Paul Maguire
The upstart United Football League will begin their “Premier” season with a number of recognizable names and veteran broadcasters in the booth and along the sidelines.
On September 22nd, sports network Versus announced their team and today, the UFL’s second television partner, HDNet rolled out their's.
Longtime football announcer and former Buffalo Bills great Paul Maguire will join HDNet’s own Kenny Rice in the broadcast booth, while Ron Kruck will cover duties as sideline reporter, along with Natalie Taylor.
“This is an amazing broadcast team with an incredible amount of football knowledge,” said Mark Cuban, president and co-founder of HDNet. “Their high level of both experience and enthusiasm will add depth to our broadcasts and excitement for our fans.”
Maguire is best known for his humor and insight into the game having worked with Dick Enberg at NBC with stops at ESPN and doing college work at ABC. A standout in the old American Football League he made an easy transition to television where he has nearly 40-years experience.
As a player, Maguire appeared in six AFL championship games and a member of three championship clubs and is one of only twenty players who were in the AFL for its entire existence. On the broadcast side he has covered four Super Bowls (XXIII, XXX, XXII, XXVII) as part of his résumé.
Rice has been a reporter for Football Night in America, NBC’s pregame show for their Sunday night game of the week and has called play-by-play for Harvard-Yale football and both the Wooden Classic and Wooden Tradition college basketball tournaments, plus boxing and MMA – all for HDNet. An award-winning sportscaster, Rice brings a wealth of sports knowledge to the broadcasts.
Kruck has reported on the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, Major League Baseball and the NBA Playoffs as well as the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, US Olympic Trials, the Fiesta and Orange Bowls. In addition, Kruck covered University of Colorado football and basketball.
Taylor’s experience comes out of the college football ranks co-hosting SEC-TV for Fox Sports South and hosts SEC College Football & Basketball Previews for Sports South and reported on the Atlanta Falcons for Comcast Sports Southeast.
HDNet is slated to broadcast five UFL games in 2009:
Saturday, October 10 - Florida Tuskers vs. New York Sentinels 7:00 pm
Saturday, October 17 - New York Sentinels vs. California Redwoods 9:00 pm
Friday, October 30 - Las Vegas Locomotives vs. Florida Tuskers 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 14 - Las Vegas Locomotives vs. California Redwoods 9:00 pm
Friday, November 20 - New York Sentinels vs. Las Vegas Locomotives 9:00 pm
(All Times Eastern)
“The UFL is extremely pleased to have five of our games broadcast on HDNet and to have such a talented group of broadcasters working with us,” added Frank Vuono, COO of the UFL.
Last week Versus named veteran play-play announcer Dave Sims with color analyst and former NFL standout Doug Flutie behind the mike. Former Steelers Quarterback Kordell Stewart and radio and television host Anita Marks will serve as sideline and features reporters.
"We have assembled a top-notch team to lead our inaugural telecasts on VERSUS," said Vuono. "The combined football experience and knowledge of Dave, Doug, Kordell and Anita will help us provide unprecedented access to professional football while allowing the home viewer prime viewing position that will truly make them feel like they are part of the action."
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