Salary: $3 million per year
The acclaimed, record-setting NFL quarterback turned sportscaster, Phil Simms, spent his 15-year career playing for the New York Giants and accomplishing many records, some of which have not been beaten to this day. After College, the footballer was quickly drafted into the New York Giants. After leading the Giants to a decisive 39-20 win against the Denver Broncos, Simms went on to be named as the MVP of the 1986 Super Bowl. He also holds the record for the highest completion rate in a Super Bowl game, with 22 out of 25 passes, which puts him at a whopping 88%. A record that has never been beaten.
After retiring, Simms became an NFL analyst on the CBS show NFL Today, as-well-as an analyst in “Inside the NFL”. Simms has also appeared in the popular sitcom, “How I Met Your Mother”, and the crime-drama – “Criminal Minds”. The retired NFL player was inducted in 2011 into the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and 3 kids, one of which is currently an AAF Quarterback for the Atlanta Legends.
Al McCoy - WHO
Salary: $200,000 per year
Al McCoy, also known as "The Voice of the Suns", is literally the oldest NBA broadcaster of all time. For over 40 years, almost since the beginning of the NBA, Al McCoy has been calling various NBA games with memorable catchphrases such as "Shazam!" and "Zing go the strings". If you want a living example of persistence, consistency, and perseverance, you need to look no further than Al McCoy's life.
During an interview, McCoy revealed that he almost ended up not calling the Suns' games, a feat which he has been doing for the last 47 years. The story goes that McCoy was offered the job by General Manager Jerry Colangelo, but wasn't sure that he wanted the job. Eventually, McCoy thought about it and decided to take the opportunity by the hands, and looking at his track record, it's safe to say he's damn happy about it. The veteran broadcaster recently published an autobiography called "The Real McCoy". To his credit, in his entire 40+ years of broadcasting, he has only missed one game due to illness.
Dottie Pepper - CBS
Salary: $6 million per year
American pro golfer Dottie Pepper was an award-winning LGPA Tour golfer with an amazing career of 16 years that was sadly cut short, due to an injury. Unfortunately, Pepper only got the chance to play one tournament in 2002 and eventually retired 2 years later in 2004. She was quickly picked up by NBC and The Golf Channel, who took her as a broadcaster for LGPA games. She also retired from commentating in 2012, claiming to want more time for herself and less of a traveling schedule.
She currently works with ESPN and commentates on a limited basis, mostly for the bigger tournaments. The former LGPA player currently lives in New York with her third husband, who also covers golf news. According to LGPA, Dottie Pepper has earned over $6.5 million throughout her golfing career. She has a small verified Instagram account where she regularly posts photos of her career and family..
Mike Gorman - NBC
Salary: $500,000 per year
With 5 Emmy Awards and a Hall of Fame induction under his belt, Mike Gorman is definitely what you mean when you talk about a successful play-by-play commentator. The veteran broadcaster has almost 4 decades of experience and was apparently a United States Navy aviator before starting his career in broadcasting.
Since 1981, Gorman has been the voice of the Boston Celtics with Tom Heinsohn. During an interview in the Michael Holley Podcast, Gorman claims that he learned to never listen to his own broadcasting to avoid self-criticism. He often posts updates and personal moments on his Twitter account and where he has a respectable following of 25,000 fans. Gorman grew up in Dorchester, Massachusetts and attended the University of Massachusetts-Boston.
Randy Cross - CBS
Salary: $1 million per year
Recent College Football Hall of Famer Randy Cross is a three-time Pro Bowl and 3 time Super Bowl champion, with over 180 games played throughout his career. Cross was born in Brooklyn and went to college at UCLA , where he played college football.
In 1976 the college player was drafted in the second round by the San Francisco 49ers and went on to play for 13 years until his retirement in 1988. From there Cross went on to become a broadcaster from 1983 and served as an analyst in many NFL games over the years. Randy's father, Dennis Cross, was an American actor who had the lead role in the famous syndicated US Navy TV show "The Blue Angels".