Sal Paolantonio is a
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
-based bureau reporter for ESPN. Since joining ESPN in 1995, Paolantonio has become a staple in their NFL coverage, as he contributes to shows such as ''
SportsCenter
''SportsCenter'' (SC) is a daily sports news television show, television program that serves as the flagship program and brand of United States, American cable television, cable and satellite television television network, network ESPN. The show ...
'', ''
NFL Live
''NFL Live'' (stylized as ''NFL Live presented by Autotrader'' for sponsorship reasons) is an American National Football League (NFL) studio show, currently airing Monday through Friday at 3:00 p.m ET on sports cable channel ESPN. Formerly know ...
'', ''
Sunday NFL Countdown
''Sunday NFL Countdown'' (officially ''Sunday NFL Countdown presented by Snickers'') is an American pregame television program that covers the NFL action for that week. The show airs on ESPN in the United States and TSN in Canada from 10 a.m. to ...
'' (from a game site) and ''
Monday Night Countdown
''ESPN Monday Night Countdown'' (officially ''Monday Night Countdown presented by Subway'') is an American pregame television program that is broadcast on ESPN, preceding ''Monday Night Football''. When it debuted in 1993 as ''NFL Prime Monday'' ...
'' (from the ''
Monday Night Football
''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, AB ...
'' site). In 2004, he added studio work to his duties, replacing
Suzy Kolber
Suzy Kolber (; born ) is an American football sideline reporter, co- producer, and sportscaster for ESPN. She was one of the original anchors of ESPN2 when it launched in 1993. Three years later, she left ESPN2 to join Fox Sports, and rejoined ...
as the host of ''
NFL Matchup
''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 '' ponsor NameNFL Matchup''. Since 201 ...
'', an X's and O's football show; joining him are
Louis Riddick Louis may refer to:
* Louis (coin)
* Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name
* Louis (surname)
* Louis (singer), Serbian singer
* HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy
See also
Derived or associated terms
* Lewis (d ...
and
Greg Cosell
Greg Cosell is an NFL analyst and a senior producer at NFL Films. He is the nephew of late broadcaster Howard Cosell. Cosell is highly regarded by NFL insiders for his football knowledge.
Born in Queens, New York, Cosell attended Amherst Colle ...
. His best known work for ESPN was his coverage of the
Terrell Owens
Terrell Eldorado Owens (; born December 7, 1973), nicknamed T.O., is an American football wide receiver for the Knights of Degen of Fan Controlled Football (FCF). He previously played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. Regar ...
saga with the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Paolantonio has also been an adjunct professor at
St. Joseph's University
Saint Joseph's University (SJU or St. Joe's) is a private Jesuit university in Philadelphia and Lower Merion, Pennsylvania. The university was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1851 as Saint Joseph's College. Saint Joseph's is the seventh olde ...
in Philadelphia since 2001.
Early life
A native of
Stewart Manor, New York
Stewart Manor is a village in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 1,896 at the 2010 census.
History
Stewart Manor had been called Sunrise Gardens between 1925 and 1927, after ...
, Paolantonio attended
Sewanhaka High School
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 to "Island of Shells" in English ...
.
He graduated from the
State University of New York at Oneonta
The State University of New York College at Oneonta, also known as SUNY Oneonta, is a public college in Oneonta, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system.
History
SUNY Oneonta was established in 1889 as the Oneon ...
in 1977 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. He also attended
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
, where he received a master's degree in journalism in 1978. Paolantonio served as a Surface Warfare officer in the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
from 1979 to 1983 where he was awarded the United Nations Medal in 1983. He served aboard and the .
Career
Prior to joining ESPN, he was a political reporter and
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
beat reporter for ''
The Philadelphia Inquirer
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...
'' from 1993 to 1995. During that time he also served as a reporter for
WPHL-TV
WPHL-TV (channel 17) is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, affiliated with MyNetworkTV. The station is owned by Nexstar Media Group and has studios in the Wynnefield section of West Philadelphia; it maintains a ...
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
Francis Lazarro Rizzo (October 23, 1920 – July 16, 1991) was an American police officer and politician. He served as Philadelphia police commissioner from 1968 to 1971 and mayor of Philadelphia from 1972 to 1980. He was a member of the Democ ...
entitled ''The Last Big Man in Big City America''.
In 2018, he published ''Philly Special: The Inside Story of How the Philadelphia Eagles Won Their First Super Bowl Championship''.
In 2007, he and fellow sports journalist
Reuben Frank
Reuben or Reuven is a Biblical male first name from Hebrew רְאוּבֵן (Re'uven), meaning "behold, a son". In the Bible, Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob.
Variants include Rúben in European Portuguese; Rubens in Brazilian Portuguese ...
put out ''The Paolantonio Report: The Most Overrated and Underrated Players, Teams, Coaches, and Moments in NFL History''.
It has been the best-selling NFL book in the country (October 11, 2007) according to
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...
. He went on to make the provocative claim in his 2008 folk history, ''How Football Explains America'',
that the competition informed the
public morality on integration and consciously developed in the mid-20th century into an almost mythic spectacle. With its origins in the closing of the
Turnerian frontier, the NFL league, rather than baseball, apparently broke down the
color barrier
Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crime against humanity under the Statute of the Internati ...
in sports.
Personal life
Paolantonio has been a resident of
Haddon Township, New Jersey
Haddon Township is a township in Camden County, New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 15,407, an increase of 700 (+4.8%) from the 2010 census count of 14,707, in turn reflecting an increase of 56 (+0 ...
. He later moved to nearby
Moorestown.
[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." His given name is Salvatore Anthony Nicholas Paolantonio.
Awards
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*
*
*
References
External links
Sal Paolantonio's ESPN BioSal Paolantonio at ESPN.comSal Paolantonio at ESPN.tv
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paolantonio, Sal
Living people
American television sports announcers
American writers of Italian descent
People from Haddon Township, New Jersey
People from Moorestown, New Jersey
Sportspeople from Queens, New York
The Philadelphia Inquirer people
United States Navy sailors
State University of New York at Oneonta alumni
New York University alumni
Saint Joseph's University faculty
Sportspeople from the Delaware Valley
Writers from New Jersey
National Football League announcers
Writers from Queens, New York
American male non-fiction writers
United States Navy officers
Military personnel from New Jersey
Year of birth missing (living people)