Mike Adamle
Encyclopedia
Michael David "Mike" Adamle (born October 4, 1949) is a sports personality and former National Football League
player. He is best known as the co-host of American Gladiators
series for seven years.
Adamle is currently a sports anchor
and reporter at WMAQ-TV
in Chicago, Illinois. In addition, he has previously been an anchor at other Chicago television stations, including WLS-TV
from 1983-1989 before hosting American Gladiators, a first stint at WMAQ from 1998–2001, and then at WBBM-TV
from 2001-2004 before returning to Channel 5. For much of 2008, Adamle worked for World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE) in a variety of roles, including interviewer, play-by-play commentator, and General Manager of Raw
.
and graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School in 1967. His father, Tony Adamle
, also found some success with the Cleveland Browns
in the 1940s and 1950s.
as part of their team the Wildcats
. As a Wildcat, Adamle was team captain, an All-American fullback, and the Big Ten MVP in 1970. Adamle's 316 rushing yards against the Wisconsin Badgers
in 1969 still stands as a school record for the most rushing yards in a game. He graduated in 1971. Afterward, he joined the National Football League
, where he played for seven years. He joined the Kansas City Chiefs
as a fourth round draft pick. He also played for the New York Jets
and Chicago Bears
.
, where he was both a studio host and sideline reporter for various events. He spent six years with NBC Sports, hosting SportsWorld and pre-game shows. He was also the host of GrandStand, which was both a pregame show for the National Football League
(NFL) and a sports anthology series during the NFL's off-season. In 1984, he was ABC's
sideline reporter for the United States Football League
.
He was also the co-host of American Gladiators
from 1989 to 1996. In addition, he was a contender in a celebrity contenders show towards the end of the show's run. Adamle also co-hosted International Gladiators with the UK and Australian Hosts and commentated in one series alongside UK commentator John Sachs. He appeared on the fourth season premiere of Family Matters playing himself in a fictional episode of American Gladiators. After American Gladiators ended, he became a reporter for ESPN
.
Adamle (and fellow NBC local sports anchor Fred Roggin
) were sideline reporters during the only season of XFL
football in 2001. He has also covered the 2000
and 2004 Summer Olympics
. In the summer of 2005, Adamle was the host of another NBC property, Bravo's Battle of the Network Reality Stars
. In July 2006, Adamle became a color commentator for the Professional Bull Riders (PBR)'s Built Ford Tough Series (another event which NBC has split rights).
, Adamle began working as an interviewer for World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE). He then worked on WWE Raw
as an interviewer, often making mistakes with each onscreen appearance. During his debut, he mistakenly referred to Jeff Hardy
as "Jeff Harvey". He later became ECW's play-by-play announcer on April 15, replacing Joey Styles
. Adamle continued to make frequent mistakes during his commentary duties on ECW, with former ECW owner and booker Paul Heyman
and former talent Lance Storm
criticizing Adamle for them. On April 29, Adamle left a broadcast of ECW before the main event
match, and his partner Tazz
was asked to do the same. This was worked into a storyline as WWE reported that Adamle and Tazz may have left due to fan criticism of Adamle's commentary. The following week he cut a promo apologizing for his actions.
On the July 28 episode of Raw, Executive Vice President Shane McMahon
announced that Adamle was the new General Manager for the Raw brand. During his tenure as General Manager, he promoted a variety of high-profile matches that he dubbed as "Adamle Originals." On the October 27 episode of Raw, as part of his storyline, he slapped Randy Orton
after Orton insulted him personally. The following week on Raw, during an in-ring segment with Shane McMahon and Orton, Adamle resigned from his position as General Manager. However, even though his new character allowed him to carry a script on camera, the frequent mistakes continued. No official reason was given for Adamle's real life departure, however WWE announced that Adamle asked for his release and that they were reluctant.
of the Arena Football League
. He broadcasts Rush games for Comcast SportsNet Chicago and WGN.
Adamle suffers from epilepsy
. After work with Epilepsy Foundation
, where he is currently a member of the Greater Chicago division's board of directors, Adamle was given their Personal Achievement Award at the 2007 Richard N. Rovner Awards Dinner. Adamle has completed two Ironman Triathlon
s, most recently as a sixty year old in 2009, where he completed the race in 14 hours, 7 minutes and 39 seconds.
On January 10, 2011 in Evanston, Illinois
Adamle was arrested for a DUI, in addition he was also cited with disobeying a traffic device and failure to comply with the Secretary of State's office address change policy. After failing the field sobriety test, Adamle blew a .04, under Illinois' legal limit.
On July 29, 2011 several news agencies reported that Adamle's DUI charges were dismissed; sources also indicated that his blood-alcohol level was well below the Illinois legal limit at .039.
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
player. He is best known as the co-host of American Gladiators
American Gladiators
American Gladiators is an American competition television program that aired in syndication from September 1989 to May 1996. The series matched a cast of amateur athletes against each other, as well as against the show's own gladiators, in contests of strength and agility.The concept was created by...
series for seven years.
Adamle is currently a sports anchor
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
and reporter at WMAQ-TV
WMAQ-TV
WMAQ-TV, channel 5, is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, located in Chicago, Illinois. WMAQ-TV's main studios and offices are located within the NBC Tower in the Streeterville neighborhood, with an auxiliary street-level studio on the Magnificent Mile at 401...
in Chicago, Illinois. In addition, he has previously been an anchor at other Chicago television stations, including WLS-TV
WLS-TV
WLS-TV, virtual channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The station operates their full power digital operations on UHF channel 44, with their digital fill-in translator on VHF channel...
from 1983-1989 before hosting American Gladiators, a first stint at WMAQ from 1998–2001, and then at WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV, virtual channel 2 , is the CBS owned-and-operated television station in Chicago, Illinois. WBBM-TV's main studios and offices are located in The Loop section of Chicago, as part of the development at Block 37, and its transmitter is atop the Willis Tower.-History:WBBM-TV traces its history...
from 2001-2004 before returning to Channel 5. For much of 2008, Adamle worked for World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE) in a variety of roles, including interviewer, play-by-play commentator, and General Manager of Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
.
Biography
Mike Adamle grew up in Oil City, PennsylvaniaOil City, Pennsylvania
Oil City is a city in Venango County, Pennsylvania that is known in the initial exploration and development of the petroleum industry. After the first oil wells were drilled nearby in the 1850s, Oil City became central in the petroleum industry while hosting headquarters for the Pennzoil, Quaker...
and graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School in 1967. His father, Tony Adamle
Tony Adamle
Anthony "Tony" Adamle was a professional American football linebacker and fullback in the All-America Football Conference and the National Football League...
, also found some success with the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the 1940s and 1950s.
Football
Adamle played collegiate football for Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
as part of their team the Wildcats
Northwestern Wildcats football
The Northwestern Wildcats football team, representing Northwestern University, is a NCAA Division I team and member of the Big Ten Conference, with evidence of organization in 1876...
. As a Wildcat, Adamle was team captain, an All-American fullback, and the Big Ten MVP in 1970. Adamle's 316 rushing yards against the Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin Badgers
The Wisconsin Badgers are the collegiate athletic teams from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. This NCAA Division I athletic program has teams in football, basketball, ice hockey, volleyball, soccer, cross country, tennis, swimming, wrestling, track and field, rowing, golf, and softball...
in 1969 still stands as a school record for the most rushing yards in a game. He graduated in 1971. Afterward, he joined the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, where he played for seven years. He joined the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
as a fourth round draft pick. He also played for the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Hosting and announcing
After retiring from playing football professionally, Adamle joined NBC SportsNBC Sports
NBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC television network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NHL, MLS, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others...
, where he was both a studio host and sideline reporter for various events. He spent six years with NBC Sports, hosting SportsWorld and pre-game shows. He was also the host of GrandStand, which was both a pregame show for the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) and a sports anthology series during the NFL's off-season. In 1984, he was ABC's
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
sideline reporter for the United States Football League
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
.
He was also the co-host of American Gladiators
American Gladiators
American Gladiators is an American competition television program that aired in syndication from September 1989 to May 1996. The series matched a cast of amateur athletes against each other, as well as against the show's own gladiators, in contests of strength and agility.The concept was created by...
from 1989 to 1996. In addition, he was a contender in a celebrity contenders show towards the end of the show's run. Adamle also co-hosted International Gladiators with the UK and Australian Hosts and commentated in one series alongside UK commentator John Sachs. He appeared on the fourth season premiere of Family Matters playing himself in a fictional episode of American Gladiators. After American Gladiators ended, he became a reporter for ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
.
Adamle (and fellow NBC local sports anchor Fred Roggin
Fred Roggin
Fred Roggin is the sports anchor at KNBC-TV in Los Angeles, California. He was also a sports talk radio host at KMPC in Los Angeles, and until Fall 2007 hosted a morning sports show on KLAC with Los Angeles Times sports columnist T.J. Simers and Simers' daughter, Tracy Simers...
) were sideline reporters during the only season of XFL
XFL
The XFL was a professional American football league that played for one season in 2001. The league was founded by Vince McMahon, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of WWE...
football in 2001. He has also covered the 2000
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
and 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
. In the summer of 2005, Adamle was the host of another NBC property, Bravo's Battle of the Network Reality Stars
Battle of the Network Reality Stars
Battle of the Network Reality Stars is a television series that aired on the Bravo channel in the US in August and September 2005. Based on the popular 1970s and 1980s television competition Battle of the Network Stars, the show consisted of thirty-three competitors from several different reality...
. In July 2006, Adamle became a color commentator for the Professional Bull Riders (PBR)'s Built Ford Tough Series (another event which NBC has split rights).
World Wrestling Entertainment (2008)
On January 27, 2008 at the Royal RumbleRoyal Rumble (2008)
Royal Rumble was the twenty-first annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on January 27, 2008 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands. The event was...
, Adamle began working as an interviewer for World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE). He then worked on WWE Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
as an interviewer, often making mistakes with each onscreen appearance. During his debut, he mistakenly referred to Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
as "Jeff Harvey". He later became ECW's play-by-play announcer on April 15, replacing Joey Styles
Joey Styles
Joseph Carmine Bonsignore better known by his ring name Joey Styles, is an American professional wrestling play-by-play commentator and former professional in the field of advertising sales...
. Adamle continued to make frequent mistakes during his commentary duties on ECW, with former ECW owner and booker Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman is an American entertainment producer, best known for his career in professional wrestling as a promoter, manager, commentator and journalist. He is also an occasional actor in film....
and former talent Lance Storm
Lance Storm
Lance Timothy Evers known professionally by his ring name Lance Storm, is a semi-retired Canadian professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling...
criticizing Adamle for them. On April 29, Adamle left a broadcast of ECW before the main event
Main Event
Main Event is Australia's only pay-per-view channel. It transmits through Foxtel, Optus Television and Austar, which jointly own the channel...
match, and his partner Tazz
Tazz
Peter Senerchia is a retired American professional wrestler and current color commentator best known by his ring name Tazz, originally Tazmaniac and later shortened to simply Taz...
was asked to do the same. This was worked into a storyline as WWE reported that Adamle and Tazz may have left due to fan criticism of Adamle's commentary. The following week he cut a promo apologizing for his actions.
On the July 28 episode of Raw, Executive Vice President Shane McMahon
Shane McMahon
Shane Brandon McMahon is an American executive, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of YOU On Demand. A former executive and professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment , he is the son of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and former US Senate candidate Linda...
announced that Adamle was the new General Manager for the Raw brand. During his tenure as General Manager, he promoted a variety of high-profile matches that he dubbed as "Adamle Originals." On the October 27 episode of Raw, as part of his storyline, he slapped Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
after Orton insulted him personally. The following week on Raw, during an in-ring segment with Shane McMahon and Orton, Adamle resigned from his position as General Manager. However, even though his new character allowed him to carry a script on camera, the frequent mistakes continued. No official reason was given for Adamle's real life departure, however WWE announced that Adamle asked for his release and that they were reluctant.
Arena Football League
Adamle has been involved with the Chicago RushChicago Rush
The Chicago Rush is an arena football team based in Rosemont, Illinois. It is a member of the Central Division of the National Conference of the Arena Football League. The team was founded in 2001 and is co-owned by Mike Ditka, the Hall of Fame player and coach.The Rush have qualified for the...
of the Arena Football League
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League is the highest level of professional indoor American football in the United States. It is currently the second longest running professional football league in the United States, after the National Football League. It was founded in 1987 by Jim Foster...
. He broadcasts Rush games for Comcast SportsNet Chicago and WGN.
Personal life
Adamle is married to his wife Kim, with whom he has two children, daughters named Ally and Svetlana. He also has stepchildren Brad and Courtney. He lives in Evanston, Illinois.Adamle suffers from epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
. After work with Epilepsy Foundation
Epilepsy Foundation
The Epilepsy Foundation, also Epilepsy Foundation of America , is a non-profit national foundation, headquartered in Landover, Maryland, dedicated to the welfare of people with epilepsy and seizure disorders. The foundation was established in 1968 and now has a network of 59 affiliates...
, where he is currently a member of the Greater Chicago division's board of directors, Adamle was given their Personal Achievement Award at the 2007 Richard N. Rovner Awards Dinner. Adamle has completed two Ironman Triathlon
Ironman Triathlon
An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation consisting of a swim, a bike and a marathon run, raced in that order and without a break...
s, most recently as a sixty year old in 2009, where he completed the race in 14 hours, 7 minutes and 39 seconds.
On January 10, 2011 in Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
Adamle was arrested for a DUI, in addition he was also cited with disobeying a traffic device and failure to comply with the Secretary of State's office address change policy. After failing the field sobriety test, Adamle blew a .04, under Illinois' legal limit.
On July 29, 2011 several news agencies reported that Adamle's DUI charges were dismissed; sources also indicated that his blood-alcohol level was well below the Illinois legal limit at .039.