Dave Pasch is remaining at ESPN for the foreseeable future and will see his role at the Worldwide Leader expanded to include the NFL.
On Thursday, ESPN announced that Pasch, a 23-year veteran of the network, has signed a multiyear extension that will see him continue his roles as a play-by-play voice on NBA, college football, and college basketball coverage. And, as has been floated in recent reporting, it appears as if Pasch is in line to secure a spot as ESPN’s No. 2 NFL announcer, where he’ll likely be sent overseas to call a schedule primarily filled with International Series games on NFL Network.
Pasch’s exact NFL role was not confirmed in the announcement, as those details will be made available “in the coming weeks.” However, a series of reports dating back to April indicate that Pasch has had “the inside track” to fill ESPN’s secondary NFL booth, which had previously been occupied by play-by-play voice Chris Fowler and analysts Dan Orlovsky and Louis Riddick. Given that the booth will primarily call games overseas beginning this season as part of ESPN’s recent acquisition of NFL Network, Fowler and Riddick’s college football commitments preclude their participation, necessitating a shakeup.
However, Pasch had to make a pretty substantial sacrifice to take the role as ESPN’s No. 2 NFL announcer. Pasch will step down as the radio voice of the Arizona Cardinals, a role he has held for 24 years, primarily with longtime analyst Ron Wolfley, before his retirement ahead of the 2025 season.
“The Cardinals gave me an opportunity to be a fan and to have a team and to feel part of an organization,” Pasch said in a statement announcing his resignation. “…They took a chance, and for that I will always be grateful to (Cardinals owner) Michael Bidwill and everyone else who had faith in me. I hope that they look back and feel like it worked out for them because it certainly worked out for me.”
Despite his loyalty to Arizona and the difficult decision to step down from local radio, Pasch is clearly excited to begin calling NFL games for a national audience on NFL Network.
“Having covered the NFL for two and a half decades for the Arizona Cardinals, I’m thrilled to now be involved with the NFL on the national stage, along with continuing to call college football, basketball, and the NBA. I can’t wait to start the next chapter of my career,” Pasch said in ESPN’s announcement.
The next question will be, who is set to join Pasch in ESPN’s secondary NFL booth?
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.