Al Michaels

Al Michaels
Born	Alan Richard Michaels 11/12/1944
Birthplace	Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Sports commentator
Employer	Amazon Prime Video (2022–present)
Known for	Miracle on Ice call, Monday Night Football, Thursday Night Football
Education	Arizona State University
Children	2
Awards	Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award (2013)

Alan Richard Michaels (born November 12, 1944), known professionally as Al Michaels, is an American television sportscaster who has served as a play-by-play announcer for more than five decades. He is the current lead play-by-play voice of Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime Video and holds an emeritus role with NBC Sports. Michaels first rose to national prominence during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, when his exuberant call — "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" — as the United States men's ice hockey team defeated the Soviet Union became one of the most celebrated moments in American sports broadcasting history. Over the course of his career, Michaels has been the primary play-by-play announcer for ABC Sports's Monday Night Football (1986–2005), NBC Sports's Sunday Night Football (2006–2021), and Amazon Prime Video's Thursday Night Football (2022–present). In December 2025, he marked 40 years as the play-by-play announcer for the NFL's premier prime-time broadcast package, a milestone unmatched in the history of professional football broadcasting. He has called numerous Super Bowls, World Series games, NBA Finals contests, and Stanley Cup Finals matchups, making him one of the most versatile play-by-play announcers in American television history.

Early Life

Al Michaels was born on November 12, 1944, in Brooklyn, New York City. He grew up in a household with an interest in sports and entertainment. As a young person, Michaels developed a deep affinity for baseball, a passion that would later inform his early broadcasting career. His family relocated to Los Angeles, California, where he spent his formative years and developed his interest in sportscasting.

Michaels has spoken publicly about his lifelong love of baseball, and in particular the Cincinnati Reds of the early 1970s. In a 2026 interview, he stated that the Reds of that era, including Pete Rose and the famed "Big Red Machine," remain his favorite Major League Baseball team "in his heart of hearts." This connection to Cincinnati stemmed from his early work as a broadcaster in the city, where he called Reds games before moving to the national stage.

Education

Michaels attended Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, where he studied and developed his broadcasting skills. He graduated from the university and soon began pursuing a career in sports media.

Career

Early Broadcasting Career (1964–1976)

Michaels began his professional broadcasting career in 1964 and spent the early years of his career working in local and regional markets. He called games for the Cincinnati Reds, an experience that forged his lasting connection to the franchise and the Big Red Machine teams of the early 1970s. His work in Cincinnati gave him extensive experience in baseball play-by-play and helped establish his reputation as a rising talent in sports broadcasting.

In 1971, Michaels joined NBC Sports, where he worked until 1974, gaining his first experience on network television. He then spent a brief period at CBS Sports in 1975 before moving to ABC Sports in 1977, where he would spend nearly three decades and establish himself as one of the preeminent voices in American sports.

ABC Sports and the Miracle on Ice (1977–2005)

Michaels joined ABC Sports in 1977, and within three years he would deliver what became the most famous call of his career. On February 22, 1980, at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, Michaels was behind the microphone as the United States men's ice hockey team — composed largely of amateur and college players — defeated the heavily favored Soviet Union 4–3 in a semifinal game. As the final seconds ticked away, Michaels uttered the words that would become synonymous with the moment and with his career: "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" The call, delivered against the backdrop of the Cold War, resonated far beyond the world of sports and is frequently cited as one of the greatest moments in American broadcasting history.

Michaels continued to expand his portfolio at ABC, calling events across multiple sports including baseball, football, basketball, and hockey. His versatility set him apart from many of his contemporaries, as few play-by-play announcers could claim fluency across such a wide range of sports.

Monday Night Football

In 1986, Michaels became the lead play-by-play announcer for ABC's Monday Night Football, the NFL's flagship prime-time broadcast. He would hold this position for nearly two decades, from 1986 through the 2005 season, calling hundreds of games and numerous historic moments in professional football. Monday Night Football was one of the highest-rated programs on American television during this era, and Michaels's steady, authoritative presence in the booth became inseparable from the broadcast itself.

During his tenure on Monday Night Football, Michaels worked alongside several prominent color commentators and developed a reputation for his ability to match the gravity of big moments with precise, memorable language while maintaining a conversational ease during routine plays.

The 1989 World Series Earthquake

On October 17, 1989, Michaels was on the air for ABC calling Game 3 of the 1989 World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics at Candlestick Park in San Francisco when the Loma Prieta earthquake struck. The magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit just minutes before the scheduled first pitch, and Michaels's calm, informative handling of the unfolding crisis was later recognized as a masterclass in live broadcasting under extraordinary circumstances. The broadcast was interrupted as the earthquake caused significant damage throughout the Bay Area, and Michaels remained on the air to provide updates and context to a national audience that was witnessing the disaster in real time. The game was postponed and the Series was delayed for ten days, but Michaels's handling of the moment added another landmark event to his broadcasting résumé.

The Disney–NBC Trade (2006)

In a transaction that was unusual in the broadcasting industry, Michaels moved from ABC to NBC in 2006 as part of a deal between The Walt Disney Company (which owned ABC and ESPN) and NBCUniversal. The arrangement, which allowed NBC to acquire Michaels's services for its new Sunday Night Football package, has been described in media reports as a trade. In exchange, Disney received the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, an early cartoon character created by Walt Disney that had been owned by Universal since 1928. The exchange attracted considerable media attention and became one of the more unusual personnel moves in television history.

NBC Sunday Night Football (2006–2021)

At NBC, Michaels became the lead play-by-play voice of Sunday Night Football, which replaced Monday Night Football as the NFL's premier prime-time broadcast. He called the program from its inception in 2006 through the 2021 season, a period of 16 years. Sunday Night Football consistently ranked as one of the highest-rated programs on American television during Michaels's tenure, frequently finishing as the most-watched prime-time series in the United States.

During his time at NBC, Michaels called multiple Super Bowls and continued to be the voice most closely associated with prime-time professional football in America. His partnership with color commentator Cris Collinsworth became one of the longest-running and most recognized broadcast teams in NFL history.

Michaels also took on additional assignments for NBC beyond football. In 2015, NBC brought boxing back to prime time with Michaels serving as host.

Amazon Prime Video and Thursday Night Football (2022–present)

In 2022, Michaels moved to Amazon Prime Video to serve as the lead play-by-play announcer for Thursday Night Football, Amazon's exclusive NFL broadcast package. The move made Michaels the lead voice of the first major NFL broadcast package to air exclusively on a streaming platform, marking another evolution in his long career.

In January 2026, Amazon Prime Video confirmed that Michaels would return to call games for the 2026 NFL season. The confirmation came amid public discussion about Michaels's performance, with some media outlets questioning whether his delivery had declined. Fellow broadcaster Joe Buck publicly defended Michaels against the criticism, stating, "I don't think it's fair."

In December 2025, the Associated Press noted that Michaels had reached 40 years as the play-by-play announcer for the NFL's prime-time broadcast, a milestone encompassing his work on Monday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, and Thursday Night Football.

Multi-Sport Broadcasting

Throughout his career, Michaels has been noted for his work across multiple sports at the highest level. In addition to his extensive NFL portfolio, he has called World Series games, NBA Finals broadcasts, Stanley Cup Finals telecasts, and Olympic events. His baseball work included games for MLB Network, where he was paired with Bob Costas for a broadcast in 2011. He has also called hockey at various levels, including NHL coverage.

Personal Life

Michaels has two children. He has maintained a private personal life relative to his public profile as a broadcaster.

In April 2013, Michaels was arrested in Santa Monica, California, on suspicion of misdemeanor driving under the influence. The incident was reported by multiple news outlets.

Michaels has spoken publicly about his continued affection for the Cincinnati Reds, citing the Big Red Machine era as formative in his love of baseball. In a 2026 interview, he described the Reds as still being his team "in his heart of hearts," reflecting the deep connection he formed during his early years calling games in Cincinnati.

Recognition

Michaels has received numerous accolades over the course of his career. In 2013, he was awarded the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, one of the most prestigious honors in football broadcasting. The award recognized his contributions to the sport's television presentation over several decades.

He has been ranked among the top sportscasters in American history by the American Sportscasters Association, appearing on their list of the top 50 sportscasters of all time.

His "Do you believe in miracles?" call from the 1980 Olympics has been referenced and celebrated in American popular culture for over four decades, appearing in films, documentaries, and retrospective compilations of great sports moments. The call transcended the sport of hockey and became embedded in the broader cultural memory of the era.

The Associated Press described Michaels in 2025 as having reached a remarkable milestone in his career upon completing 40 years of calling the NFL's prime-time games, noting that he was "still going strong."

Legacy

Al Michaels's career spans more than six decades in professional sports broadcasting, a longevity that places him among the most enduring figures in American television history. His association with prime-time NFL football — from Monday Night Football to Sunday Night Football to Thursday Night Football — covers the full arc of the sport's transformation into the dominant force in American entertainment programming.

The 1980 "Miracle on Ice" call remains the single moment most closely identified with Michaels's career. The spontaneity and emotion of the call — delivered in the final seconds of a game that symbolized geopolitical tensions and national pride — demonstrated an ability to capture the magnitude of a moment in a few words. It has been the subject of continued media attention decades after the event, with Michaels continuing to discuss it in interviews as recently as 2026.

His move to Amazon Prime Video in 2022 marked another chapter in the evolution of sports broadcasting, as Michaels became the lead voice for the first exclusively streamed NFL package. Fellow broadcaster Joe Buck has cited Michaels as a standard-bearer for the profession, defending him against criticism and noting the unfairness of judging a career of his magnitude by individual broadcasts.

The unusual 2006 trade that sent Michaels from Disney/ABC to NBC — in exchange for the rights to the cartoon character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit — has become a frequently cited anecdote in discussions of the business of sports media, illustrating both the value networks place on top-tier talent and the idiosyncratic nature of corporate negotiations in the entertainment industry.

With his confirmed return to Thursday Night Football for the 2026 season, Michaels continues to work at the highest level of American sports broadcasting at the age of 81, an endurance that reflects both his continued commitment to the profession and Amazon's confidence in his ability to anchor their NFL coverage.