Thursday, 16 April 2026

Mike Francesca

Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Commentators 2026
Embed from Getty Images
Sport(s): Sports Talk Show Host
Statistics & Accolades: 2x Marconi Award Winner
National Radio Hall of Fame
New York State Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame
From New York City, Mike Francesca is a walking encyclopedia of sports knowledge. Originally working at CBS Sports, Francesca became a Big Apple icon when he and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo put WFAN on the map. That pairing launched the station to the stratosphere, and for a time, they were at the top of the mountain of the sports talk format.

In 2008, Russo departed WFAN, and Francesca went at it alone until 2017. Francesca may not have had the television exposure of some of the other nominees, but the “Sports Pope” is one of the reasons that sports talk radio is where it is today.

We are proud to nominate Chris Fowler for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.