Don Ohlmeyer Dies: ‘Monday Night Football’ Producer, Former NBC West Coast President Was 72
Don Ohlmeyer, former NBC West Coast president and the man who transformed Monday Night Football into a pop culture phenomenon, died today at age 72. Sportscaster Al Michaels announced the news during the telecast of the Giants-Cowboys game on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
Ohlmeyer was born in New Orleans on February 3, 1945 and grew up in Chicago. He began his career with ABC Sports, working on Wide World Of Sports, and was the first producer of Monday Night Football. He also produced Olympics broadcasts.
In 1977, he went to NBC where he worked as the executive producer of the network’s sports division through 1982. He served as EP of NBC’s coverage of the Super Bowl and World Series and created many series including SportsWorld, Games People Play, and produced the made-for-television movie The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story. He expanded sports coverage, introduced innovative production techniques including a 1980 NFL telecast with no announcers.