NFL’s ‘Scheduling Guru’ Howard Katz Selected To Receive Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award
CANTON, OHIO – Professional football rules America’s television landscape.
Howard Katz has played a significant role in that dominance.
For his exemplary media work – running the gamut from television production assistant more than 50 years ago to Chief Operating Officer at NFL Films to scheduling guru for the National Football League – that has contributed to pro football’s phenomenal growth into the country’s most popular viewing experience, Katz will receive the 2022 Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame presents the award annually in recognition of longtime exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football.
Katz will be honored during the 2022 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week Powered by Johnson Controls that includes the Enshrinees’ Gold Jacket Dinner in downtown Canton on Friday, Aug. 5, and the Class of 2022 Enshrinement on Saturday, Aug. 6, in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
“I cannot think of a more deserving recipient of the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award than Howard Katz,” said Roger Goodell, commissioner of the National Football League. “The NFL has benefitted greatly from Howard’s six decades as a leader in the industry. He is a man of the highest integrity, a trusted advisor and an incredible team builder. Quite simply, the NFL would not be where we are today without Howard Katz.”
Katz’s official title reads Senior Vice President of Broadcasting & Media Operations for the NFL. Putting his complex job in more simple terms, he oversees the formation of the league’s schedule and selects the primetime games. By providing consistently intriguing and competitive matchups, NFL programming often outdraws the combined viewership of the shows on all other networks in those timeslots.
“Last season, 24 of the top 25 broadcasts for national ratings were NFL games. This reflects the work and foresight Howard and his team put into the overall schedule,” said Jim Porter, president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “And they create the marquee primetime matchups without sacrificing what football fans also can enjoy in the 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. slots each weekend. This has always been important to Howard.”
When informed he would receive the 2022 Rozelle Award from the Hall of Fame, Katz shared that he has “always tried to do right by everyone. I tried to look through other people’s lenses and gauge how they react.”
That perspective began taking shape when Katz, a graduate of Colgate University, first entered the television industry in 1971 as a production assistant at ABC Sports. Among his early assignments: the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany; “Monday Night Football” and “Wide World of Sports.”
Over the next two decades, Katz also worked at Trans World International (the television arm of IMG Media) and as president of Ohlmeyer Communications Company (OCC).
In 1993, ESPN bought OCC, and Katz took over as the sports giant’s executive vice president of production. During his tenure, he helped the network launch ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPN Radio, ESPN International, ESPN Classic and the ESPY Awards.
In 1999, Katz returned to ABC and revived the “Monday Night Football” franchise with the hiring of John Madden.
“Somewhere in your life, you want to work for Howard Katz,” Madden said in a tribute video to Katz upon the Livingston, N.J., native’s induction into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2014.
In 2003, Katz joined the NFL to run NFL Films. He also helped create the league’s successful flex-scheduling model that further built interest in the primetime matchups, and this year he is helping the League evolve its streaming offerings through its partnership with Amazon.
“Howard has been sneaking into your homes for 40 years, and you haven’t known it,” Dick Ebersol, former chairman of NBC Sports and longtime friend, said of Katz’s work when introducing him for induction into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.
About the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award, Ebersol, who won the award in 2019, said: “No one deserves it more than Howard. His intelligence and grace make him a most deserving recipient.”
Others in the television industry also praised Katz exuberantly for both his professional acumen and personal demeanor.
Peter Bevacqua, Chairman NBC Sports Group: “Howard has been an exceptional partner to NBC Sports, helping to grow “Sunday Night Football” to its No. 1 primetime status for the last 11 years. His warmth, friendship and steady demeanor make him a welcome sight anywhere that we see him, and he’s exceptionally deserving of this honor. Congratulations, Howard!”
Sean McManus, chairman of CBS Sports: “Few executives have had the breadth of experience Howard has had. His stellar career spans both production and programming, as well as management. His work at the NFL, whether it's working with the broadcasters or overseeing the annual creation of the schedule has been extraordinary. He has developed the scheduling process into a finely tuned science, and every broadcast partner owes him a huge debt of gratitude. And he has done all this with an amazing level of integrity and class. His legacy in our business is secure forever. No one deserves this award more than Howard, whom I have called a friend for 50 years.”
Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman of ESPN and Sports Content: “From content creator to ESPN executive to the NFL league office, no one in our industry has a resume like Howard’s. He understands the league media partner point of view because he lived it, which makes him remarkably effective. We are fortunate to be able to call Howard a partner, and he is truly deserving of this distinguished honor.”
Eric Shanks, CEO and Executive Producer at FOX Sports: “Be it a producer or executive, Howard is exceptional and one of the most influential people in television. But above all, he is a dear friend. The only thing he’s better at than producing and making schedules is how he treats people – with honesty, respect and patience. His significant contributions to the NFL’s television landscape are unparalleled. It’s only fitting that he is honored with the prestigious Pete Rozelle Award, and we couldn’t be happier for him. I can only hope there’s an award named after him, too, one day.”
PAST WINNERS OF THE PETE ROZELLE RADIO-TELEVISION AWARD
2021 – John Facenda
2020 – Joe Buck
2019 – Dick Ebersol
2018 – Andrea Kremer
2017 – David Hill
2016 – James Brown
2015 – Tom Jackson
2014 – Bob Trumpy
2013 – Al Michaels
2012 – Len Dawson
2011 – Jim Nantz
2010 – Chris Berman
2009 – Irv Cross
2008 – Dan Dierdorf
2007 – Don Meredith
2006 – Lesley Visser
2005 – Myron Cope
2004 – Van Miller
2003 – Don Criqui
2002 – John Madden
2001 – Roone Arledge
2000 – Ray Scott
1999 – Dick Enberg
1998 – Val Pinchbeck
1997 – Charlie Jones
1996 – Jack Buck
1995 – Frank Gifford
1994 – Pat Summerall
1993 – Curt Gowdy
1992 – Chris Schenkel
1991 – Ed Sabol
1990 – Lindsey Nelson
1989 – Bill McPhail