Dwelling in Bloomfield, N.J., the Burkhardt household’s week culminated with their Sunday ritual.
After church within the morning, Kevin Burkhardt, his dad, Wayne, his mother, Betty, and his brother, Brian, would cease on the Village Cabinet to choose up chilly cuts after which they sat in entrance of the TV to observe soccer all day.
Kevin someway grew up an Eagles fan in Giants nation, and to listen to Pat Summerall’s voice growth out “Randall Cunningham” on a late fall Sunday afternoon would give Kevin chills.
Now, after the craziest offseason in NFL TV historical past, will probably be Burkhardt following Joe Buck, intoning throughout the nation on Fox Sports activities’ “America’s Sport of the Week” on late Sunday afternoons and, then, in February, ol’ Kevin from Bloomfield can be on the decision for the Tremendous Bowl, turning into simply the twelfth TV play-by-player within the recreation’s historical past.
Whereas this 12 months he can be joined by his good buddy and one other Jersey man, Greg Olsen from Wayne, on the No. 1 staff, none aside from $375 million man, Tom Brady, is within the on-deck circle after he retires from taking part in.
When the 48-year-old Burkhardt talks about all of it, he sounds as enthusiastic as a 7-year-old consuming ham and cheeses whereas rooting for Ron Jaworski.
“It’s type of bonkers,” Burkhardt advised The Publish.
On Friday, Burkhardt will ring the opening bell on the NASDAQ alternate and Saturday, Burkhardt, beloved in New York by Mets followers, will throw out the primary pitch at Citi Discipline.
Burkhardt didn't see this all coming. No one actually did. Buck was alleged to be a Fox Sports activities lifer, the voice of the World Collection and the NFL for a technology.
However Troy Aikman had an opt-out and fled Fox for a $90 million contract to name “Monday Evening Soccer” on ESPN and Buck was left behind, not wanting to interrupt in a brand new analyst. He quickly left for his personal $75 million MNF megadeal.
“Should you would have advised me in January that I might be calling the Tremendous Bowl, I might have laughed in your face,” Burkhardt stated. “‘What are you speaking about?’ I by no means gave it one thought.”
He'll name this 12 months’s Tremendous Bowl with Olsen. The 2 go method again as Burkhardt referred to as Olsen’s video games in highschool. Moreover the upcoming recreation in February 2023, Fox additionally can have the 2025 Tremendous Bowl.
By that point, Brady may very well be within the sales space. In the case of Brady as an analyst, Burkhardt would be the second-most vital individual after Brady himself in making Brady successful within the sales space. There can be a brand new degree of scrutiny.
Since 2005, simply three males — Buck, Al Michaels and Jim Nantz — have referred to as the Tremendous Bowl. Patriots proprietor and NFL TV committee chairman Bob Kraft reached out to Fox head honcho Rupert Murdoch to pitch Michaels, most likely the best play-by-player of all time, for the job because the community has two of the following three Tremendous Bowls.
However Fox Sports activities’ prime executives, Eric Shanks and Brad Zager, believed Burkhardt deserved subsequent crack, believing he's the current and the longer term. Burkhardt does have a powerful résumé.
His work as an SNY sideline reporter made him a Mets people hero to the purpose followers have been chanting his identify on set throughout the 2015 World Collection as he sat subsequent to Alex Rodriguez, Frank Thomas and Pete Rose.
Whereas the highest MLB studio is an enormous stage, the lead NFL TV play-by-play job is the top. The Tremendous Bowl is watched by round 100 million viewers annually. The NFL accounted for 75 of the 100 highest-rated TV applications, lots of that are in Fox’s late Sunday window.
Burkhardt has relatable qualities, simply mingling with stars and common folks, which most likely has one thing to do with him by no means forgetting his Bloomfield roots.
“My mother and father sweated their butts off to offer us holidays down on the Jersey Shore,” Burkhardt stated. “We went on two airplane journeys [both to Disney] our complete lives till I went to school.”
His mother continues to be a authorized secretary, whereas his dad is a retired credit score supervisor. Kevin’s first job was peeling potatoes for $4.25 an hour on the now shuttered Village Cabinet.
After graduating from William Paterson in 1997, Burkhardt’s profession didn't skyrocket out of the gate.
He referred to as Jersey Jackal video games in Little Falls within the Northeast League. He toiled at 1,000-watt WGHT for eight years. He did a bit freelance for New York radio stations.
“I used to be tenth on the depth chart,” Burkhardt stated. “I wanted three folks to get sick and one other to have a child — that sort of factor.”
His profession was not going properly by 2004. He thought to himself, “That is bulls–t.” Annoyed, he wanted a change.
“I acquired uninterested in the grind of creating no cash and nobody returning my cellphone calls,” Burkhardt stated.
He opened up the classifieds and simply seemed for a gap doing anything. He had by no means offered a automotive, however he landed a gig at Pine Belt Chevy in Eatontown.
Quickly after, Mike Trebino, the proprietor, heard Burkhardt on the radio and, because it turned out, had a greater ear than lots of the broadcasting decision-makers.
Trebino, who would turn out to be a very good good friend to Burkhardt, let him come and go to do radio shifts, which led to gigs on WCBS and WFAN.
“It was the perfect 12 months of my life,” Burkhardt stated.
By promoting automobiles, he discovered worthwhile classes.
“Should you don’t communicate up and ask for what you need, you're by no means going to get it,” Burkhardt stated. “If you're not going to ask folks what they'll pay for a automotive, you aren't going to promote a automotive. So it grew to become my rallying cry to name up and be like, ‘Hey, I wish to audition,’ or, ‘I’m ok for this.’ And a few folks stated, ‘Are available in.’ I by no means heard that earlier than.”
Since Fox awarded him the distinguished job, Burkhardt stated his spouse, Rachel — with whom he has a 15-year-old son, Logan — has given him recommendation and assist. Buck referred to as they usually talked about how to deal with the brand new scorching seat. And his longtime MLB and NFL producer, Pete Macheska, advised Burkhardt to be himself and to not change as he goes from the No. 2 NFL play-by-player to the highest perch. It's arduous to not see Burkhardt taking all of it to coronary heart.
He lives close to Los Angeles today, however he's nonetheless the child from Bloomfield who used to eat ham and cheese and watch Summerall.
“You don’t neglect that,” Burkhardt stated. “I’m fortunate. I’m dwelling an ideal life, however I don’t neglect the place it began.”
Whereas he was an Eagles fan, he grew up listening to Bob Murphy, Gary Cohen and Howie Rose as a Mets fan. He then grew to become perhaps the perfect sideline reporter in sports activities media historical past with SNY. On Saturday, at Citi Discipline, he can have the glory of throwing out the primary pitch.
“I’ll attempt to not bounce the hell out of it,” Burkhardt stated.
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