Chris Berman to retire from ESPN after NFL season

Chris Berman, the longtime ESPN sportscaster and NFL host, will retire following the 2016 football season, according to the sports media website The Big Lead.

Berman's player nicknames, catchphrases and trademark highlight calls made him a household name and the face of the network in its early days in the 1980s. ESPN began its rise along with cable TV and Berman, who had memorable moments reporting 'The Catch' during the 1981 NFL Championship game from the San Francisco sideline, and hosting the NFL draft. He did game coverage of nearly every sport, and was a nighlty fixture on the channel central program SportsCenter for years.

When the NFL began broadcasting games on ESPN in 1989, Berman began focusing on pro football. He's hosted the network's long running Sunday preview show 'NFL Countdown' since its inception.

Berman, who is 61 and started working at ESPN in 1979, is in the final year of his contract. With subscriber losses in recent years due to advent of online sources, ESPN has parted ways with some of its most highly-paid talent including Bill Simmons, Colin Cowherd and Keith Olbermann.

Another longtime host, Trey Wingo, hosts the daily program 'NFL Live' and would be in contention for Berman's chair, according to the site. McIntyre said Suzy Kolber; another longtime ESPN employee who has hosted NFL-based shows, worked in the booth and as a sideline report; is getting a strong push internally. A source told writer Jason McIntyre the network is planning a lavish sendoff on par with the L.A. Lakers tribute to Kobe Bryant.

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B J Bethel