NFL Network Names Bob Papa Lead Announcer
Veteran announcer to replace Bryant Gumbel alongside Cris Collinsworth.
By B&C Staff -- Broadcasting & Cable, 7/16/2008 10:24:00 PM
NFL Network announced Wednesday morning that Bob Papa will replace Bryant Gumbel as the play-by-play announcer for the league-owned network’s slate of regular-season contests.
Papa gives the network a veteran lead announcer, as he has handled New York Giants radio broadcasts since 1995.
The move should appease football fans, many of whom did not favor the work of Gumbel, whose two years on the network reflected the fact that he had never called a National Football League game prior to landing the job.
Papa will call the eight-game NFL Network slate alongside Cris Collinsworth, who also analyzes football for NBC and Showtime’s Inside the NFL.
