Mike Tirico's unprecedented February: Super Bowl and Olympics host

Mike Tirico doesn't have many firsts left in what has been an extraordinary broadcast career.

However, this isn't a normal February for Tirico.

On Sunday, Tirico will call his first Super Bowl. Immediately following the conclusion of the Seattle-New England game, Tirico will transition to his role as NBC's primetime host for Olympic coverage. That will make Tirico the first to call a Super Bowl and serve as the main Olympic host in the same year.

''Nothing can match this winter. You don't even think about dreaming of doing something like this because it's stupid to think that this is reality. But I'm so excited for it and very blessed to be a part of it,'' Tirico said.

Tirico's unique February began Sunday, when he called a Los Angeles Lakers-New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden to launch NBC's ''Sunday Night Basketball'' package. The NBA returned to NBC this season for the first time since 2022.

It is the third time NBC has had the Winter Games and the Super Bowl in the same year, but only the second time both have overlapped on the same Sunday.

When the Patriots faced the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 52, the opening ceremony for the PyeongChang Games was five days away. Tirico did a remote hit from South Korea during the Super Bowl pregame show.

"For him to have this moment in time where he's going to do the Super Bowl, he's going to be the lead voice in the Olympics, he's going to be the lead voice in the NBA — I can barely keep these two teams straight in my mind. How he keeps all of that inside that computer brain of his, I have no idea, but there's nobody like him,'' said Cris Collinsworth, who will be doing his sixth Super Bowl as an analyst.

Super Sunday milestone

Tirico becomes the 13th announcer to handle play-by-play duties for a Super Bowl, and the fourth to do it for NBC. Dick Enberg called eight of NBC's 20 previous Super Bowls, while Curt Gowdy did seven, and Al Michaels called the last five.

One reason Tirico left ESPN for NBC in 2016 was the chance to eventually do a Super Bowl. Tirico was the voice of ''Monday Night Football'' from 2006 through '15, but it wasn't until the NFL's current broadcast contracts began in 2023 that ESPN joined the rotation of Super Bowl broadcasters. ESPN will have next year's game.

Sunday will be Tirico's 290th NFL game, excluding preseason, according to NBC.

Even with extra time to prepare, Tirico has used the same approach as always. As soon as Seattle defeated San Francisco in the NFC championship game on Jan. 25, he was in his office, getting his game charts together and analyzing the backup quarterbacks.

Tirico will have plenty of storylines for Sunday, from Mike Vrabel turning around the Patriots in his first year as coach to quarterback Sam Darnold leading Seattle to the Super Bowl after signing as a free agent from Minnesota.

No matter how the game goes, producer Rob Hyland is confident Tirico will paint the perfect picture. Hyland pointed to Tirico telling the story of Baltimore rookie kicker Tyler Loop leading into a last-minute kick during the regular-season finale at Pittsburgh, without videotape, as evidence of Tirico's performance.

''I think Mike has become, in my opinion, the best storyteller in live television. He told that kicker story in 25 seconds, and you really understood a lot about him, a lot about the Ravens organization, why they moved on from Justin Tucker,'' Hyland said. ''I think Mike's ability to tell stories has only gotten better every single year since he's been a part of NBC, and I think that's an area where he is the best at what he does.''

Off to Milan

Besides Tirico, Gowdy, Greg Gumbel, and Jim Nantz have also done the Super Bowl and served as Olympic primetime hosts. The other three, though, didn't do it the same year.

This will be Tirico's fifth Olympics as primetime host and his third for a Winter Games. Before joining NBC, he covered the FIFA World Cups and UEFA European Championships for ESPN. Those month-long events helped shape how he approaches the hectic pace of the 16 days of the Olympics.

''Usually when I get to Olympics or World Cups, I've found myself on a really good schedule, getting your daily routine dialed in and just maintaining that because I think it maintains your sanity. Your sleep isn't too long, but it's quality sleep, you get a workout, and you get good meals, and you find the comforts that you need, and you make your way through it.''

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