For the first time in over 20 years, Rich Eisen will be anchoring an episode of ESPN’s SportsCenter.
ESPN made the announcement on Monday morning and revealed that Eisen will be taking the reins of the 11 p.m. ET showing on the same evening. It isn’t clear if this will be a regular thing or a one-off.
Eisen will go live on SportsCenter following the conclusion of the Monday Night Football preseason contest between the Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Commanders.
Eisen was one of the most popular SportsCenter anchors during his time with the network from 1996-2003. He has been with NFL Network since his stint with ESPN ended and hosts The Rich Eisen Show, which has become very popular over the years.
Eisen hosting SportsCenter comes after a recent deal with ESPN that will see his show broadcast nationally on ESPN Radio starting on Sept. 2. His show will take over the noon to 3 p.m. time slot and will also be shown both on Disney+ and ESPN+.
“Rich Eisen is an ESPN icon and his return to Disney and ESPN platforms is a great win for all,” said Burke Magnus, ESPN President of Content.
“To say this has been a long time coming is an understatement, especially considering I never thought a reunion with ESPN would happen in any role, let alone such a crucial one of ‘partner,’” Eisen said of the deal.
Eisen will be flanked by ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes during his return to the anchor desk on Monday night, and he will, of course, be delivering highlights and at least one post-game interview with Monday Night Football anchors Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.
