Mike Black grew up in Bellevue and was an All-KingCo selection for the Wolverines in 1986 as a place kicker and punter. After his prep career finished, Black continued playing at Boise State University, where he was coached by Seahawks quarterback and legend Jim Zorn.
A lifelong Hawks fan who attended nearly all of the team’s home games from 1976 until leaving for college in 1987, Black has been part of the ESPN-ABC crew that produces Monday Night Football and Thursday night NCAA football for nearly a decade.
Black, who now resides in California, works as the talent spotter and stage manager with the broadcast crew of Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski on the ESPN Monday Night Football crew that is in Seattle for the Seahawks Week 14 division matchup with the St. Louis Rams at Century Link Field.
He took some time to chat with the Reporter about working with such recognizable characters in the booth, the life of a production crew member and his best memories as a Wolverine.
BELLEVUE REPORTER: How often do you make it back to the Pacific Northwest and Bellevue?
MIKE BLACK: With my schedule, with college football and the NFL, it’s anytime we do a Seahawks Monday night game or the last three or four years, a couple UW games here and there. I hope for one a year at least.
BR: When you’re back in town, what are your must-visit spots?
MB: I’ve got to eat at Spud Fish and Chips. I make it over to Bellevue to check out the old stomping grounds and to the UW right on the water because that’s where we spread my dad’s ashes.
BR: How did you land with the Monday Night Football crew?
MB: ESPN took it [MNF] over in 2006 and me and Tirico have been together since before then. I was on the ABC Monday Night crew doing a different job the previous few years and were on the Thursday college package and they made the switch to Monday night.
BR: What is the preparation like for the crew for Monday Night Football?
MB: The people on the crew live all over the country. There are production people that prepare all week long in Bristol, Conn. They go through meetings and prepare the video and pre-production stuff. Then there’s cameramen, video, audio and some production people who work as freelancers all over the country. We meet up every week, depending on the position, then fly in two or three days before. A lot of people who work the Monday Night show also work other sports at ESPN and a lot of us work college football.
BR: What is your favorite part of the event that is Monday Night Football?
MB: I like the whole pre-game atmosphere. Once you get up to the booth an hour before the game, you start to feel the energy and the excitement of Monday Night Football. Once the ball is kicked off, working as a spotter, I’ve got to be into every play and ready for anything to happen. That’s when the real intensity starts because I can’t take my eyes off the field or take a play off.
BR: Are there any games or broadcasts that stick out from your years covering football?
MB: To me, every game is so great. A few games have stuck on on our Monday Night show. The Brett Favre game a couple years ago was a highlight. That was probably one of the most hyped ones for us. Oct. 5, 2009, when the Packers went to Minnesota and Favre was the Vikings quarterback. It’s crazy to say this, but I really enjoy every game I work. There have been so many big games in college football too and then I came to Monday and it’s even more crazy. I still enjoy coming back to Seattle the best of all the trips, the memories of going to all the Seahawks games. It’s definitely one of my favorite trips if not my favorite.
BR: All of the guys in the booth are quite the characters on the air. Does it change when the cameras switch off?
MB: They’re totally easy-going. After I played at Boise State I played in the Arena League for 10 years, so I have a history with Gruden. I used to compete against Jay, his younger brother, who is now the offensive coordinator with the Bengals. Jay was a coach with the Orlando Predators so when Jon got on the show, it was pretty cool because I had the history with his brother. Jaworski is heavily involved in the Arena League still so we’ve known each other over the years so when he got assigned to the show it was awesome. When Jaws came on, it was great and when Gruden was announced it got that much better. The guys are so relaxed leading up to the game and they’re pretty self-sufficient. It seems like they are everybody’s best friends on the crew.
BR: You have obviously remained close to football and have a passion for it. What are a few of the highlights from your prep days?
MB: The senior year I had and being so close with my teammates and guys I grew up with is what I remember most, playing with guys who I was friends with away from the field and on the field. That year was really the main year I started the whole season. We lost in the first round of the playoffs, so obviously that was disappointing. But having that as my first full season of high school playing, it was a great memory and I knew I wanted to play in college somewhere.
BR: Do you keep up with the Wolverines and what do you think of where the program is today?
MB: It’s amazing to see what’s happened to Bellevue. It’s great to come back and see it. Where I see it the most is in USA Today when I read it on the road. I see the weekly rankings and they keep creeping up. It’s really cool, it’s hard to believe.
