In his first year of "retirement" after three decades of doing TV work for ABC and CBS, college football and NFL Hall of Famer Dan Dierdorf will spend the fall doing color commentary for Michigan games on the school's IMG Radio Network.
The move was announced in a press release from the university, which also tabbed veteran color commentator Jim Brandstatter as his partner and play-by-play announcer:
The University of Michigan Athletic Department and IMG College, the university's multimedia rights partner, announced today (Thursday, April 17) that college and NFL Hall of Fame player and broadcaster Dan Dierdorf will be joining Jim Brandstatter in the radio booth for Wolverines football broadcasts on the Michigan IMG Radio Network beginning this fall.
Brandstatter, who has served as the team's color commentator on the flagship radio broadcast for the past 34 years, will handle play-by-play duties, and Dierdorf will provide color commentary for the flagship broadcast of Michigan football, heard on WWJ-AM (950) in Detroit.
Dierdorf went to high school in Canton, Ohio, but chose to play for Michigan and head coach Bo Schembechler in the late 1960s. A speedy offensive tackle, he helped the Wolverines win the Big Ten in 1969, going All-Conference that season and All-American in 1970.
"I'm so excited to be able to come back to my alma mater and contribute in this manner," said Dierdorf, according to the release. "This is the only broadcasting job that I would have considered after retiring from network television. It's a chance to return to the city where Bump (Elliott) gave me an opportunity to play for the greatest program in the world and Bo (Schembechler) made me a man."
Dierdorf was part of the ABC Monday Night Football booth from 1987-99. He left for CBS following the 1999 season and spent the next decade and a half sharing booths with the likes of Dick Enberg and, more recently, Greg Gumbel.
Brandstatter is a legend in his own right, having spent the past 34 years doing color on Michigan games for the school's flagship radio station. He has also hosted the Michigan football coach's show since 1980. However, this is his first foray into calling play-by-play, so it should be interesting to see how he adapts to the new role.
Head coach Brady Hoke does not seem too concerned.
"Jim and Dan are hall of fame broadcasters and great Michigan men," Hoke said, per the release. "They will provide a unique perspective to the broadcasting booth that I'm sure our fans will enjoy on football Saturdays, and you can guarantee they will have a keen analysis of Michigan Football on each broadcast."
Michigan opens its 2014 season at the Big House against Appalachian State, of all teams, on Aug. 30.
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