Kicking Off the Week

Wesley Hyatt, a senior writer with MMI Public Relations, has also served as a television historian and consultant for several media sources. He is the author of several McFarland titles and lives in Durham, North Carolina.

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgments      Introduction      1. The NFL Before Monday Night Football      2. ABC Pre–Monday Night Football      3. NFL and ABC Merge      4. The Kickoff (1970–71)      5. Gifford Arrives, and Monday Night Football Takes Off (1971–74)      6. Meredith to Williamson to Karras to Meredith (1974–77)      7. Changes Afoot (1977–82)      8. Capital Messes (1982–87)      9. Stability Leading to a Meltdown (1987–98)      10. Mouse Attack (1998–2002)      11. Leader of a Loser (2002–2005)      12. 2005: Prepping the Final Curtain      Appendix A: Monday Night Football Cast and Crew      Appendix B: Monday Night Football Seasonal Ratings      Sources      Index

“the book adds a great deal to our understanding of the influence of Pete Rozelle, television, Howard Cosell, and even Richard Nixon on the rise and peak of interest in professional football”—Journal of Sport History; “thirty-five years of football and how the ABC program featured the game are the focus here”—Communication Booknotes Quarterly.