Legendary Producer Fred Gaudelli To Retire From Front-Bench Duties After 2023 NFC Wild Card on NBC; To Transition to Full-Time Executive Producer

After 33 years as producer of ABC’s Monday Night Football, ESPN’s Sunday Night Football, NBC’s Sunday Night Football, and more recently, Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime Video, Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer Fred Gaudelli will retire from his duties within the production truck and transition into the full-time role of Executive Producer of SNF and TNF. He will travel to select games on Thursday nights and be in studio on Sunday nights. His final regular-season game in his current role was Dallas Cowboys vs. Tennessee Titans on TNF, and his last assignments at the front bench will be NBC’s two NFC Wild Card games.

Guadelli’s legacy is undeniable. After succeeding Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer Don Ohlmeyer as producer of ABC’s Monday Night Football, the production of Super Bowl XXXVII and the entire MNF series were nominated for nine Emmy Awards. The crew would win four of those awards, including Outstanding Live Sports Series in 2004. Making a fateful move to NBC in 2006, Gaudelli teamed up with fellow Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer and Sunday Night Football director Drew Esocoff to turn SNF into a smash hit in primetime. The duo have won more than 30 Sports Emmys, including the first-ever 10-time honoree for Outstanding Live Sports Series.

Aside from being present for legendary games throughout his tenure, Gaudelli played a significant role in developing technological innovations that today’s fans have become accustomed to. Some include the iconic 1st & Ten yellow-line technology in 1998 as well as the GoalPost Cam and the rotating clock/scorebox during his years at ESPN. In 2017, Gaudelli and Esocoff oversaw the first NFL game broadcast with the primary live coverage coming from Skycam.

In June 2016, Gaudelli earned the role of SNF executive producer and was also named lead producer for NBC’s coverage of Thursday Night Football. When the league shifted the property of TNF to Amazon Prime Video, it was only right that Gaudelli oversaw the launch of this audacious endeavor.

“Fred’s impact on the NFL television landscape is immeasurable,” says Esocoff. “His knowledge of the league’s history is second to none. [He’s] just the best whose ever done it.”