Former ESPN Anchors: Where are they now?

ESPN’s flagship program Sportscenter has went through numerous anchors in the past decade and a half. Personalities such as Dan Patrick, Keith Olbermman, Charley Steiner, and, Rich Eisen are long gone from “The Mother ship.” All four of these anchors were a mainstay in the ESPN universe and, since they left, ESPN has been lacking in the creativity and overall entertainment. Gone are the quips “He pulled a groin. His own we hope!” and “He is listed as day to day, but, then again, aren’t we all?” These catchphrases are what made Sportscenter great. So the question must be asked, what happened to these four premiere broadcasters? Where did they go? Who do they work for now? Let’s shed some light on the subject.

ESPN was created in 1979 as an all sports network that mainly catered to the male population. Along with the creation of ESPN, came the flagship program Sportscenter. Espn suffered through a string of tough years in its beginning, along with Sportscenter. In 1988, the format of Sportscenter was changed to a newspaper style television program. No matter what sport was most popular, Sportscenter would cover the most important stories first. Also in 1988, Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermman were introduced as the newest Sportscenter anchors; also Charley Steiner provided his services to Sportscenter starting in 1988. Rich Eisen came later in the game in 1996.

Dan Patrick was arguably the most popular Sportscenter anchor of all-time and, certainly, the most recognized by the public. He was known for his catch phrases, “En fuego” and, “Alongside my tag team partner Keith Olbermann, and I am merely Dan Patrick.” Dan Patrick brought his own style to Sportscenter. In 2007, Patrick decided it was time to step away from ESPN, where he was enjoying success on Sportscenter and, his own radio program. Asked about the reason for departure, Patrick stated, “I am leaving ESPN to go out on my own and be a free agent... I think I was starting to take ESPN for granted”.  Patrick was given the chance to be the new host of The Price is Right, he turned the opportunity down and, Drew Carrey was given the job. Patrick began a new version of The Dan Patrick Show that aired on XM and Sirius radio. Dan Patrick has also since been spotted in numerous movies, to include: “That’s My Boy”, “Blue Mountain State” and, “Grown Ups.” Compared to all ex-Sportscenter anchors, Dan Patrick has been the most successful.

An advertisement for COUNTDOWN with  Keith Olbermann.

Keith Olbermman came to Sportscenter in 1988, along with Dan Patrick. Patrick’s most popular catch phrases included: “He beats him like a rented goalie!” and, “I can read his lips, and he is not praying.” Olbermman held his spot on Sportscenter until 1997; Olbermann was suspended for two weeks after he made an unauthorized appearance on the Daily Show on Comedy Central with then-host and former ESPN colleague Craig Kilborn. At one point in the show, he referred to Bristol, Connecticut (ESPN's headquarters), as a "'Godforsaken place." Later that year, Olbermann abruptly left ESPN under a cloud of controversy, apparently burning his bridges with the network's management; this began a long and drawn-out feud between Olbermann and ESPN. The feud ended with Olbermman leaving ESPN to become an anchor with MSNBC. Olbermman hosted his own prime time talk show, The Big Show with Keith Olbermann for MSNBC.

Rich Eisen, running the 40 meter at the NFL combine

Rich Eisen joined the Sportscenter circus in 1996.  He and Stuart Scott created a new duo. Eisen became well known for his humor, most notably his impressions of Atlanta Braves broadcaster Skip Caray and provided interviews during the Home Run Derby. His most popular catch phrases include: “He busts out the whuppin'/walkin' stick!” and, “Get oudda here! Fugeddaboudit! and other NYC phrases.” Eisen was a frequent guest on The Dan Patrick Show and, Eisen also hosted Major League Baseball. In 2003, ESPN decided not to pursue the renewal of his contract. ESPN stated, “Rich is a talented sportscaster, but he no longer wanted to focus on Sportscenter, our signature franchise, and the area we felt he brought the greatest value." 

Eisen reportedly sought to branch out from his anchor role, but the network wanted to keep the anchors like Dan Patrick, Stuart Scott, and Linda Cohn committed to just one show. Eisen now works for the NFL Network. He is the main anchor of the network, covering events such as the NFL Draft and, NFL Game day.

Charlie Steiner 

Finally, Charley Steiner came to ESPN in 1988, primarily as an anchor on Sportscenter. In addition to those duties, he served as the network's lead boxing analyst. Steiner was involved in many comical situations during his tenure on Sportscenter, including one broadcast when Carl Lewis "sang" The Star-Spangled Banner prior to a New Jersey Nets game. Amused by hearing Lewis' terrible rendition of the song, Steiner simply could not contain himself and began laughing during the Sportscenter show that night, unable to stop until the show ended. Steiner was also heavily involved in an ad campaign by ESPN entitled “This is Sportscenter”. His most popular commercial was the “Y2K” commercial. Charley Steiner says he left ESPN on very “amicable terms” in 2002, after 14 years as a “Sportscenter” anchor to start a new career as a baseball play-by-play man. Steiner now is retired after announcing for the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.

These four men are part of the reason Sportscenter is a huge mainstream success. It is arguable, that ESPN would not be the mainstay it is today without these four broadcasters. Each man left his own mark on the world’s largest sports network. Whether it is the catch phrases or the creativity provided in the commercials, they will be sorely missed.