Chris Russo
Encyclopedia
Christopher Michael Russo (born October 18, 1959), known as the "Mad Dog," is an American
sports radio personality who is best known as the former co-host of the widely popular Mike and the Mad Dog
sports radio show with Mike Francesa
, which was broadcast on WFAN
in New York City and simulcast on the YES Network
. Russo has joined Sirius XM Radio and is in charge of his own channel, Mad Dog Radio
. He now hosts an afternoon radio show, Mad Dog Unleashed.
. He went to Darrow School
in New Lebanon, New York
, and Rollins College
near Orlando, Florida
graduating with a degree in history. He also spent one spring at the Cranleigh School
south of London
, England
(Russo's mother is English) and one semester at Sydney University in Australia studying Australian history and literature.
Prior to joining WFAN, Russo worked for WKIS
in Orlando, Florida
between 1984 and 1987 and WMCA
in New York City
between 1987 and 1988. During his career at WKIS, when it became clear that the people of Central Florida
were having trouble understanding his accent, the station sent him to see a speech therapist twice a week. He got the "Mad Dog" nickname from New York Daily News
Sports TV and Radio critic Bob Raissman.
Russo is known for his quick manner of speaking, the expressiveness of his voice, and his trademark greeting of "Good afternoon everybody!" at the start of the Mike and the Mad Dog show. George Vecsey
of The New York Times
described his voice as "a bizarre mixture of Jerry Lewis
, Archie Bunker
and Daffy Duck
." Russo's voice is also described as "Donald Duck
on steroids."
Russo has done his shows from the US Open
and the Jersey Shore on many occasions. However, he has made no secret of his dislike for NASCAR, despite his previous on-air work in Orlando.
. Imus brought Russo on-board the Imus in the Morning
show as the Sports Reporter. The attention Russo received on Imus was enormous. Imus also later helped promote Russo's nickname. By early 1989, his work on Imus led to Russo getting his own regular weekend show on Saturday Mornings. When Pete Franklin
's drive time Show from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. was not renewed by WFAN station management, WFAN paired up Russo with Mike Francesa
, who at the time was a co-host on the mid-morning show. The show was dubbed Mike and the Mad Dog
and launched on September 5, 1989 at 3 p.m Eastern Time
.
The combination paired up Francesa's hard-hitting style with Russo's unorthodox and humorous style and proved to be a huge success. Francesa and Russo's show quickly became the signature show for WFAN, as well as among the most influential sports talk shows in the country.
On August 14, 2008, Russo reached a mutual agreement with WFAN to let him out of the remainder of his contract. Russo insisted it was solely a personal decision and said, "This has nothing to do with Mike and I hating each other... This is about doing something different. I'm 48 years old and there are not going to be too many more opportunities to break away. It's time to try something else, but it was a tough decision to make." On August 15, 2008, Russo phoned Francesa on the show to say goodbye. A highly emotional Russo began to break down on air as he talked about his partnership with Francesa.
On October 16, 2009, Russo joined Francesa on his show for a 1-hour reunion show at Yankee Stadium
, where both were scheduled to be broadcasting in adjacent booths. Francesa joined Russo on his Sirius XM show later in the day.
on both Sirius and XM satellite radio. Russo hosts the channel's anchor program, Mad Dog Unleashed, live from SIRIUS' New York studios every weekday afternoon from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET. Russo brought aboard long time WINS
anchor Steve Torre as the new program director of "Mad Dog Radio" and hired Bill Zimmerman (known on the air as "Billy Z") as the executive producer of his show. Other talent hired on his channel include: Gary Williams, Bill Pidto
, Bruce Murray
, Dino Costa
, and Steve Phillips
. The exclusive show began airing daily on SIRIUS Channel 123 and XM Channel 144 on September 15, 2008.
Russo said there was nothing WFAN could have done to keep him after Sirius XM provided him an opportunity to not only do a show, but have his own channel, which he could not pass up. His own channel contains sports talk personalities from all over the country. Russo's 5-year deal was worth about $3 million per year and Russo can actually run his channel and hire the on-air staff, too.
On July 9, 2009, during a ten minute rant, Russo reacting to his station being ranked outside the Top 100 stations on satellite radio, berated his entire staff, which included bringing on nighttime host Andy Gresh for an in-person dress-down. Russo concluded his rant by firing his program director, Steve Torre. Torre was later rehired and it is unknown if this rant was legitimate or a radio skit.
and England
, respectively. Russo married Jeanne Lavelle on May 6, 1995 and they have four children. He resides in New Canaan, Connecticut
. He is a registered Republican, although he often criticizes the party, particularly over the Roger Clemens
Congressional hearing. He is also a die hard San Francisco Giants fan. Chris was a childhood friend of Sacramento Kings play by play man Grant Napear
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sports radio personality who is best known as the former co-host of the widely popular Mike and the Mad Dog
Mike and the Mad Dog
Mike and the Mad Dog was an afternoon drive sports radio program based out of WFAN in New York City that featured Mike Francesa and Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo talking sports and taking phone calls from listeners. From 2002 onwards the show was simulcasted on the YES Network...
sports radio show with Mike Francesa
Mike Francesa
Michael Patrick "Mike" Francesa, Jr. is an American radio talk show host and television commentator. He is primarily known in his former role co-hosting the popular Mike and the Mad Dog show on WFAN in New York City...
, which was broadcast on WFAN
WFAN
WFAN , also known as "Sports Radio 66" or "The FAN", is a radio station in New York City. The station broadcasts on a clear channel and is owned by CBS Radio...
in New York City and simulcast on the YES Network
YES Network
The Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network is a New York City-based, regional cable television channel; it broadcasts a variety of sports events, with an emphasis on New York Yankees baseball games, and New Jersey Nets basketball games. YES made its debut on March 19, 2002...
. Russo has joined Sirius XM Radio and is in charge of his own channel, Mad Dog Radio
Mad Dog Radio
Mad Dog Radio is a Sirius XM Radio station which broadcasts sports talk, sports news, and play by play. The channel is located on channel 86 on the XM service and channel 123 on the Sirius service. This channel officially started broadcasting on November 12, 2008...
. He now hosts an afternoon radio show, Mad Dog Unleashed.
Background
Russo was born in Syosset, New YorkSyosset, New York
Syosset is a hamlet in Nassau County, New York, in the northeastern section of Town of Oyster Bay near the North Shore of Long Island. The population was 18,829 at the 2010 census...
. He went to Darrow School
Darrow School
Darrow School is an Independent co-educational high school. Its New Lebanon campus is a property in the Berkshire Hills, which are a southern extension of the Green Mountains of Vermont.-History:...
in New Lebanon, New York
New Lebanon, New York
New Lebanon is a town in Columbia County, New York, U.S., southeast of Albany. In 1910, 1,378 people lived in New Lebanon, New York. The population was 2,454 at the 2000 census.The town of New Lebanon is in the northeast part of Columbia County...
, and Rollins College
Rollins College
Rollins College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Winter Park, Florida , along the shores of Lake Virginia....
near Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
graduating with a degree in history. He also spent one spring at the Cranleigh School
Cranleigh School
Cranleigh School is an independent English boarding school in the village of Cranleigh, Surrey. It was founded in 1865 as a boys' school and started to admit girls in the early 1970s. It is now co-educational. The current headmaster is Guy de W...
south of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(Russo's mother is English) and one semester at Sydney University in Australia studying Australian history and literature.
Prior to joining WFAN, Russo worked for WKIS
WKIS
WKIS is a country music station licensed to Boca Raton, Florida and broadcasting at 99.9 FM. It is owned by Beasley Broadcasting. The station previously had a religious format as WWOG.-External links:*...
in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
between 1984 and 1987 and WMCA
WMCA
WMCA, 570 AM, is a radio station in New York City, most known for its "Good Guys" Top 40 era in the 1960s. It is currently owned by Salem Communications and plays a Christian radio format...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
between 1987 and 1988. During his career at WKIS, when it became clear that the people of Central Florida
Central Florida
Central Florida is a regional designation for the area surrounding Orlando in east central Florida, United States. The area represents the third largest population concentration in Florida, after the South Florida and Tampa Bay regions, respectively....
were having trouble understanding his accent, the station sent him to see a speech therapist twice a week. He got the "Mad Dog" nickname from New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
Sports TV and Radio critic Bob Raissman.
Russo is known for his quick manner of speaking, the expressiveness of his voice, and his trademark greeting of "Good afternoon everybody!" at the start of the Mike and the Mad Dog show. George Vecsey
George Vecsey
George Vecsey is an American non-fiction author and sports columnist for The New York Times. Vecsey is best known for his work in sports, but has co-written several autobiographies with non-sports figures.-Career:...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
described his voice as "a bizarre mixture of Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
, Archie Bunker
Archie Bunker
Archibald "Archie" Bunker is a fictional New Yorker in the 1970s top-rated American television sitcom All in the Family and its spin-off Archie Bunker's Place, played to acclaim by Carroll O'Connor. Bunker is a veteran of World War II, reactionary, bigoted, conservative, blue-collar worker, and...
and Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons, often running the gamut between being the best friend and sometimes arch-rival of Bugs Bunny...
." Russo's voice is also described as "Donald Duck
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
on steroids."
Russo has done his shows from the US Open
U.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
and the Jersey Shore on many occasions. However, he has made no secret of his dislike for NASCAR, despite his previous on-air work in Orlando.
Mike and the Mad Dog
Russo's rise in popularity happened rapidly. Russo joined WFAN in December 1988 as an overnight, weekend and fill-in host. He caught the attention of former WFAN Morning Show Host, Don ImusDon Imus
John Donald "Don" Imus, Jr. is an American radio host, humorist, philanthropist and writer. His nationally-syndicated talk show, Imus in the Morning, is broadcast throughout the United States by Citadel Media and relayed on television by the Fox Business Network.-Personal life:Imus was born in...
. Imus brought Russo on-board the Imus in the Morning
Imus in the Morning
Imus in the Morning is an American radio show hosted by Don Imus on Cumulus Media Networks , and simulcast for television on Fox Business Network....
show as the Sports Reporter. The attention Russo received on Imus was enormous. Imus also later helped promote Russo's nickname. By early 1989, his work on Imus led to Russo getting his own regular weekend show on Saturday Mornings. When Pete Franklin
Pete Franklin
Pete Franklin , nicknamed "The King" and "Pigskin Pete", was an American sports talk radio host who worked in Cleveland, New York and San Francisco...
's drive time Show from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. was not renewed by WFAN station management, WFAN paired up Russo with Mike Francesa
Mike Francesa
Michael Patrick "Mike" Francesa, Jr. is an American radio talk show host and television commentator. He is primarily known in his former role co-hosting the popular Mike and the Mad Dog show on WFAN in New York City...
, who at the time was a co-host on the mid-morning show. The show was dubbed Mike and the Mad Dog
Mike and the Mad Dog
Mike and the Mad Dog was an afternoon drive sports radio program based out of WFAN in New York City that featured Mike Francesa and Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo talking sports and taking phone calls from listeners. From 2002 onwards the show was simulcasted on the YES Network...
and launched on September 5, 1989 at 3 p.m Eastern Time
North American Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
.
The combination paired up Francesa's hard-hitting style with Russo's unorthodox and humorous style and proved to be a huge success. Francesa and Russo's show quickly became the signature show for WFAN, as well as among the most influential sports talk shows in the country.
On August 14, 2008, Russo reached a mutual agreement with WFAN to let him out of the remainder of his contract. Russo insisted it was solely a personal decision and said, "This has nothing to do with Mike and I hating each other... This is about doing something different. I'm 48 years old and there are not going to be too many more opportunities to break away. It's time to try something else, but it was a tough decision to make." On August 15, 2008, Russo phoned Francesa on the show to say goodbye. A highly emotional Russo began to break down on air as he talked about his partnership with Francesa.
On October 16, 2009, Russo joined Francesa on his show for a 1-hour reunion show at Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
, where both were scheduled to be broadcasting in adjacent booths. Francesa joined Russo on his Sirius XM show later in the day.
Sirius XM Radio
On August 19, 2008, Russo signed a five-year contract with Sirius XM Radio to headline a new sports talk channel called Mad Dog RadioMad Dog Radio
Mad Dog Radio is a Sirius XM Radio station which broadcasts sports talk, sports news, and play by play. The channel is located on channel 86 on the XM service and channel 123 on the Sirius service. This channel officially started broadcasting on November 12, 2008...
on both Sirius and XM satellite radio. Russo hosts the channel's anchor program, Mad Dog Unleashed, live from SIRIUS' New York studios every weekday afternoon from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET. Russo brought aboard long time WINS
WINS
WINS may refer to:*WINS , a radio station in New York City*World Institute for Nuclear Security*Windows Internet Name Service*a web server solution stack built from Windows Server, Internet Information Services, .NET, and SQL Server...
anchor Steve Torre as the new program director of "Mad Dog Radio" and hired Bill Zimmerman (known on the air as "Billy Z") as the executive producer of his show. Other talent hired on his channel include: Gary Williams, Bill Pidto
Bill Pidto
Bill Pidto was a former radio personality on Mad Dog Radio on the show The B-Team and is currently an anchor for MSG Network's coverage of New York Rangers road games and select New York Knicks games. He was formerly a journalist for ESPN from 1993 to 2008. He was often seen as one of the anchors...
, Bruce Murray
Bruce Murray
Bruce Murray may refer to:*Bruce C. Murray, American planetary scientist*Bruce Murray , New Zealand cricketer*Bruce Murray , American soccer player*Bruce Murray , Radio sportscaster...
, Dino Costa
Dino Costa
Dino Costa is an American sports radio personality. He currently is the host of a The Dino Costa Show that is broadcast weeknight's on SiriusXM...
, and Steve Phillips
Steve Phillips
Steve Phillips is a former American baseball analyst for ESPN and baseball executive. He served as the general manager of the New York Mets from 1997–2003...
. The exclusive show began airing daily on SIRIUS Channel 123 and XM Channel 144 on September 15, 2008.
Russo said there was nothing WFAN could have done to keep him after Sirius XM provided him an opportunity to not only do a show, but have his own channel, which he could not pass up. His own channel contains sports talk personalities from all over the country. Russo's 5-year deal was worth about $3 million per year and Russo can actually run his channel and hire the on-air staff, too.
On July 9, 2009, during a ten minute rant, Russo reacting to his station being ranked outside the Top 100 stations on satellite radio, berated his entire staff, which included bringing on nighttime host Andy Gresh for an in-person dress-down. Russo concluded his rant by firing his program director, Steve Torre. Torre was later rehired and it is unknown if this rant was legitimate or a radio skit.
Personal
Russo is the only child of Anthony "Tony" and Vera "Molly" Russo, from Flushing, QueensFlushing, Queens
Flushing, founded in 1645, is a neighborhood in the north central part of the City of New York borough of Queens, east of Manhattan.Flushing was one of the first Dutch settlements on Long Island. Today, it is one of the largest and most diverse neighborhoods in New York City...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, respectively. Russo married Jeanne Lavelle on May 6, 1995 and they have four children. He resides in New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, northeast of Stamford, on the Fivemile River. The population was 19,738 according to the 2010 census.The town is one of the most affluent communities in the United States...
. He is a registered Republican, although he often criticizes the party, particularly over the Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens , nicknamed "Rocket", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who broke into the league with the Boston Red Sox, whose pitching staff he would help anchor for 12 years. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards, more than any other pitcher. He played for four different teams over...
Congressional hearing. He is also a die hard San Francisco Giants fan. Chris was a childhood friend of Sacramento Kings play by play man Grant Napear
Grant Napear
Grant Napear is a broadcaster for the Sacramento Kings. Napear is the play-by-play announcer for the Kings and also hosts an afternoon sports-talk program, The Grant Napear Show, on Sports 1140 in Sacramento. This sports-talk program runs from 3-7 P.M...