Randy Cross
Encyclopedia
Randall "Randy" Laureat Cross (born April 25, 1954), is a football analyst and former NFL
offensive lineman. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
in July 2011.
in Encino, California
. He was renowned as a high school shot put champion
in the Southern California CIF during the years 1970–1972. In 1972, he was CIF California State Meet
champion in the event, defeating future world record holder Terry Albritton
and future WWF wrestling star Jim Neidhart
both from Newport Harbor High School
in the process. He heaved the 12 pound high school shot 67' 6.5" which remains the Crespi school and stadium record.
selection. As a senior he helped lead his team to the 1976 Rose Bowl
championship over top-ranked Ohio State
. Cross began his career as a Center, but was moved to Right Guard for his junior year before playing both Guard and Center as senior on a rare rotating nine man offensive line. On this rotating line Cross started at RG on the 1st unit and then moved to Center when the next group hit the field. He was named First-team All-America
in 1975. He was also a First-team All-Conference selection in 1975 In his career he was a starter in 28 of 34 career games including his final 23. Randy Cross (and many other UCLA linemen) also played collegiate rugby for the school. Randy was named to the 2010 class of the College Football Hall of Fame this May and will be inducted next summer in South Bend, Indiana.
by the San Francisco 49ers
; his 13-year career included six All-Pro selections, three Pro Bowl
selections and three Super Bowl
championships (SB XVI, XIX + XXIII). Cross' last game as a player was Super Bowl XXIII
in 1989. Randy played center from 1976–78 then guard from 1979–87 before finishing his career in San Francisco at center in 1988. Upon his retirement after Super Bowl XXIII, Randy joined the Miller Lite All Star's cast making a series of popular commercials for the brewing giant.
-1993
, Cross was a member of the CBS Sports
team that covered the NFC playoffs and Super Bowl XXVI
. In addition, he served as an analyst for CBS Radio Sports
' coverage of Super Bowl XXIV
.
Cross left CBS (following their loss of the NFC
package to Fox
) to join NBC Sports
as a football analyst for NFL telecasts
and a part-time analyst for Notre Dame
football games. In 1998
, he returned to CBS Sports as a game analyst before serving as a studio analyst on The NFL Today
from 1999
-2001
. He eventually returned to his game analyst duties in 2002
.
He currently co-hosts shows also on the Sirius NFL Radio. In 2009, he also became the color analyst for US Naval Academy home games on CBS College Sports TV. He is also the lead color commentator for New England Patriots games, alongside Don Criqui
.
, with his wife, Patrice, and their three children. Oldest daughter Kelly graduated from University of Georgia and currently works for Levick Strategic Communications in Washington, D.C. Youngest daughter Crystal recently graduated from Auburn University with a degree in BioMedical Science. Son Brendan is a QB at Wake Forest University. His father, Dennis Cross
(1924–1991), was an American actor
, who had the lead role in the syndicated
adventure
series The Blue Angels
(1960–1961).
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...
offensive lineman. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in July 2011.
High school years
Cross, who was born in Brooklyn, New York, attended Crespi Carmelite High SchoolCrespi Carmelite High School
Crespi Carmelite High School, called Crespi, is a private, Roman Catholic, four-year college preparatory all-male high school located in Encino, California in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. It is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles...
in Encino, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He was renowned as a high school shot put champion
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
in the Southern California CIF during the years 1970–1972. In 1972, he was CIF California State Meet
CIF California State Meet
The CIF California State Meet is the annual championship track and field meet for the California Interscholastic Federation. The meet was started in 1915 for boys and 1974 for girls. Every athlete in every high school in California has a direct qualification path that can reach the state meet...
champion in the event, defeating future world record holder Terry Albritton
Terry Albritton
Terence Hillary Albritton was an American athlete, former Shot put world record holder, and coach. He was born in Newport Beach, California.-Athletic accomplishments:...
and future WWF wrestling star Jim Neidhart
Jim Neidhart
James Henry "Jim" Neidhart is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation as Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. Jim is the father of WWE Diva Natalya...
both from Newport Harbor High School
Newport Harbor High School
Newport Harbor High School is a public high school in Newport Beach, in Orange County, California, in the United States. It is part of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.-History:...
in the process. He heaved the 12 pound high school shot 67' 6.5" which remains the Crespi school and stadium record.
College career
At UCLA, Cross was an All-America1975 College Football All-America Team
The 1975 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
selection. As a senior he helped lead his team to the 1976 Rose Bowl
1976 Rose Bowl
The 1976 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1976. It was the 62nd Rose Bowl Game. The UCLA Bruins defeated the number one ranked and undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes 23-10. UCLA quarterback John Sciarra was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game...
championship over top-ranked Ohio State
1975 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 1975 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the college football season of 1975-1976. The Buckeyes compiled a 11–1 record, including the 1976 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, where they lost 23–10 to the UCLA Bruins.In 1975, Archie Griffin would...
. Cross began his career as a Center, but was moved to Right Guard for his junior year before playing both Guard and Center as senior on a rare rotating nine man offensive line. On this rotating line Cross started at RG on the 1st unit and then moved to Center when the next group hit the field. He was named First-team All-America
1975 College Football All-America Team
The 1975 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
in 1975. He was also a First-team All-Conference selection in 1975 In his career he was a starter in 28 of 34 career games including his final 23. Randy Cross (and many other UCLA linemen) also played collegiate rugby for the school. Randy was named to the 2010 class of the College Football Hall of Fame this May and will be inducted next summer in South Bend, Indiana.
Pro career
In 1976, Cross was selected in the second-round of the NFL Draft1976 NFL Draft
The 1976 National Football League Draft was an annual player selection meeting held on April 8–April 9, 1976. It lasted 17 rounds, with the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks making the first two selections. The expansion teams were also given a pair of extra picks at the end of...
by the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
; his 13-year career included six All-Pro selections, three Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
selections and three Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
championships (SB XVI, XIX + XXIII). Cross' last game as a player was Super Bowl XXIII
Super Bowl XXIII
Super Bowl XXIII was an American football game played on January 22, 1989 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1988 regular season. This was the first Super Bowl hosted in the Miami area in 10 years, and the first in Miami not held...
in 1989. Randy played center from 1976–78 then guard from 1979–87 before finishing his career in San Francisco at center in 1988. Upon his retirement after Super Bowl XXIII, Randy joined the Miller Lite All Star's cast making a series of popular commercials for the brewing giant.
Broadcasting career
From 19891989 NFL season
The 1989 NFL season was the 70th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle announced his retirement...
-1993
1993 NFL season
The 1993 NFL season was the 74th regular season of the National Football League. For the first time in league history, all NFL teams played their 16-game schedule over a span of 18 weeks. After the success of expanding the regular season to a period of 17 weeks in 1990, the league hoped this new...
, Cross was a member of the CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
team that covered the NFC playoffs and Super Bowl XXVI
Super Bowl XXVI
Super Bowl XXVI was an American football game played on January 26, 1992 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota to decide the National Football League champion following the 1991 regular season...
. In addition, he served as an analyst for CBS Radio Sports
CBS Radio Network
The CBS Radio Network provides news, sports and other programming to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the United States. The network is owned by CBS Corporation, and operated by CBS Radio ....
' coverage of Super Bowl XXIV
Super Bowl XXIV
Super Bowl XXIV was an American football game played on January 28, 1990 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1989 regular season...
.
Cross left CBS (following their loss of the NFC
National Football Conference
The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.-Current teams:Since 2002, the NFC has comprised 16 teams,...
package to Fox
NFL on FOX
NFL on Fox is the brand name of the Fox Broadcasting Company's coverage of the National Football League's National Football Conference games, produced by Fox Sports...
) to join NBC Sports
NBC 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...
as a football analyst for NFL telecasts
NFL on NBC
NFL on NBC is the brand given to NBC Sports coverage of National Football League games until 1998, when NBC lost the NFL American Football Conference rights to CBS...
and a part-time analyst for Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
football games. In 1998
1998 NFL season
The 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League.The Tennessee Oilers moved their home games from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, still awaiting construction on a new stadium in Nashville.This was the first season that CBS...
, he returned to CBS Sports as a game analyst before serving as a studio analyst on The NFL Today
The NFL Today
The NFL Today is an American sports series that precedes the American football program The NFL on CBS on CBS Sports. The program usually airs at noon on Sundays of the National Football League regular season...
from 1999
1999 NFL season
The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season...
-2001
2001 NFL season
The 2001 NFL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Football League.Following a pattern set in 1999, the first week of the season was permanently moved to the weekend following Labor Day...
. He eventually returned to his game analyst duties in 2002
2002 NFL season
The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each...
.
He currently co-hosts shows also on the Sirius NFL Radio. In 2009, he also became the color analyst for US Naval Academy home games on CBS College Sports TV. He is also the lead color commentator for New England Patriots games, alongside Don Criqui
Don Criqui
Don Criqui is an American sportscaster, currently employed as a play-by-play announcer for CBS Sports. Criqui's duties include occasional television coverage of National Football League games, women's and men's college basketball, occasional college football and radio play-by-play of ISP Sports'...
.
Personal
He lives in Alpharetta, GeorgiaAlpharetta, Georgia
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 34,854 people, 13,911 households, and 8,916 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,631.6 people per square mile . There were 14,670 housing units at an average density of 686.7 per square mile...
, with his wife, Patrice, and their three children. Oldest daughter Kelly graduated from University of Georgia and currently works for Levick Strategic Communications in Washington, D.C. Youngest daughter Crystal recently graduated from Auburn University with a degree in BioMedical Science. Son Brendan is a QB at Wake Forest University. His father, Dennis Cross
Dennis Cross
Dennis Cross was an American actor who was the lead star of the syndicated television series The Blue Angels, fictional stories of daredevil United States Navy pilots which aired from 1960-1961...
(1924–1991), was an American actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, who had the lead role in the syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
adventure
Adventure
An adventure is defined as an exciting or unusual experience; it may also be a bold, usually risky undertaking, with an uncertain outcome. The term is often used to refer to activities with some potential for physical danger, such as skydiving, mountain climbing and or participating in extreme sports...
series The Blue Angels
The Blue Angels (TV series)
The Blue Angels is a 1960-1961 syndicated television series about the Blue Angels of the United States Navy. The program starred Dennis Cross as Commander Arthur Richards, the head of a four-man squadron which tours the country to give flight exhibitions...
(1960–1961).
External links
- St. Petersburg Times
- http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1125154
- http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/features/superbowl/archives/16/
- Randy's Blog on LockerBlogger