A Schenectady native and former CBA football player will make his Monday Night Football announcing debut tonight on ESPN.

When former NFL coach Jon Gruden, who had been the Monday Night analyst the previous 10 years, left to coach the Oakland Raiders it opened up the dream job of lifetime!   A re-vamped MNF announcer team led by Schenectady native Joe Tessitore, alongside Booger McFarland, Jason Witten and Lisa Salters will make their debut tonight when the Raiders play the LA Rams tonight in the second game of an ESPN MNF doubleheader.

Tessitore, a CBA grad, has been with the network for 17 years as a versatile and excellent college play-by-play guy and a boxing analyst.

According to an article written in the Times Union he has nothing but fond memories of growing up in the Capital Region.  "My family is Schenectady to the core," Tessitore said. "Home Style Pizza on Union Avenue is my Aunt Ida and my Uncle Anthony and my cousin Paulie. Mont Pleasant Bakery was my Uncle Mike. My mother came to this country with eight brothers and sisters and came to Schenectady, New York, so I grew up with all of my cousins and aunts and uncles in the Italian neighborhood of Schenectady — St. Anthony's Church, Jay Street, Perreca's bread, Carrie Street, Home Style Pizza.

"He's got more energy than any human being that I've met in my entire life," said Jimmy Pitaro, who became ESPN's president in March and was part of the hiring process.

Tessitore, 47, is only the sixth play-by-play announcer in the 49-year history of "Monday Night Football," the NFL's original prime-time show.

 

 

 

 

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