Sportscaster respects Boise
In the booth: Ron Franklin
By Mel Bracht
Published: December 22, 2006
ESPN sportscaster Ron Franklin has developed a healthy respect for the Boise State football team after broadcasting two Broncos games this season.
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Spotlight on Knight
ESPN network will provide extensive coverage of Texas Tech men's college basketball coach Bob Knight as he attempts to tie and break Dean Smith's NCAA Division I victories record of 879. Knight has 878 career victories.
Texas Tech's next three games will be on ESPN2 (Cox 28), including a game against visiting Bucknell at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Other coverage includes a retrospective of Knight's career on "Outside the Lines,” 8:30 a.m. Sunday, and rebroadcasts of Knight's three national championship games on ESPN Classic (Cox 255) after he breaks the record.
ESPN to air AFL
ESPN has acquired national TV rights to the Arena Football League and will have a minority stake in the 19-team indoor league.
The network will have a regular Monday night slot in which it will televise 14 games from March through June. The ArenaBowl title game in New Orleans will be July 29 on ABC. In all, 26 games — 17 regular-season and nine postseason — will be televised on ESPN/ABC outlets.
NBC had a small equity stake in the league through a contract that expired after the 2006 season, and the network chose not to renew for the AFL's 21st season.
Roy Williams featured
Dallas Cowboys star safety Roy Williams, who was named the most recent recipient of Pro Football Weekly's Humanitarian of the Year award, will be featured in a report on "Football Night in America,” 3:30 p.m. Monday on KFOR-4 (Cox 3), before the Eagles-Cowboys telecast.
Williams' most notable charity is the Roy Willams Safety Net Foundation, which helps ensure that low-income single mothers raising children in the Dallas area are provided with support, guidance and assistance in an effort to enhance their quality of life.
Since joining the Cowboys, the former OU star has been involved in virtually all of the team's community outreach programs, assisting children with cancer, the homeless and the elderly.
Briefly
•KWTV NEWS 9 (Cox 10) will air a 30-minute "Fiesta Bowl Preview Show” at 7 p.m. Monday.
•FSN Southwest (Cox 37) will air the Texas Class 5A Division I and Division II championship games from the Alamodome in San Antonio on Saturday. Coverage begins at 2 p.m. with the Division II final, Cedar Hill (15-0) vs. Cypress Falls (12-3). At 7 p.m., defending champion Southlake Carroll (15-0) faces Austin Westlake (12-2) in the Division I final.
•ABC's new broadcast team of Mike Breen, Mark Jackson and Michele Tafoya will make its debut Monday with the Los Angeles Lakers at Miami Heat game at 1:30 p.m. Monday.
•The 1996 Green Bay Packers are profiled on "America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions,” 7:30 tonight on the NFL Network (Cox 256). Mike Holmgren reminisces about his unique introduction to Packers fans, and Brett Favre explains how watching TV before the Super Bowl contributed to one of the game's biggest plays.
•On Sunday, ESPN Classic will feature eight perfect games in a "300 Games Bowling Marathon,” 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., then will air the movie "Kingpin,” starring Woody Harrelson and Randy Quaid, at 7 p.m.
Ratings
Sports events Dec. 12-18
Philadelophia Eagles-New York Giants was the top-rated telecast last week in Oklahoma City and nationally.
1. Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants, NFL, Sunday, KOKH-25, 12.3.
• 2.
Kansas City at San Diego, NFL, Sunday, KFOR-4, 10.0.
• 3. Washington at New Orleans, NFL, Sunday, KOKH-25, 7.8.
• 4.
Cincinnati at Indianapolis, NFL, Monday, ESPN, 7.2.
• 5.
Oklahoma State vs. Tennessee, college basketball, Monday, ESPN2, 6.1.
Ratings are a percentage of homes
in the Oklahoma City TV market.
What to watchSports events Dec. 12-18
NFL
• Pro football fans will be treated to two games Christmas Day: Philadelphia (8-6) at Dallas (9-5) at 4 p.m. on KFOR-4 (Cox 3) and New York Jets (8-6) at Miami (6-8) at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN (Cox 29).
•The NFL Network (Cox 252) airs its second Saturday game — Kansas City (7-7) at Oakland (2-12) at 7 p.m. Saturday. Former Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil, who lost his voice last Saturday in his NFL Network debut, will be the analyst.
•KWTV-9 (Cox 10) has the Sunday doubleheader with New England (10-4) at Jacksonville (8-6) at noon and Cincinnati (8-6) at Denver (8-6) at 3:15 p.m.
•KOKH-25 (Cox 12) will air New Orleans (9-5) at N.Y. Giants (7-7) at noon.
College football
• Tulsa plays Utah in the Armed Forces Bowl at Fort Worth, Texas, at 7 p.m. Saturday on ESPN (Cox 29). (Mike Patrick, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe).
•Big 12 teams move into action Thursday with three bowls — Independence: Oklahoma State vs. Alabama, 3:30 p.m., ESPN (Cox 29) (Gary Thorne, Andre Ware and Todd Harris); Holiday: Texas A&M vs. California, 7 p.m., ESPN (Cox 29); Texas: Kansas State vs. Rutgers, 7 p.m. NFL Network (Cox 252).
College basketball
•KWTV-9 has a strong Saturday doubleheader with Boston College at No. 11 Kansas at 1 p.m. (Don Criqui and Bill Raftery) and No. 5 Ohio State at No. 3 Florida at 3 p.m. (Greg Gumbel and Billy Packer).
•In other Big 12 telecasts Saturday, Texas plays at Tennessee at 11 a.m. on ESPN (Dave O'Brien and Jay Bilas) and Texas Tech hosts Bucknell at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2 (Ron Franklin and Fran Fraschilla).
NBA
•The Hornets host San Antonio at 7 p.m. Saturday on Cox 7 and travel to Seattle at 9 p.m. Tuesday on Cox 7.
•Other NBA games include L.A. Clippers at Dallas at 7:30 tonight on FSNSW (Cox 37) and in a traditional Christmas Day game, L.A. Lakers at Miami at 1:30 p.m. on KOCO-5 (Cox 8).
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