Fox Reportedly Makes Decision on Joe Buck's Replacement of Lead NFL Announcer

By Brian Jones

Joe Buck will not be calling NFL games for Fox as he recently joined ESPN with Troy Aikman. But it looks like Fox has found its man for Buck's previous position of No. 1 NFL announcer. According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, Fox and Kevin Burkhardt are finalizing a contract to make him the voice of lead voice for NFL games. He will also call the next three Super Bowls Fox, including next year's Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona on Feb. 12. 

Burkhardt, 48, was on the No. 2 broadcast team with former NFL tight end Greg Olsen and sideline reporter Pam Oliver last season. He has also covered MLB and college basketball for Fox Sports since joining the network in 2013, according to his bio. Before joining Fox, Burkhardt called NFL games national for Compass Media before entering the national spot for the Dallas Cowboys from 2011 to 2012. He also covered the New York Mets and the New York Jets for SportsNet New York. 

Buck and Aikman will be the voices and faces of ESPN's Monday Night Football. Both signed multi-year contracts with the network and will be calling games together for the 21st season this fall. In two decades together, Buck and Aikman have called six Super Bowls, the second-most behind Pat Sumerall and John Madden. 

"Everything about Monday Night Football, including the broadcast, set the standard for the modern NFL experience," Buck said. "My earliest memories of walking around football stadiums are tagging along with my dad as he called Monday Night Football on radio. To return to the stadium on Monday nights with Troy – who I have the utmost comfort with and confidence in – and begin a new chapter, for us and ESPN, has me excited about this season and our future."  

Buck began calling NFL games during the 1994-95 season at 25 years old. He is calling NFL games for the 29th consecutive season and will be the eighth play-by-play voice of Monday Night Football. Along with his working in the NFL, Buck also is an established voice in baseball, calling 24 World Series and 22 MLB All-Star games in his career. His father, Jack Buck, was a legendary sports announcer who was the voice of the St. Louis Cardinals. He also called NFL games, working the Monday Night Football national radio broadcast from 1978-1984 and 1987-1995. 

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