1999 Sportscasters of the Year

BROWN, MICHAELS, MORGAN,
and GRAY VOTED 1999
ASA SPORTSCASTERS
OF THE YEAR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lou Schwartz 212-227-8080

New York, December 22 -- The American Sportscasters Association (ASA) announced today that James Brown of Fox Sports, Al Michaels of ABC Sports, Joe Morgan of ESPN, and Jim Gray of NBC Sports and Showtime have been voted the 1999 "Sportscasters of the Year" in a nationwide ballot just concluded by its members.

The Sportscaster of the Year Award is being presented in the following four categories: Studio Host, James Brown; Play-by-Play, Al Michaels; Color Analyst, Joe Morgan; and Reporter, Jim Gray.

The members of the ASA have truly recognized the best of the best in voting James Brown, Al Michaels, Joe Morgan, and Jim Gray as the 1999 Sportscasters of the Year," stated Dick Enberg, ASA Chairman.

James Brown	James Brown, in his seventh season as co-host of "FOX NFL Sunday," began his career as a basketball analyst for the NBA's Washington Bullets on local television broadcasts in 1978. He also worked as a Sports Anchor for WJLA-TV & WUSA-TV, in Washington, D.C., before joining CBS Sports in 1984. Brown served as a college basketball analyst for the network and co-hosted the NCAA Championships until 1994. Brown has won two Sports Emmy Awards for his studio work.
Al Michaels	Al Michaels, play-by-play announcer for ABC's "Monday Night Football, has covered more major sports events than any sportscaster since joining ABC Sports in 1976. Michaels was ABC's lead baseball announcer during the network's coverage of Major League Baseball and has also covered the NHL, college football and basketball, and a variety of "Wide World of Sports" events for the network. Michaels was named ASA Sportscaster of the Year in 1995 and has won three Sports Emmy Awards.
Joe Morgan	Joe Morgan serves as color analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball and has been teamed with Jon Miller since 1990. He also works Division Series games for the network and called the World Series for ESPN Radio. Morgan, the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Famer, began his sportscasting career in 1985 covering the Reds for WLWT-TV. He won a CableACE Award during his first season with ESPN in 1990, a Sports Emmy Award in 1997, and was named ASA Sportscaster of the Year in 1998.
Jim Gray	Jim Gray, reporter for NBC Sports for 10 years, has received critical acclaim for his coverage of such major events as the World Series, the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals and the Olympics. Gray also works as a reporter on Showtime network's boxing coverage, and received an Emmy Award for his interview with Mike Tyson, following the heavyweight's second loss to Evander Holyfield in 1997. He was also voted ASA Sportscaster of the Year in 1998