6
I
D G A M O N T H L Y
The 2000s also saw Mike Arnold take over directing duties for CBS beginning
with Super Bowl XLI in 2007. That game included a halftime show headlined
by Prince, which was directed by Don Mischer, where the viewership peaked
at 140 million.
To date, Arnold has directed seven Super Bowls, working in close partnership
with producer Lance Barrow to coordinate every facet of the broadcast.
A more recent inductee to the Super Bowl Directors' club is Rich Russo, who
made the fi rst of his six Super Bowl broadcasts with Super Bowl XLV in 2011.
"You can't script a live event," Russo has said. "Once they kick off, you have no
control. You only get one shot to get it right."
Directors and Super Bowl Years
• Bob Dailey — 2 Super Bowls I (1967 & 1968)
• Ted Nathanson — 11 Super Bowls (1967 –1991)
• Tony Verna — 1 Super Bowl (1974)
• Sanford "Sandy" Grossman — 10 Super Bowls (1976–1997)
• Chet Forte — 1 Super Bowl (1985)
• Larry Kamm — 1 Super Bowl (1988)
• Craig Janoff — 3 Super Bowls (1991, 1995, 2000)
• John Gonzalez — 3 Super Bowls (1993, 1994, 1996)
• Larry Cavolina — 2 Super Bowls 2001, 2004)
• Artie Kempner — 1 Super Bowl (2005)
• Drew Esocoff — 8 Super Bowls (2003–2026)
• Mike Arnold — 7 Super Bowls (2007–2024)
• Rich Russo — 6 Super Bowls (2011–2025)
Six Decades of Directing the Super Bowl — continued from page 5.
FOUR QUARTERBACKS (L-R): Super Bowl veteran
Sandy Grossman won the fi rst DGA Award in Sports
Direction in 1985. Rich Russo was nominated for that
honor for 2025. Mike Arnold has directed seven Super
Bowls to date. And Tony Verna revolutionized sports
with the invention of instant replay.
See this article on www.dga.org for a chronological list of Super
Bowl Directors from 1967-present, including the teams that played,
the fi nal scores and other related facts of interest.
