

The deal called for ABC to broadcast approximately 37 regular season games, the AFL Championship Game and the AFL All-Star Game. Less than five years later however, ABC became the initial network television partner for the American Football League.
MNF GAME TSUNADE TV
This came off the heels of the NFL's previous principal network TV partner, the DuMont Network, suspending its operations. If the 49ers were in Los Angeles to play the Rams (like in Week 7 of the 1955 season), then they used Bob Fouts and Frankie Albert.ĪBC's relationship with the NFL at this point pretty much ended when CBS began carrying regular season games across its network nationwide in 1956. However, on November 13 (Week 8 of the 1955 season), when the Rams traveled to Chicago to face the Bears, ABC employed a split-commentary concept with Bob Kelley and Bill Brundige calling the game for viewers in Pacific areas and Red Grange and Bill Fay calling the game for viewers in the Midwest.

In the event that the 49ers were in Chicago to play the Bears (which occurred in Week 3 of the 1955 season on October 8), then ABC would use Red Grange and Bill Fay. Although for the first two weeks of the 1955 season, the roles were reversed. Bob Fouts and Frankie Albert were on the commentary for 49ers games.

MNF GAME TSUNADE PLUS
For games featuring the 49ers and the Rams in 1955, ABC used Bob Kelley plus Bill Brundige on the Rams telecast. When ABC added the Redskins to their schedule in 1954, they used Bob Wolff and Dutch Bergman. The articles said that NFL Commissioner Bert Bell was "fuming" over the incident.įor the Chicago-based games, ABC used Red Grange and Bill Fay on commentary. Wire accounts found in indicated that the Washington- Philadelphia game in Week 2 of the 1953 season, was to have been regionally televised by ABC, but the cables needed for the telecast never arrived. In ABC's final year of their initial go around with the National Football League, they added Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers games (for the Pacific Time Zone affiliates) to go along with their coverage of the Bears and Cardinals. Beginning in 1954, ABC added Washington Redskins home games, taking those from DuMont, who replaced them with the Philadelphia Eagles despite Philadelphia (unlike Washington with WTTG) not having a DuMont O&O. While DuMont focused on the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers due to their respective markets having a DuMont O&O ( WABD and WDTV, respectively), ABC focused on Chicago Bears home games and Chicago Cardinals home games. Harry Wismer provided commentary for the game in 1948 and the game in 1950 joined by Red Grange and Joe Hasel.ĪBC first broadcast regular season National Football League games in 1953, supplementing the DuMont Television Network's NFL coverage. In 19, ABC televised the National Football League Championship Game. 4.4.2 2010 season-"Monday Night Massacre" (Eagles).3.6.4.1 "Monday Night Massacre" (Seahawks).2.5 Cosell, Gifford, Meredith, and Simpson.2.4 Cosell, Gifford, Meredith, and Tarkenton.2.3 Cosell, Gifford, Williamson, and Karras.1.1 Monday night National Football League games prior to 1970.
