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**BU54** · 02-09-2008, 07:48 AM

Collinsworth surprised by axe
'Inside the NFL' gave ex-Bengal broadcast start
BY JOHN KIESEWETTER

"Inside the NFL," canceled this week by HBO after 31 years, wasn't just another job to athlete-turned-announcer Cris Collinsworth.

It was his first TV job, and basis for his Emmy-winning broadcasting career.

"So much of my career I can directly attribute to that show. That show changed my life a lot," said Collinsworth, 49, who taped the final "Inside the NFL" Wednesday. It repeats on HBO this week (7 p.m. today, 11 a.m. Saturday), and can be seen on HBO's on-demand channel.

Collinsworth said HBO "called and offered me a job doing features for 'Inside The NFL' " the day after the Bengals cut the popular wide receiver during training camp in 1989.

Shortly after that, WLW-AM called and asked him to do some "SportsTalk" hosting around Bob Trumpy's schedule. Then NBC Sports asked him to be an analyst for some NFL games.

After doing features for a year, HBO moved him to the anchor desk for the weekly NFL show in 1990 when Turner Broadcasting offered him an NFL halftime show position. He later moved on to FOX Broadcasting, back to NBC Sports, and to the NFL Network.

Along the way he won eight national sports Emmys - including a record seven for outstanding studio analyst.

"A good part of what anyone liked what I did came from the HBO show. Not only did it give me a start, but I was able to make mistakes and learn from them at HBO," Collinsworth said.

Collinsworth said HBO's decision to drop cable's longest running TV series came as a surprise. He heard about it Tuesday, before flying to New York to tape what he thought would be the season finale with Bob Costas, Dan Marino and Middletown native Cris Carter. Former hosts Len Dawson and Nick Buoniconti joined them for the show, which featured bloopers and highlights from past years.

FULL STORY
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.d...80434/1066/SPT