In October 1979 - one month after its inception - ESPN hired a little known 24-year-old sports anchor named Chris Berman. For the next quarter century and running, Berman has become one of America's most respected, popular, and in many ways, most beloved sportscasters of his era. With his trademark combination of genuine enthusiasm, knowledge and wit, he has come to embody ESPN in its dedication to entertaining and informing sports fans across the country. He is best known for his signature delivery of highlights of every sport, most notably on NFL Sundays.

The versatile Berman has been selected the National Sportscaster of the Year six times (1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1996 and 2001) by the members of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. Berman, who in 1989 became the first cable sportscaster to win the award, ranks second among sportscasters in winning this award from the NSSA. Berman and his various shows have won nine Emmy Awards and 12 CableACEs.

Berman was named the 2001 winner of the prestigious Reds Bagnell Award from the Maxwell Football Club of Philadelphia for "contributions to the game of football." Previous recipients include Pete Rozelle, Don Shula, Joe Paterno, and Eddie Robinson, among others.

It's hard to imagine NFL Sundays before Berman. The 2005 season marks his 20th consecutive as studio host of Sunday NFL Countdown, having surpassed Brent Musburger's 15-year record in 2001 as the longest running host of a weekly pro football studio show. Berman has worked alongside Tom Jackson for all but one of those years, first teaming in 1987, when ESPN first acquired the rights to carry the NFL. He is now a veteran of 23 Super Bowls beginning with the 49ers' first NFL Championship in Super Bowl XVI.

Every Sunday night in the fall Berman teams with Jackson to host the critically acclaimed NFL PrimeTime, which is annually cable television?s highest-rated studio show. He also hosts Sunday NFL Countdown, the weekly Sunday morning pre-game show which won six Sports Emmy Awards (1988, 1991, 1994, 1995, 2001 and 2003 seasons) and five CableACEs (1989, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995). During halftime of ESPN's Sunday Night Football NFL telecasts, Berman narrates "The Fastest Three Minutes in Television" featuring highlights of all the day's NFL games. All told, he has been hosting ESPN's NFL telecasts since 1979, which includes his prognosticating alter-ego - the "Swami" - anchoring ESPN?s annual NFL Draft telecast and serving as Master of Ceremony for the prestigious Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction ceremony.

From 1996 to 1999, Berman added halftime-hosting duties for ABC Sports' Monday Night Football. Since 1996 he has anchored the network's Wildcard Saturday. In 1998, he served as host of ABC's pre-game show Monday Night Blast. In 2000 and 2003, Berman anchored ABC's four-hour Super Bowl XXXIV and XXXVII pre-game show working alongside Hall of Fame 49ers quarterback Steve Young, now one of his ESPN partners. He did so again for Super Bowl XL in Detroit in 2006.

Since 1990, Berman has served as a play-by-play commentator for ESPN Major League Baseball games, including division playoff coverage starting in 1996. Among Berman's career highlights was calling ESPN's Emmy-Award winning telecast of Cal Ripken's 2,131st consecutive game September 6, 1995. He also hosts Baseball Tonight, the network's nightly compendium of Major League Baseball highlights, news and features that won a Sports Emmy in 2003. He has covered 20 All Star games, including the Home Run Derby, and 17 World Series for ESPN, including the 1989 San Francisco Earthquake.

Since 1986, Berman has covered the U.S. Open, a role that he relishes, including the "NFL PrimeTime of golf," the nightly U.S. Open highlights show and has hosted ESPN's coverage of the first two rounds. In 2003, he added play-by-play duties for the U.S. Open on ESPN.

Berman continues to broaden his reach. In yet another new venture, Berman brought his passion and appreciation for hockey to the 2003 and 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs as co-host of ESPN's and ABC's telecasts.

As a studio host, anchor and commentator, Berman is known for balancing in-depth reporting with ample amounts of humor and ebullience. "Sports should be fun, and I want viewers to share in the enjoyment I get from the games. But I also owe it to those same viewers to be thoroughly prepared and to know what I'm talking about," Berman said, "or not talking about." Berman received perhaps his most praise when he and analyst Buck Martinez chose not to speak during the 22-minute celebration in the Ripken game.

Berman is famous for his use of nicknames while voicing over Major League Baseball highlights. Throughout his career he has been praised by the media, viewers and players across the country for his lighthearted and humorous approach. Berman's personal favorites from the more than 1000 monikers he has coined include Roberto "Remember the" Alomar, Bert "Be Home" Blyleven, Jim "Two Silhouettes On" Deshaies, and Fred "Crime Dog" McGriff , just a sampling of names that often reflect his interest in history and music. Some of his favorite NFL nicknames are Andre "Bad Moon" Rison, Curtis "My Favorite" Martin, Steve "I've Got You Babe" Bono and Chris Fuamatu "Bad" Ma'afala.

Berman regularly hosted SportsCenter in ESPN's first 11 years, culminating in the network's first SportCenter Emmy Award in 1990. Although his assignments have changed, he always returns to host a few "just to keep DiMaggio's hitting streak alive." In 2005, he even took his turn at the anchor desk on the road, kicking off the SportsCenter 50 States*50 Days tour from Fenway Park in Boston. Berman established his craft working the overnight shift during ESPN's first four years, often teaming with his good friend, the late Tom Mees. Berman also appears on ESPN Radio during the football and baseball seasons.

"I want to be George Brett, Tony Gwynn and the late Walter Payton. I want to retire with the team I came in with. Once I go anywhere else, I'm a mercenary. I'm so proud to be one of the folks who helped lay the foundation here." To that end, Berman has signed to May 10, 2010, his 55th birthday.

In addition to the NSSA Awards, Berman was honored in 1990, 1992, 1994 and 1996 with CableACE Awards as cable's best sports host. Also, he was part of the SportsCenter team that won the CableACE in 1990. In 1995, 1996, and 1997, Berman was named "Sportscaster of the Year" in the Studio Host category by the American Sportscasters Association. The Cable Guide readers voted him "Best Cable Sportscaster" in 1987, 1988 and 1990; TV Guide chose him as one of the "Top Stars of the 90s"; and, People magazine named him one of "TV's Most Fascinating Stars" of 1997. He has also received nine Emmy nominations as best sports host in 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2001. In 1992, the syndicated "NFL Pre-Season Special" surveyed NFL players on their favorite football commentator and 43 percent, an overwhelming majority, selected Berman. He was also listed on The Sporting News' Top 100 Most Powerful People in Sports in 1995 and 2005. In 2005, the readers of SI for Kids chose Chris second as most favorite sportscaster, behind only John Madden.

A long-time aficionado of rock and roll, Berman has appeared on stage singing with Huey Lewis and the News over a half-dozen times. In addition, he sang twice with Eddie Money, appeared in a video with Hootie and the Blowfish, and was joined by Glenn Frey of the Eagles for a special "Hotel California" Super Bowl edition of "The Swami."

Berman has played himself in 11 motion pictures: The Longest Yard, Little Big League, Necessary Roughness, Eddie, The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon, Big Daddy, Second String, Even Steven, Kingpin, The Program, Celtic Pride - and on several television shows including Spin City, The Jersey and Arli$$. He has also appeared on Late Night with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel Live.

In September 1999, Berman was honored by his boyhood team, the San Francisco Giants, with the privilege of throwing out the first pitch at one of the final games ever at historic Candlestick Park. He is proud to say that he's the only guy East of the Rockies to have a patch of outfield grass from Candlestick and SBC Park growing in his backyard.