profile “Sports Open Line”) and served as sports director at KMOV (Channel 4) He later became an investor in KTRS (550 AM) and has been on its airwaves But the key turn in his broadcasting career came after the 1983 season “NBC wanted to sign me to a six- or eight-game TV contract,” Dierdorf recalls that’s all I would have done that fall — six or eight games.” He turned that down in order to work on radio alongside some high-profile play-by-play announcers He did University of Missouri games with John Rooney football Cardinals contests with Jack Buck and called 10 NFL games on CBS I grew a great deal as not an ex-football player but as a broadcaster,” Dierdorf says “We’d go to a commercial break and Jack would lean over and say since the last break you’ve used the work ‘incredible’ three times You’ve got to learn to keep track of your adjectives and when you use one you recycle it and put it at the back of the line.’ That kind of tutoring is priceless Who could possibly be more fortunate in that regard?” He calls the decision to turn down NBC for his on-the-job training “the best thing I ever did.” humor and ability to provide easy-to-understand analysis of complex situations led CBS to come calling the next season 1 broadcasting prospect in the country,” Terry O’Neil who was CBS’s executive producer for NFL telecasts almost every candidate must go through several auditions and that set the stage for his leap to “MNF.” Michaels was impressed with Dierdorf’s dedication to the broadcasting craft “I have always felt that the best analysts are the guys who come off the field and don’t think of themselves as ex-jocks (they think) they’re going into the business of broadcasting,’’ Michaels says Dan Dierdorf knew that he wanted to get into broadcasting — obviously he had in St and that to me always has made the difference “You can get any number of people to come into that booth and explain to you — some better than others — what’s going on But it takes somebody who understands what the business is what you’re trying to say to them and how to say it concisely and intelligently and relevantly That’s why you’ve got the really good analysts and a lot of other guys who think of themselves as ex-jocks.’’ “I always thought I was a leg up on other guys in my position because I wasn’t just an ex-football player I looked at myself as a broadcaster,’’ he says “I learned how to be a broadcaster at KMOX.’’ current NBC and MLB Network sportscaster Bob Costas and I really have a lot of respect for the way he conducted himself professionally,’’ Costas has said Dierdorf won the Pete Rozelle radio-television award in 2008 becoming just the third former player to win the prestigious honor And he also covered boxing and the Olympics for ABC Michaels says Dierforf’s success has helped other players from non-glamour positions to be considered for key football broadcasting roles Louis Cardinals on teams that didn’t do particularly well,’’ Michaels says “Dan was not a household name coming off the football field although he was a great player he elevated the stature of offensive linemen in the business as far as I’m concerned An offensive lineman has fantastic perspective and not only can describe offensive line play but describe anything The more I’ve been around football for years But I’m not sure a lot of people really understood that (until) Dan elevated that in a way.‘’ who moved to NBC as the voice of “Sunday Night Football’’ when “MNF’’ switched from ABC to ESPN in 2006 counts Dierdorf among the best of his boothmates “I’ve had some pretty terrific partners — John Madden for seven years Cris Collinsworth we just ended five seasons and it’s been great with getting along with somebody,’’ Michaels says “I can think of a few (things) we certainly can’t talk about,’’ Michaels says Every anecdote that comes to mind we can’t publish in a family newspaper.’’ 15 seasons after returning to his CBS roots “One of the great privileges of my career has been being able to work with Dan,’’ McManus said on a conference call this week adding that he had just discussed Dierdorf’s departure with Goodell he is the exact same person every single time you see him,’’ McManus says “He can be talking to an assistant or he can be talking to a chairman he is the exact same guy and he has never changed in those 43 years If you want to talk about somebody who has been an ambassador and been a symbol of what the NFL represents at its best So it’s with a great deal of pride and also some sadness that we’ll be up at Foxborough listening to Dan (in a CBS booth) for the last time “I’m so proud to be able to say I worked with Dan Dierdorf for as long as I did Everyone who ever worked with the man I think would say the exact same thing He’s a national treasure and we’re going to miss him That comes from the heart and not just from the brain.’’ McManus hopes a deal can be reached for Dierdorf to contribute to do CBS Sports Radio which airs locally on WGNU (920 AM) late on weeknights “They have a lot of interest in doing something with Dan,’’ he says is a farewell tribute after the game Saturday “The last playoff game I did was a double overtime game in Denver last year (won by Baltimore) one of the most memorable games in NFL history There’s no time to do anything (personal) at the end of that game you’re there to do the game and I’m not going to lose sight of that Now if we end up with a lopsided affair and we’re just filling time — which I certainly hope doesn’t happen — then maybe I’ll say something at the end expect coverage of Dierdorf’s departure in the pregame show (6:30 p.m. partner Gumbel is hopeful of getting something fitting in after the game “He’s the type of person who would rather let it slide but he probably won’t be able to get away with that,’’ Gumbel said “I don’t know the kind of time restraints we’re going to be under and he would never want to detract from the game — nor would I But I am hoping that toward the end of the game or in the postgame shortly thereafter I would get a chance to thank him and to pay proper tribute to him But of course there’s never going to be enough time allowed to do that the right way.’’ has a simple thought about any pomp and circumstances surrounding his exit: “The NFL’s going to go on without me being in a booth every Sunday,’’ he says And Dierdorf insists he won’t fade away — “I’m retiring one he also had when Dierdorf lost his Monday night job “He basically thought then he was done with broadcasting then,’’ Michaels recalls you’re too young to say something like that.’ He wasn’t quite sure what he was going to do he would have been a great general manager he has great people skills and he can evaluate talent Dan would have given a good name to announcers who have become GMs had he decided to do that “He still would be if he wanted to do it.’’ But Dierdorf — who served as chairman of the St Louis Convention and Visitors Commission from 2006-08 and not long ago was mentioned as a logical candidate for a key front-office with the Rams but let’s be realistic — (doing it full time) “I’d be selling the job short saying I’m able to do something like that But he still has a lot of game for broadcasting I’m not going to go sit on a beach,’’ he says or even a role on Rams home-game broadcasts “I haven’t given that one second of thought,” he says Dan Dierdorf’s broadcast partners through the years on network television: Special teams coordinator John Fassel stuck with his young players despite penalty problems Jim Thomas evaluates a 2013 season sprinkled with flashes of brilliance — and befuddling spells of knuckleheaded play Los Angeles Rams' Hall of Fame running back depicts LA fans as frontrunners and unworthy of an NFL franchise Rams have 9 draft picks and not much room under the salary cap Translation: an even younger roster and a tougher road to the playoffs the Post-Dispatch's Bernie Miklasz breaks down how the success of the 49ers and Seahawls should help… Dan Dierdorf drew a crowd at Michigan Stadium on Friday night Former Michigan and Lions coach Gary Moeller was there the former Wolverines assistant football coach Clemens and graduated from Central Michigan showed up with many of Dierdorf’s former college teammates Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel and Jim Betts Michigan football alumni member and former teammate of Dierdorf a first team All-America in 1970 as a Wolverines offensive tackle was honored at the Jack Roth Stadium Club by the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Ford Motor Company as a “Hometown Hall of Famer.” The award is a national program that honors the roots of the greatest heroes of football Louis Cardinals in 1971 and played all his pro football with them and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton ►Related: Harbaugh reflects on Bo a decade after his death Dierdorf played for iconic U-M coach Bo Schembechler and praised the late coach for helping him develop on the field and off “I came here not knowing much about how to play football,” said Dierdorf “Some guy called Bump Elliott recruited me and some guy called Bo showed me how to do it.” The Hometown Hall of Famer Award Friday was the first time in 108 such ceremonies that the award was presented to a university and its player “It’s just nice that my university now becomes part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” said Dierdorf who spent years after football calling pro football games and Super Bowls and is now color analyst on Michigan radio broadcasts with Jim Brandstatter ►Related: Maybe Chris Wormley can do classes on field storming? Dierdorf said he has many fond memories of the university “I came here a boy and left here a man,” said Dierdorf of his experiences at Michigan Asked what Schembechler would think of Michigan’s 9-1 record entering today’s game against Indiana at the Big House with a chance to beat Ohio State next weekend win a Big Ten championship and move on to the College Football Playoff “Bo would think that’s what the University of Michigan is supposed to do every year,” he said Contact Mike Brudenell: mbrudenell@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mikebrudenell Dan Dierdorf spent over three decades as a National Football League analyst including a 12-year run on “Monday Night Football.” After retiring from television he became the University of Michigan radio network’s football analyst Older generations also remember Dierdorf the football player He was an All-Pro offensive tackle for the Cardinals when the team was based in St he joined Alan Page as the only Canton natives to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Dierdorf wouldn’t have predicted a Hall of Fame career in the 1960s when he learned the game He did not play football until he was a seventh-grader at Taft Middle School He once described himself as a late bloomer “I wasn’t one of those guys who people looked at and said ‘Oh there’s a guy who’s going to end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame,’ ” Dierdorf said prior to his induction into the Stark County High School Football Hall of Fame I was not as coordinated as I ultimately became I was not as aggressive as I ultimately became I was kind of the original glad-to-be-here guy.” Dierdorf lettered as a two-way tackle at Glenwood High School in 1965 and 1966 He helped lead the Eagles to a 9-1 record and the Federal League title his senior year The late Jim Reichenbach coached Dierdorf at Glenwood In an interview with The Repository in 2002 he clearly recalled Dierdorf’s dedication and passion for football look like they would rather not be practicing during two-a-days in August,” Reichenbach said “Dan always seemed to enjoy every minute he was on the football field He demonstrated a lot of leadership because of that attitude When the kids saw how much he enjoyed practice and the effort he put into practice it made him a tremendous asset as far as getting them in the right frame of mind.” Dierdorf also wrestled and was a thrower on Glenwood’s track and field team He set the Stark County boys shot put record with a throw of 60 feet would offer opportunities to last a lifetime Dierdorf became a consensus All-American at Michigan and helped lead the Wolverines to a 25-6 record in his three years as a starter His 1969 team beat Ohio State to win the Big Ten title and end the Buckeyes’ hope of repeating as national champions The Cardinals selected Dierdorf in the second round of the 1971 NFL Draft He played guard and tackle in his first two seasons before he settled in at right tackle for the remainder of his 13-year career He was named All-Pro five times and selected to play in six Pro Bowls Playing in the shadow of the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East The Cardinals made just three playoff appearances during his career and lost in the first round all three times Dierdorf is one of a handful of players to be elected to the Hall of Fame without winning a playoff game He had no complaints prior to his enshrinement in 1996 “What kind of pompous ass would I have to be to complain about my life,” he said then “I mean how full does your plate have to be I got in the Hall of Fame in my hometown without ever playing for a championship team and I got hired as an announcer on ‘Monday Night Football’ without being a marquee player.” Dierdorf was added to ABC’s “Monday Night Football” lineup in 1987 He worked with Frank Gifford and Al Michaels and remained with the series in 1998 when Boomer Esiason replaced Gifford After leaving “Monday Night Football,” he joined CBS as an NFL analyst Citing travel becoming tough on his artificial knees His absence from the broadcast booth would not be permanent he joined Jim Brandstatter as a member of Michigan’s radio broadcast team Brandstatter was Dierdorf’s backup at Michigan in 1969 and 1970 “I’m so excited to be able to come back to my alma mater and contribute in this manner,” Dierdorf said “This is the only broadcasting job that I would have considered after retiring from network television “I was always jealous of Jim calling games at Michigan and often said that one of my goals was to come back and call a couple of series with him someone that I’ve known my entire adult life is really special.” Michigan kicks off the abbreviated Big Ten football season at Minnesota on Oct and the broadcast crew won’t be there they’ll be in empty Michigan Stadium calling the game off television monitors “We’re going to be the only guys in the stadium,” Brandstatter said of broadcasting road games from Michigan Stadium “It’s going to be extremely weird “There’s going to be some challenges we’re all living in this world that’s totally different and given what we have to live with thank God we’re playing football and whatever it takes to do it Brandstatter and Dierdorf were given options from Learfield IMG College With the COVID-19 pandemic limiting numbers in press boxes this seemed to be the logical and safest decision for the broadcast team It also seems the best move logistically for engineer Tony Butler “IMG Learfied is very attentive to the needs of their employees and they’re not going to do anything that would put their employees in any kind of danger,” Brandstatter said “That’s one of the reasons why they gave us the option of doing all the games from Michigan Stadium and not going on the road because of the possibility of being in a higher-risk situation They have been very accommodating in regards to Dan and I and all of their broadcast crews across their properties “We both said we are more than happy to do the games in Ann Arbor We would have nine games we know the situation as opposed to four games we don’t know aware of our surroundings and all that other stuff if we’re able to do the games from the press box.” But calling a game that you’re not watching in person has a different set of challenges Brandstatter and Dierdorf will work off a television feed of the road games but Brandstatter said he will need an “all-22” feed that shows the entire field with no camera movement off the field “The regular TV broadcast has so many cutaways — they cut to the crowd a tight shot of a coach,” Brandstatter said “If you’re in the middle of play-by-play and you’re looking for a yard line all of a sudden you get a picture of a coach talking to somebody on the bench I’ve already called some games from the TV feed and you’re ready to call the wide receivers and they cut to a tight shot of the quarterback and you’re lost.” Brandstatter also wants a static shot of the scoreboard when they’re calling games on the road Although details haven’t been finalized he figures they’ll have three monitors in the booth with a game broadcast in front of each and the all-22 angle between them “This is our best move,” Brandstatter said We’re very comfortable with the plan.” By Debra Cassens Weiss Louis circuit attorney’s office have been suspended from law practice for failing to immediately report a detective’s beating of a suspect Dierdorf may not apply for reinstatement to law practice for three years and Schuessler may not apply for two years had first disclosed the beating to Dierdorf in July 2014 Worrell brought a cellphone into an office where Dierdorf and Schuessler were sitting and let Carroll tell his own story on speakerphone hit him in the back with a chair and stuck a gun in his mouth The suspect was thought to have broken in to the car of Carroll’s daughter and to have stolen her credit card The suspect was handcuffed during the beating Worrell then issued false charges against the suspect to offer an explanation for his injuries including a felony charge of fleeing custody Worrell told Dierdorf about the false charges the next day Dierdorf reported the false charges to Schuessler who was in the office with another prosecutor The other prosecutor told Schuessler that she was going to report the incident to her supervisor neither Dierdorf nor Schuessler were completely forthcoming about how they learned of the assault and the discussions that took place Schuessler also initially attributed the “black thing” comment to the detective A hearing panel had recommended reprimands for Dierdorf and Schuessler but the chief disciplinary counsel rejected the recommendations as too lenient Carroll and Worrell both pleaded guilty in connection with their actions Carroll was sentenced to 52 months in prison and Worrell was sentenced to 18 months of probation and 140 hours of community service Louis Post-Dispatch that the suspension was “inconsistent with the facts and what is appropriate to protect the public and maintain the integrity of the judicial system in this case.” Downey said Dierdorf tried to correct “her earlier misstatements but was rebuffed by her supervisors,” and she had voluntarily produced text messages to the FBI • Played 13 seasons in NFL as an offensive lineman Six-time Pro Bowl pick and member of NFL's 1970s All-Decade team • Charter member of Stark County High School Football Hall of Fame in 2002 (Canton Glenwood); College Football Hall of Fame in 2000 (Michigan); and Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996 (St • Worked as a color analyst for NFL Cardinals before joining ABC's "Monday Night Football" with Al Michaels and Frank Gifford in 1987 • Currently works with former Michigan teammate Jim Brandstatter as a color analyst on Michigan football games • Held the Stark County shot put record of 60 feet • Worked construction on the building of the original Pro Football Hall of Fame I look at the first couple of plays as being of extra importance I try to remove any thought my opponent might have had that that was gonna be his day." — Michigan broadcasters and legends Jim Brandstatter and Dan Dierdorf called their last game together in U-M’s Orange Bowl loss to Georgia in January They officially passed the torch to new play-by-play man Doug Karsch and his partner in an emotional farewell dinner at Laurel Manor in Livonia Thursday night RELATED: Michigan A.D. Warde Manuel on Harbaugh contract, Juwan Howard More than 300 people, including some of Michigan football’s best, were on hand to say their good-byes to the duo. The two worked Michigan games together for eight years after Dierdorf’s 2013 retirement from CBS, where he was one of the network’s top analysts. Video tributes included Greg Gumbel, who called Dierdorf a giant in the sport and in broadcasting but noted he was an even better person and friend. “There wasn’t a day that went by with Dan that I didn’t learn something about the game of football,” he said. There were kind words from the late, great broadcaster Dick Enberg, a heartfelt video “good-bye” from Detroit Tigers broadcasters Matt Shepard and Dan Dickerson, the latter acknowledging Brandstatter was a huge influence when the two did some Michigan football games together in Dickerson’s earlier days. The night also featured also videos from the early days of the iconic “Michigan Replay” with Brandstatter and former coach Bo Schembechler. Former Dierdorf and Brandstatter teammates Reggie McKenzie, a Michigan and NFL legend, Dick Caldarazzo, Jim Betts and others were on hand to share their stories in person. But some of the best memories came from Brandstatter and Dierdorf’s replacements. Karsch, the Michigan sideline reporter for the duo, recalled their first broadcast. “Dan had come back, Frank Beckmann had retired, and Jim was moving from color commentator to play by play. The first thing Jim did was welcome in our old friend Dan Dierdorf, who was back at Michigan,” Karsch recalled. “Dan said, ‘well, Jim, I don’t envy you. You have to follow in the footsteps of a legend, Frank Beckmann. It’s a very difficult, job. I think you’ll be up to it. But it’s a very, very tough task following in the footsteps of a legend.” “I, on the other hand, have the easiest job ever, as I am following you,'” Karsch added, eliciting a huge laugh from the Laurel Manor crowd. “And so it began. “Eight years, it was like that all the time. It was fun, and going out with a win over Ohio State was the best.” Dierdorf admitted he wouldn’t have come out of retirement for anything but Michigan. As he got older, he admitted, he often wondered to himself why his love for his alma mater was so strong, and if it wasn’t a bit over the top. But it never changed, he said — still hasn’t today — and he finished with how proud he was to be a “Michigan man.” And that’s what makes the transition to Jansen so a propos. Jansen is in exactly the same mold — a Michigan legend, NFL standout with unbelievable pride in the program. HIs goal when he retired from a 12-year career, most of it with the Washington Redskins where he was a captain and voted one of the franchise’s all-time greats, was to get back to Michigan in some capacity. Top 101Trump, SabanDuo's NIL order blasted Hot32026 NFL Mock DraftTodd McShay looks ahead By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein. When someone approached him not long ago and asked him how it felt to be one of the voices of Michigan football, he recalled, he got “goosebumps.” One story he told put it in perspective. Dierdorf happened to be calling Jansen’s first game with the Redskins, and when he walked on the field in the pregame, Jansen approached him to introduce himself. He was shocked to know that Dierdorf not only knew who he was, but had also followed his career. The two talked for several minutes about Michigan, mainly, before Jansen took the field for his first game. When it ended, Jansen said, he called his father not long after. “I told my dad, ‘Guess what? I met Dan Dierdorf,'” Jansen recalled. It wasn’t the thrill of the first game or how he played that day, but meeting a fellow Michigan tackle and legend that meant the most. Years later, Dierdorf — an ordained minister — laughed and hung up on Jansen when he asked him to perform the ceremony at his wedding. He called him back a few minutes later, however, and agreed to do it when he found out Jansen was dead serious. The two, cut from the same cloth, became good friends. And because of that, of course, Jansen jokingly volunteered Dierdorf (and Brandstatter, also an ordained minister), for weddings or any other special occasion since they were now retired and had “nothing better to do.” Head coach Jim Harbaugh started the ceremony by presenting Dierdorf and Brandstatter with official Michigan helmets with helmet stickers featuring every one of U-M’s 976 wins. 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On3 is a registered trademark of On3 Media After a year that left many people disappointed with the Michigan football program he is more resolute than ever that he made the right decision to return as a U-M football radio broadcaster "My excitement level when it comes to having this opportunity to do Michigan football that is untarnished," he told the Free Press that the chaos of last season pained him deeply From the time he went to the NFL after the 1970 season the former Michigan All-America offensive lineman lived and died with the Wolverines from afar on Saturdays as he became a Pro Football Hall of Fame player and then elite broadcaster there was a lot to cheer during 40 years of glory his wife noticed the U-M games became even more emotional for him "It's just not normal for a 50-year-old guy to get as upset as you get when they lose," she told him He cared enough to be coaxed out of his few months of retirement by then-U-M athletic director Dave Brandon to join Jim Brandstatter in the radio booth as a replacement for Frank Beckmann and Dierdorf took his role as color analyst Michigan had blown out Appalachian State in the season opener "It's not very often — I can count on one hand in 30 years of doing network television — that I was as surprised as I was in South Bend," he recalled of U-M's 31-0 loss … I did not see how Notre Dame could stop Michigan from scoring a minimum of 35 points "I was stunned with what happened in South Bend and I'm not sure this team ever recovered from that." as Michigan stumbled — figuratively with painful and literally in the case of quarterback Shane Morris concussed against Minnesota — into a 5-7 season and coach Brady Hoke's firing Dierdorf's football career was formed by legendary U-M coach Bo Schembechler who arrived when the lineman was already on campus and now that's the standard for how he judges the Wolverines "Something really dangerous started to happen last year," Dierdorf said "I was concerned that losing was just becoming — not OK not acceptable — but it was happening so often It wasn't as catastrophic as it used to be You can't allow yourself to think that you're not going to win that when something bad happens on the field He saw the obvious: Michigan allowing repeated scores late in the first halves The 2014 season bothered him as an alumnus as much as an analyst Though he enjoyed the freedom in the booth alongside Brandstatter the chaos was stunning from the program he remembered and watched from afar it wasn't what Michigan football was supposed to be," he said the students being involved and that became ugly but Michigan played some games that they weren't very competitive How often over the last number of decades have you said that Yet one reason he's energized to continue on the original three-year contract he signed is the renewed hope Dierdorf said the hiring of Jim Harbaugh as Hoke's replacement energized the fan base like he can't remember stopping well short of comparing it to Schembechler's arrival He was recruited by and playing for Bump Elliott and recalls the talent on those teams with multiple College Football Hall of Famers and more longtime NFL players I hope people realize Jim Harbaugh didn't inherit that," Dierdorf said few if any of the current senior class are projected to be selected and none of the younger players have played at an all-conference level yet There was a U-M defense he said that "could be really good," and on the spring game broadcast he cited redshirt freshman safety Jabrill Peppers a difference-maker" and that Peppers could be an All-Big Ten player this year Dierdorf gives Michigan fans an unvarnished honesty Though he refrains from being specifically critical of individual players more than a few times he spoke of U-M football's more general problems A year ago it was a challenge on the air with the "historically inept" offense as Dierdorf tried to avoid repeating himself you can't make it something that it isn't," he said He is more cautiously optimistic this year The end of last season and the spring encouraged him that the offensive line will be improved under line coach/offensive coordinator Tim Drevno going to have to have some efficiency at the quarterback position "I don't think we're going to be very explosive I don't think we're going to see a football team this season that has a lot of 40- and 50-yard plays I don't think this is a team filled with those kind of playmakers … Jim's offense is going to be a multiple tight end offense On top of the pain Michigan caused him on the field last season Dierdorf was still healing from back surgery before he took the job Then he had unexpected hip surgery during the year and missed two games as a result But now he's feeling healthy and planned this week to return to his northern Michigan home from his winter residence in St Maybe last year just allowed him to ease into the job given his personal investment for the first time in his broadcasting career I might have just passed out and been more than I could handle," he joked I have nothing but good thoughts about it." Contact Mark Snyder: msnyder@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark__snyder Beat writer Mark Snyder will answer your questions about U-M in a live chat at noon Thursday at freep.com/sports. Submit early questions here NEW YORK, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Dan Dierdorf who had a 13-season Pro Football Hal of Fame career in the NFL said Wednesday he is retiring after 30 years of broadcasting football He rejoined CBS after that and has been with CBS Sports for 14 years. He currently works with Greg Gumbel on the network's NFL coverage This has been a wonderful ride as I really have lived the dream." Louis Cardinals from 1971-83 and was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996 He was named to the NFL Team of the Decade for the 1970s Dierdorf was three times selected the top offensive lineman in the NFL and was named to the Pro Bowl six times Dierdorf won the 2008 Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award which is given by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of "long-time exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football." Gifford, John Madden and Len Dawson are the only other Pro Football Hall of Fame members to have also received the Rozelle Award Steamboat Springs girls lacrosse head coach Liz Dierdorf wanted to put an emphasis on being aggressive and setting the tone early in games in 2023.  The team opened the season at home on Tuesday scoring three goals in the first two minutes leading the way to a dominant 18-8 victory over the Summit Tigers.  “Today we made it one of our team goals to score first and be a first half team,” Dierdorf said “I think in the past we have had some trouble coming out flat and I think we really brought it today.” It was a scoring carousel for the Sailors in the first half with the team finding the net 12 times in the first 25 minutes of play.  Two Sailors earned hat tricks in the first half alone with sophomore Anna Grove leading the way with four goals and freshman Kate Ryan finding three of her own as well.  It was a surreal moment for Ryan to score a hat trick in her first varsity game She was nervous all morning in school and said she was buzzing in class.  Ryan was the first Sailor to score on the season and says it is a moment she will never forget.  “I knew I had to come out here and give it my all,” Ryan said “It was my first varsity game in my high school career so I really needed to put myself out there turn the hustle to 100% and be present on the field today.” Steamboat sophomore Anna Grove rips a shot for a Sailor goal during Steamboat girls lacrosse’s home opener against Summit on Tuesday Steamboat junior Maddie Moss sprints past defenders and takes a shot on goal during the Steamboat girls lacrosse home opener against Summit on Tuesday Steamboat junior Caroline Wittlinger takes the ball behind the Summit-defended net to set up and offense play for Steamboat girls lacrosse in a game on Tuesday Show CaptionsHide Captions Steamboat never let up in the second half and tallied six more goals in the final 25 minutes of play.  Grove said it was huge to see the team score so frequently throughout the game The offense showed heart and the confidence continued to grow deeper into the night.  “One goal leads to another which leads to other people scoring which just gets the team rolling,” Grove said.  It showed Dierdorf that the girls have come to play this season and have every intention of winning a lot more than just the three games they won in 2022.  Now sitting on a 1-0 record with a league win the team will travel to Grand Junction for a non-league game on Wednesday Dierdorf hopes this game boosted the team’s confidence even further and wants the girls to continue to play at such a high level This was a big step in the right direction for the Sailors “Starting the year with a big win is a great way to carry momentum throughout the season so I think we’re going to be excited coming off of this,” Dierdorf said “I think it will be a big confidence boost for us and sometimes I think we need it.” Readers around Steamboat and Routt County make the Steamboat Pilot & Today’s work possible Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage was named a Student of the Month for February by the Western Beaver Education Association Dierdorf is president of the National Honor Society and is president of the senior class He is also president of the ecology club and participates in Beavers Against Alcohol and Drugs and the Youth Ambassador and Second and Seven Literacy programs He is a member of the concert and show choir performed in school musicals and was selected for county chorus Dierdorf is Western Beaver’s first male cheerleader and served as school mascot Dierdorf is the son of Joel and Tammie Martin of Ohioville He plans to attend Slippery Rock University and major in elementary education CBS Sports' longtime NFL analyst Dan Dierdorf will retire following this season Dierdorf is the longest-tenured NFL analyst on television He has worked on CBS' number two broadcast team with play-by-play man Greg Gumbel since 2006 "I have been blessed to spend my entire life in the game I love," said Dierdorf  "I had an opportunity to go from the field directly to the broadcast booth where I have had the privilege of working with the giants of our business including Ray Scott It has become a challenge for me to travel to a different NFL city every week Dierdorf's broadcasting career began in 1984 as a color analyst for St following a 13-year career with the team as an offensive lineman He was a play-by-play announcer for CBS' NFL broadcasts in 1985 before switching back to color analysis in 1986 "For 43 NFL seasons Dan Dierdorf has been a consummate professional both on the field and in the broadcast booth," said Sean McManus "Very few people in any profession can boast a Hall of Fame playing career and Hall of Fame broadcasting career His CBS Sports family will miss him on Sundays but we wish him all the best in his retirement." The smarter way to stay on top of broadcasting and cable industry Dierdorf to Join Brandstatter in Radio Booth for Michigan Football4/17/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football -- The University of Michigan Athletic Department and IMG College the university's multimedia rights partner April 17) that college and NFL Hall of Fame player and broadcaster Dan Dierdorf will be joining Jim Brandstatter in the radio booth for Wolverines football broadcasts on the Michigan IMG Radio Network beginning this fall who has served as the team's color commentator on the flagship radio broadcast for the past 34 years and Dierdorf will provide color commentary for the flagship broadcast of Michigan football "Jim and Dan are hall of fame broadcasters and great Michigan men," said Brady Hoke Ira and Nicki Harris Family Head Football Coach "They will provide a unique perspective to the broadcasting booth that I'm sure our fans will enjoy on football Saturdays and you can guarantee they will have a keen analysis of Michigan Football on each broadcast." "I'm so excited to be able to come back to my alma mater and contribute in this manner," said Dierdorf "This is the only broadcasting job that I would have considered after retiring from network television It's a chance to return to the city where Bump (Elliott) gave me an opportunity to play for the greatest program in the world and Bo (Schembechler) made me a man "I was always jealous of Jim calling games at Michigan and often said that one of my goals was to come back and call a couple of series with him," added Dierdorf "To work with one of my best friends someone that I've known my entire adult life and I'm looking forward to getting in the booth with Jim this fall." "I'm really excited about the challenge of moving to play-by-play," said Brandstatter but I have learned so much from the great ones I've worked with and I can't wait to get started .it doesn't get any better than that "Dan knows the game inside and out and is an outstanding broadcaster," added Brandstatter I just hope the listeners have as good a time as we expect to have broadcasting Michigan victories this fall." "We are more than excited to have two great Michigan men who are great broadcasters teaming up to paint the picture for the fans listening each week to the Michigan IMG sports network," said Chris Ferris Brandstatter and Dierdorf were teammates at Michigan during the 1969 and 1970 seasons with Brandstatter being Dierdorf's backup for those two seasons at the strong tackle position Brandstatter joined Dierdorf (2001) as a member of the state of Michigan Sports Hall of Fame this winter (2014) Following are biographical sketches on Dierdorf and Brandstatter: Dan Dierdorf Dan Dierdorf joins the Michigan football radio broadcast after spending the past three decades in the television booth calling NFL games for ABC and CBS He was a member of ABC's Monday Night Football crew from 1987-99 before moving to CBS until his retirement from television following this past NFL season Dierdorf got his first taste of radio during the final years of his playing career with the St He was on an afternoon talk show at KMOX Radio in St Dierdorf joined the broadcast booth as the color announcer on Cardinals and Missouri Tigers game in 1984 before joining CBS for his first stint with the network (1985-86) Regarded as one of the finest offensive tackles to ever play the game Dierdorf was a consensus All-American for the Wolverines in 1970 and earned All-Big Ten accolades in 1969 and 1970 He helped lead the Wolverines to a 25-6 record during his three years as a starter and was a member of Bo Schembechler's 1969 team that won the Big Ten championship Dierdorf was enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000 Dierdorf was a second-round pick by the St He played his entire 13-year career with the Cardinals (1971-83) and anchored a line that led the NFL in fewest sacks allowed three straight seasons Dierdorf was a six-time Pro Bowl selection and was named NFL All-Pro five times He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in his hometown of Canton Dierdorf was the recipient of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Rozelle Award for his work in radio and television Jim Brandstatter Jim Brandstatter is in his 35th season affiliated with the University of Michigan football radio broadcast He takes over the play-by-play duties after working as the team's color commentator on the flagship radio broadcast for the past 34 years Brandstatter also serves as the host of the Michigan football coach's television show Brandstatter first covered U-M on the radio during the 1979 season and has brought Michigan football into the homes of Wolverine fans ever since He has garnered the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Sports Broadcaster of the Year Award twice (2004 and 2008) Outside of game day broadcasts, Brandstatter served as co-host on Michigan Replay with former coaches Bo Schembechler, Gary Moeller, Lloyd Carr and Rich Rodriguez and continues these duties on Inside Michigan Football with Brady Hoke Brandstatter joined the Detroit Lions radio broadcast in 1987 where he currently contributes as a color analyst was a three-year letterman at offensive tackle for the Wolverines (1969-71) he was named to the 1971 All-Big Ten second team and helped Michigan capture two Big Ten championships and two Rose Bowl berths Timmons was a news anchor for WXYZ-TV in Detroit Michigan Media Contact: David Ablauf IMG College: Andrew Giangola