Sal Paolantonio

Last updated
Sal Paolantonio
Sal Paolantonio 2015.jpg
Paolantonio in 2015
Alma mater
Occupation Sports Reporter
Employer ESPN
Notable credits
Current:
Previous:
Television
TitleNational Correspondent
Board member ofCooper University Hospital Foundation
SpouseLynn McGraw
Awards See Below
Military career
Allegiance Flag of the United States.svg United States
Branch Flag of the United States Navy (official).svg Navy
Service years1978–1983
Rank Lieutenant
Awards United Nations Meritorious Service Medal
Website ESPN Bio

Salvatore Anthony Nicholas Paolantonio is a Philadelphia-based bureau reporter for ESPN. [1] [2] Since joining ESPN in 1995, Paolantonio has become a staple in their NFL coverage, as he contributes to shows such as SportsCenter , NFL Live , Sunday NFL Countdown (from a game site) and Monday Night Countdown (from the Monday Night Football site). In 2004, he added studio work to his duties, replacing Suzy Kolber as the host of NFL Matchup , an X's and O's football show; joining him are Louis Riddick and Greg Cosell. His best known work for ESPN was his coverage of the Terrell Owens saga with the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Paolantonio has also been an adjunct professor at St. Joseph's University [3] in Philadelphia since 2001.

Contents

Early life

A native of Stewart Manor, New York, Paolantonio attended Sewanhaka High School. [4]

He graduated from the State University of New York at Oneonta in 1977 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. He also attended New York University, where he received a master's degree in journalism in 1978. Paolantonio served as a Surface Warfare officer in the United States Navy [5] from 1979 to 1983 where he was awarded the United Nations Medal in 1983. He served aboard USS Ouellet and the USS Haleakala. [5]

Career

Prior to joining ESPN, he was a political reporter and Philadelphia Eagles beat reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer from 1993 to 1995. During that time he also served as a reporter for WPHL-TV nightly news show, Inquirer News Tonight and hosted Saturday Morning Sports Page on WIP sports radio. In 1993, he published his first book, a biography of Frank L. Rizzo entitled The Last Big Man in Big City America. [6]

In 2018, he published Philly Special: The Inside Story of How the Philadelphia Eagles Won Their First Super Bowl Championship. [7] In 2007, he and fellow sports journalist Reuben Frank put out The Paolantonio Report: The Most Overrated and Underrated Players, Teams, Coaches, and Moments in NFL History. [8] It has been the best-selling NFL book in the country (October 11, 2007) according to Amazon.com. He went on to make the provocative claim in his 2008 folk history, How Football Explains America, [9] that the competition informed the public morality on integration and consciously developed in the mid-20th century into an almost mythic spectacle. [10] With its origins in the closing of the Turnerian frontier, the NFL league, rather than baseball, apparently broke down the color barrier in sports.

Personal life

Paolantonio has been a resident of Haddon Township, New Jersey. [11] He later moved to nearby Moorestown. [2] [12]

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moorestown, New Jersey</span> Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, US

Moorestown is a township in Burlington County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is an eastern suburb of Philadelphia and geographically part of the South Jersey region of the state. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 21,355, an increase of 629 (+3.0%) from the 2010 census count of 20,726, which in turn reflected an increase of 1,709 (+9.0%) from the 19,017 counted in the 2000 census. The township, and all of Burlington County, is a part of the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden combined statistical area and the Delaware Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stewart Manor, New York</span> Village in New York, United States

Stewart Manor is a village in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 1,992 at the time of the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Rizzo</span> American police officer and politician (1920-1991)

Francis Lazarro Rizzo was an American police officer and politician. He served as commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) from 1967 to 1971 and mayor of Philadelphia from 1972 to 1980. He was a member of the Democratic Party throughout the entirety of his career in public office. He switched to the Republican Party in 1986 and campaigned as a Republican for the final five years of his life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State University of New York at Oneonta</span> Public university in Oneonta, New York

The State University of New York at Oneonta, also known as SUNY Oneonta, is a public university in Oneonta, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Jaworski</span> American football player and analyst (born 1951)

Ronald Vincent Jaworski, nicknamed "Jaws", is an American former football quarterback who played 17 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Youngstown State Penguins and was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round of the 1973 NFL draft. After spending four seasons mostly as a backup for the Rams, Jaworski was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1977, where he would lead the Eagles to four consecutive playoff appearances, including a division title and the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance in 1980. After ten seasons with the Eagles, Jaworski signed with the Miami Dolphins, where he would spend two seasons as a backup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suzy Kolber</span> American football sideline reporter, co-producer, and sportscaster

Suzy Kolber is an American football sideline reporter, co-producer, and a former ESPN sports anchor and reporter. She was one of the original anchors of ESPN2 when it launched in 1993. Three years later, she left ESPN2 to join Fox Sports, but returned to ESPN in late 1999. In 2023, she and several other ESPN employees were terminated by the network in what was described as a cost-cutting measure.

Kurt Charles Keeler is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at Sam Houston State University, a position he had held since 2014. Previously, Keeler was the head coach at his alma mater, the University of Delaware, from 2002 to 2012, and at Rowan University from 1993 to 2001.

Sewanhaka High School is a six-year public high school located in Floral Park, New York. It is part of the Sewanhaka Central High School District. Sewanhaka High School was established in 1929. Its name translates from Lenape to "Island of Shells" in English.

<i>Monday Night Countdown</i> American TV series or program

Monday Night Countdown is an American pregame television program that is broadcast on ESPN, preceding its coverage of Monday Night Football. For the network's non-Monday broadcasts, the pregame show is simply titled NFL Countdown. When it debuted in 1993 as NFL Prime Monday, and Monday Night Football was airing on ABC, the pregame show was one of the first cross-pollinations between ESPN and ABC Sports, each of which operated largely under separate management at the time. The show was renamed Monday Night Countdown in 1998 to match its sister show Sunday NFL Countdown, and Monday Night Football moved from ABC to ESPN in 2006. When ABC began airing selected Monday Night Football games in 2016, the network's broadcasts were preceded by simulcasts of Monday Night Countdown. The current sponsor is Panera, starting with the 2023 season. Previous sponsors of the show include UPS, Applebee's, Call of Duty, Courtyard by Marriott and Subway.

<i>Sunday NFL Countdown</i> American TV series or program

Sunday NFL Countdown is an American pre-game show broadcast by ESPN as part of the network's coverage of the National Football League. The program is broadcast on Sunday mornings throughout the regular season, featuring segments highlighting news from around the league, as well as previews and analysis of the day's games. The program debuted as NFL GameDay in 1985, then was renamed as NFL Countdown in 1996, and Sunday NFL Countdown in 1998 to disambiguate it from its Monday night counterpart Monday Night Countdown. During the NFL playoffs, editions of the show are titled as Postseason NFL Countdown.

NFL Matchup is a National Football League (NFL) preview show that airs every week during the regular season and playoffs. At various times, the official name was based on the current sponsor in the format [Sponsor Name] NFL Matchup. Since 2017 it is known simply as the ESPN NFL Matchup, and it is produced utilizing commentary and footage from NFL Films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrea Kremer</span> American sports journalist

Andrea Kremer is a multi-Emmy Award-winning American television sports journalist. She previously called Thursday Night Football games for Amazon Prime Video making sports history, along with Hannah Storm, by becoming the first all-women booth to call any major men's team sport, not just football. Kremer is also Chief Correspondent for the NFL Network and previously led the network's coverage and in-depth reporting on health and safety. Her other current roles include correspondent for HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel as well as co-host of We Need To Talk, the first ever all-female nationally televised weekly sports show on CBS. Until the 2011 season, she worked as a sideline reporter for NBC on the network's coverage of Sunday Night Football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Negandhi</span> American sports journalist

Kevin Negandhi is an American sports anchor for ESPN's SportsCenter as well as ESPN College Football on ABC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Kelce</span> American football player (born 1987)

Jason Daniel Kelce is an American former football center who played his entire 13-year career for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Cincinnati Bearcats and was selected by the Eagles in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL draft. Kelce won Super Bowl LII, was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection, and six-time first-team All-Pro selection. Kelce is often regarded as one of the greatest centers in NFL history.

Sherwood Press Taylor is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served an assistant coach for the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haason Reddick</span> American football player (born 1994)

Haason Samir Reddick is an American football linebacker for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Temple, and was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft. He has also played for the Carolina Panthers and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Matthew Leo is an Australian former American football defensive end and coach who is a player development assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa State and spent three seasons with the Eagles as a player, joining them through the International Player Pathway Program (IPPP).

References

  1. ↑ "Sal Paolantonio". ESPN MediaZone. ESPN. Archived from the original on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  2. 1 2 Fiorillo, Victor (October 25, 2013). "ESPN's Sal Paolantonio Was a Nobody in High School; Plus, the Moorestown-based sports broadcast personality and former Inquirer reporter tells us why Donovan McNabb is misunderstood, his summer chasing Russian subs, and how the Beatles saved the USA". Philadelphia . Accessed January 11, 2018.
  3. ↑ "ESPN's Sal Paolantonio to Speak at Wilmington University". Wilmington University Public Relations. 27 March 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  4. ↑ "ESPN's Sal Paolantonio Earns Suny Honor, Will Deliver Commencement Speech at Suny Oneonta", readMedia.com, April 12, 2013. Accessed January 11, 2018. "Paolantonio grew up in Stewart Manor, Long Island, and attended Sewanhaka High School in Floral Park, N.Y. He graduated from SUNY Oneonta in 1977 and has been a journalist working in newspapers, magazines, television and radio for 30 years."
  5. 1 2 Fazio, Dan. "On The Sidelines with LT. Sal Paolantonio". G.I. Jobs. Archived from the original on 29 December 2010. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  6. ↑ Paolantonio, S.A.; Timoney, John (April 2003). Rizzo: The Last Big Man in Big City America. Camino Books. ISBN   978-0-940159-27-3.
  7. ↑ Paolantonio, Sal (August 2018). Philly Special. Triumph Books. ISBN   9781629376349.
  8. ↑ Paolantonio, Sal; Frank, Reuben (October 2007). The Paolantonio Report . Triumph Books. ISBN   9781600780257.
  9. ↑ Paolantonio, Sal (September 2008). How Football Explains America. Triumph Books. ISBN   9781623680923.
  10. ↑ Marlett, Jeffrey (2009-01-31). "Gridiron Nation". First Things . Retrieved 2009-02-07.
  11. ↑ Bracy, Aaron (March 18, 2005). "Staley's success is no surprise to Leslie". Courier-Post . Accessed March 21, 2011. "Sal Paolantonio, a Haddon Township resident, recently signed a four-year contract extension with ESPN."
  12. ↑ Aleardi, Marianne (July 2013). "Ten Questions: Sal Paolantonio; The ESPN correspondent talks sports, politics and Uncle Bill's Pancake House". South Jersey Magazine. Accessed January 11, 2018. "A resident of Moorestown, Paolantonio spends the NFL season watching, talking, breathing football."
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.