Earlier than “Fox NFL Sunday” is going live to tell the tale breeze, Howie Lengthy is obvious writing. Ask the colleagues round him at the i’m ready, they usually’ll say he’s at all times writing.
Michael Strahan teases Lengthy about it. Jimmy Johnson laughs at what he shouts “volumes” of notes. Terry Bradshaw lovingly shouts the often-serious Lengthy “boring” when he doesn’t chime in on jokes — basically as a result of he’s involved in his notes. Jay Glazer stated Lengthy’s handwriting is so petite that he has deny thought how Lengthy reads his notes.
Regardless of the condition, Lengthy makes certain to write realistic to life notes—even though he admits to the use of lower than 10 % of the ones.
“It’s the way I’ve always done things. Everybody’s got their little quirks, and those are mine,” Lengthy stated.
It’s crisp to argue with Lengthy’s method. Consideration to component helped him grow to be a 1981 second-round NFL Draft select from Villanova and carve out a Professional Soccer Corridor of Popularity occupation as a defensive lineman with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. Consideration to component is also a explanation why for his standout occupation in broadcasting, as he’s build a résumé highlighted by means of 30-plus years with Fox.
That center of attention and component elevate over into the remainder of his moment, as smartly. The meticulous option to being a father and husband is related to how he aspired for greatness enjoying for the Raiders and the way he has honed his craft as a broadcaster.
He will also be the objective of a shaggy dog story together with his colleagues and friends, however on account of Lengthy’s preparation with the whole lot he does, such a lot of of them would be the first to mention they appreciate and appreciate him as an individual.
“Everything that Howie does, he is extremely thorough, and he’s as prepared as any individual I’ve ever known,” Johnson stated. “Doesn’t make any difference what endeavor it is — whether it’s getting ready for ‘Fox NFL Sunday,’ whether it’s getting ready for a football game, whether it’s talking to his sons in their preparation for a game or for television — he is as thoroughly prepared as anybody I’ve ever known.”
Lengthy clear of soccer tv is a tale in itself. He’s a fortunately married guy and a devoted father and grandfather. He’s the individual Glazer consults with relating to fatherhood, in addition to the blueprint for a a success marriage. Rob Gronkowski stated Lengthy is a useful paintings assistant and a fair more potent function fashion.
And Bradshaw has such a lot accept as true with in him that it was once Lengthy he first confided in then finding out he had cancer in 2021.
The Fox staff as soon as had programming conferences in California scheduled on Saturdays. Lengthy requested if conferences may just rather be moved to Sunday mornings to have touring date then looking at Chris play games highschool soccer in Virginia on Friday nights. The community assuredly to Sundays with one main caveat: The primary date Bradshaw was once past due, conferences would walk again to Saturdays.
Lengthy made himself accountable for selecting up Bradshaw to form certain he could be on date.
“Howie might be the best human being I know,” stated Invoice Richards, government manufacturer of “Fox NFL Sunday.” “It’s just who he is, 24/7, and he’s not 1 percent fake.”
Raiders legend Howie Lengthy in attendance this night. pic.twitter.com/gvtS04VsqW
— Vegas Sports activities These days (@VegasSportsTD) December 17, 2024
Lengthy’s development of prayer begins together with his past due grandmother, Elizabeth Hilton Mullan, who raised him and helped instill core values. Lengthy, who turns 65 in January, grew up within the Seventies all the way through desegregation in Boston, and Mullan instilled in him to regard all crowd the similar.
A stellar highschool athletic occupation allowed him to discover a house within the Philadelphia department, the place he performed school soccer at Villanova. A four-year letter winner, Lengthy was once the MVP of the 1980 Blue-Grey Soccer Vintage — regardless of the truth he made the group most effective as an shock substitute. Lengthy stated he was once selected as a result of he performed in highschool with the son of one of the crucial coaches at the variety committee, Harvard’s Joe Restic.
Lengthy’s educator within the recreation? Jimmy Johnson.
“He got the MVP award not only by being a good player but, from what I recall, he blocked a kick,” Johnson stated of Lengthy. “We weren’t supposed to block kicks in that game, but he ended up being the MVP because of it.”
Lengthy’s at all times selected to be overprepared in lieu than underprepared, so his no-nonsense method isn’t for display.
A soccer play games lasts just a few seconds, and on tv, Lengthy would possibly discuss for 20-25 seconds at a date. However he would in lieu be in a position to talk about a supplementary proper secure than input a dialog unprepared. It’s a part of what his colleagues at Fox appreciate about Lengthy — the preparation and willpower to the craft.
It’s additionally why they snicker about Lengthy. As a result of amid a Bradshaw shaggy dog story, who in reality needs to speak about the best secure?
However Lengthy’s method works for him.
“You just fill your head with information. What’s the harm in being overprepared?” he stated. “I don’t know any other way.”
Lengthy’s regimented tactics yielded effects at the soccer ground. He was once an eight-time Professional Bowler and a three-time All-Professional, and he was once part of the Raiders team that won Super Bowl XVIII in Tampa, Fla. He was once inducted into the Professional Soccer Corridor of Popularity in 2000.
Howie Lengthy earned his Professional Soccer Corridor of Popularity gold jacket in 2000. (Kirby Lee / USA These days)
Being a creature of addiction was once a heavy reason. Lengthy stated for years he took the similar path to Raiders observe. If the Eighties groups didn’t grant meals within the facility like groups do now, he’d oppose on the similar eating place for breakfast.
Lengthy stated he at all times took diligent notes as a Raider. When making ready for an opponent, he may well be informed a group runs a definite play games out of a definite formation 14 out of 20 instances. Listening to that was once most effective a part of the making plans and processing for Lengthy.
“I would write it out 14 times under the formation so that when the (offensive) huddle broke in that formation, I could divide the field in half with the percentages,” he stated. “And so, I’d cheat my stance 3 inches.
“I’ve always been that kind of a person that wants to see everything. I want to hear everything. I want to see everything that might pop up. Here’s the thing: I think a lot of people are probably like this to a certain extent. By the end of the day, really, you use about 8 percent of what’s in your bucket. I’d rather be overprepared by 92 percent than underprepared by 20 percent.”
When Lengthy first auditioned for a place at Fox, then-producer David Hill was once searching for a educator, an offensive participant and a defensive participant for an hour-long pregame display. He sought after a bunch who would provide as some extent secure however would permit the others to specific themselves.
Being too ready virtually price Lengthy a chance. Hill was once taking a look extra for a laid-back analyst to the place the display could be considered as conversational and no more conventional, virtually as though buddies have been sitting in a yard and speaking soccer.
“I came in with, like, 100 pages of notes, and I’d watched every game there was to watch,” Lengthy stated. “I literally spoke to the commissioner, spoke to coaches. … I was stiff, buttoned up, and tried to just be the classic broadcaster kind of guy.”
Bradshaw nonetheless laughs when recalling the “6-inch stack of notes” Lengthy dropped at the tryout. “Information overload” is what Bradshaw referred to as it. However Bradshaw knew what he may just in the end have in a printed spouse, and he requested Hill if he and Lengthy may just audition once more in combination.
Earlier than the second one audition, Bradshaw gave Lengthy a pep communicate.
“I told Howie as best I could, ‘Put the notes down; it’s just me and you covering this,’” Bradshaw stated. “Just give me your opinions and be a little more relaxed and not quite as intense.”
The second one probability led to Fox hiring Lengthy. Thirty-plus years then, Lengthy continues to be a mainstay on considered one of Fox’s maximum widespread sports activities presentations.
Lengthy nonetheless prepares with depth, virtually like somebody calling a recreation in lieu than as an analyst for pregame and postgame presentations. However Strahan stated Lengthy’s analytical soccer thoughts is an advantage at the i’m ready.
Lengthy’s critical mindset infrequently can pass over the messages of the playful aspect of his colleagues, and lots of the date, Lengthy is a great recreation if he’s the butt of a shaggy dog story.
Teasing Lengthy’s population, on the other hand, is the order that lots of the Fox staff individuals negative to go. He met his spouse, Diane, day at Villanova, and the 2 have been married in 1982. Two in their 3 sons, Chris and Kyle, had forged careers within the NFL. Chris received a Tremendous Bowl with the Unutilized England Patriots and some other with the Philadelphia Eagles. Kyle performed seven seasons with the Chicago Bears. Lengthy’s 3rd son, Howie Jr., works in top class gross sales for the Raiders.
Lengthy is a Professional Soccer Corridor of Famer, however he’s a proud husband, father and grandfather sooner than all. (Andy Lewis / Icon Sportswire by the use of Getty Pictures)
Strahan stated Lengthy is at all times speaking about his spouse, sons and grandchildren. He’ll FaceTime from the i’m ready with the grandchildren and is at all times appearing off footage.
Anything else adverse about them — in jest or now not — is a unholy thought.
“You know how people say, ‘Don’t you talk about my family,’ and they’re kind of joking?” Strahan stated. “With Howie, you talk about his family, you’re on your own. I can’t help you.”
And infrequently, jokes grow to be uncomfortable conditions in Lengthy’s presence. Glazer, thought to be the prankster of the Fox staff, as soon as gave Lengthy a card with a faux lottery price tag for the vacations. The pretend was once a profitable price tag for $25,000.
What came about then was once in conventional Lengthy type.
“‘I think I won $25,000,’” Glazer recalled Lengthy pronouncing. “He turns to the assistant who gave him the card and says, ‘Here you go. Merry Christmas.’ I’m saying, ‘No!’
“But that’s Howie. He was literally like, wow, I just got $25,000 … I’m going to give it to somebody else. That sums him.”
Lengthy as a directly shooter has been important for the expansion of Gronkowski as an analyst and the most recent member of the staff. Gronkowski, who arrived as a contributor to Fox in 2019, stated Lengthy isn’t egocentric together with his wisdom and is somebody somebody can incline on.
“If I’m struggling to come up with a fact or talking point, he’ll share that fact that he has,” Gronkowski stated. “He’ll give me a talking point, and I’ll use that talking point. He won’t even ask for any of the credit. That just shows what type of guy he is, how humble he is. He knows the game of football like no one else and loves to talk X’s and O’s.”
To Lengthy, the Fox staff is like population. Lots of the individuals have obvious his 3 sons develop up and feature a success careers. Lengthy shouts Bradshaw the used brother he by no means knew he wanted. Lengthy’s kids know Bradshaw as “Uncle Terry.”
Lengthy (proper) was once one of the crucial few crowd Terry Bradshaw confided as he handled most cancers in 2021 and 2022. (Lily Hernandez / Fox Sports activities)
Bradshaw remembers the September 2022 incident when he misplaced his breath and wanted Lengthy’s support. Lengthy was once compassionate smartly sooner than Bradshaw shared his diagnosis to the public refer to day.
“Athletes, we’re really macho people,” Bradshaw stated. “We talk smack all the time, but we don’t live our lives like that. When I had cancer, I didn’t tell the other people, but I told Howie because of our friendship. He cares about me, and I needed to talk to somebody.”
When Lengthy retired from the Raiders following the 1993 season, he discovered a moment brotherhood together with his Fox colleagues. He nonetheless loves the Raiders. He’s gradual when he has to talk about or criticize them. It might be simple to speed pictures on the group, however he doesn’t.
Lengthy stated he has one yr left on his Fox guarantee then this season. He stated he’ll proceed to paintings “as long as they want me to.” He jokes about ditching his trademark flattop haircut if he does quit.
For the time being, Lengthy will proceed to experience himself and all of the moments and friendships created at Fox. Despite the fact that that implies writing extra notes, listening to extra jokes and keeping up a meticulous option to what’s been an excessively a success broadcasting occupation amongst a gaggle of proficient people.
“Howie is the grown-up in the room that makes sure we have respectability,” Richards stated. “Not that the other people aren’t, but Howie is never gonna let us cross the line in a bad way. And that’s really important to me.”
(Supremacy photograph: Carmen Mandato / Getty Pictures)
