Syracuse alum Mike Tirico to work one last gig for ESPN after 25 years

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Syracuse, N.Y. June 30, 1991 was Mike Tirico"s first day on the job at ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut.

Twenty-five years to the day, he"ll work his last assignment for the "Worldwide Leader in Sports" in Paris, France.

Tirico will host coverage of the Poland-Portugal quarterfinal (2:30 p.m. ET) and post-match "UEFA EURO 2016 Tonight" studio show (5 p.m.) from the City of Lights.

He"ll sign off Thursday night and then one of the most prominent alums of the S.I. Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University will look to a future with NBC Sports.

The journey to Paris 25 years in the making, that began in Syracuse as a local sportscaster at WTVH-5 before signing with ESPN in 1991, had some of the best stops in sports along the way.

Bristol, the mecca for sportscasters looking to coin the next catchphrase on "SportsCenter."

Greeting the patrons on the greenest grass imaginable at The Masters in Augusta, Ga.

The elegance of Wimbledon across the pond.

The energy of Green Bay, "The Black Hole" in Oakland or trying to raise your voice just to be heard over the "12th man" in Seattle as just the fourth-ever voice of "Monday Night Football."

Calling a basketball game while feeling the breath of a student section on your neck in Ames, Iowa, or Bloomington, Ind., or rubbing elbows with Jack Nicholson courtside at the Staples Center on the latest NBA assignment.

Tirico"s journey at ESPN has taken him to almost every corner of the sports globe. If he left any stone unturned, NBC has given him a map to find the rest, starting in Rio in August.

Tirico will team with fellow Syracuse alum Bob Costas for a championship Newhouse tag team at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Tirico has become one of the biggest names in sports broadcasting but always made time to recognize those that were unrecognizable behind the cameras at ESPN.

"During his 25 years with the company, Mike has made tremendous contributions to ESPN across the variety of sports and properties he has touched; even more important, he has developed lasting friendships with his on-air colleagues and so many ESPN employees behind the camera," ESPN"s Executive Vice President, Programming and Production, John Wildhack said. "We thank Mike for all he"s done for ESPN and we wish him the best in this new chapter of his career."

With a busy schedule that took him to the best gigs in sports, Tirico could be forgiven if Syracuse was only mentioned in passing, but in many ways he never left.

It is not uncommon to bump into Tirico in a concession line at the Carrier Dome or on the way to a class he was guest lecturer for on campus. He has worked with the Newhouse Advisory Board, the Sport Management Advisory Council and the Athletics Advisory Board. He is a member of the Syracuse University Board of Trustees.

Appearing on ESPN Radio"s "Mike and Mike (start at 32:00 mark)," host Mike Golic spoke of the reverance Tirico holds in Syracuse.

"Through our time here we have had the chance to meet a lot of big time people who are adored by the public," Golic said. "I have never seen a person bowed down to than when I do a game with Tirico at Syracuse. It is unbelievable. We did college games together and did one or two there and you want to talk about kiss the ring moments? Mike, it"s pretty amazing how you are treated there. It"s pretty cool."

"It"s my school. It"s my alma mater," Tirico answered. "Those people have been wonderful to me. We did the game right after 9/11, the first game back (Syracuse vs. Auburn on Sept 22, 2001). We drove up to Syracuse and it was a special time to be on our campus there at that point. With what happened in Orlando we are always reminded all the time how unimportant what we all do is. Sports is a gathering place that reminds us that we go forward and do stuff."

Tirico isn"t going far on the dial. He"ll been seen on NBC at the Rio Olympics, on the network"s NFL and golf coverage and more.

That said, it feels like the end of an era with Tirico moving on from ESPN.

For 25 years, he"s been there on our television screens and heard on the radio airwaves, wherever "there" was, helping ESPN rise from a little cable channel with the crazy idea to broadcast sports 24 hours a day to the multi-billion dollar brand owned by Disney it is today.

From "Sportscenter" to launching "ESPNews" and ESPN Radio to doing play-by-play, in the studio or reporting from the field at all the sporting events that mattered.

"The friendships will stay," Tirico told ESPN"s Scott Van Pelt about leaving ESPN. "I think that"s what is getting me through the emotional and the sad part. You leave with unbelievable friendships that will last me in life far longer than whatever letters define where I"m employed."

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Source: http://www.syracuse.com/axeman/index.ssf/2016/06/syracuse_alum_mike_tirico_to_work_one_last_gig_for_espn_after_25_years_1.html