Salvatore Anthony Nicholas Paolantonio is a

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

-based bureau reporter for ESPN. Since joining ESPN in 1995, Paolantonio has become a staple in their NFL coverage, as he contributes to shows such as '' SportsCenter'', '' NFL Live'', '' Sunday NFL Countdown'' (from a game site) and '' Monday Night Countdown'' (from the '' Monday Night Football'' site). In 2004, he added studio work to his duties, replacing Suzy Kolber as the host of '' NFL Matchup'', an X's and O's football show; joining him are Louis Riddick and Greg Cosell. His best known work for ESPN was his coverage of the Terrell Owens saga with the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Paolantonio has also been an adjunct professor at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia since 2001.

Early life

A native of Stewart Manor, New York, Paolantonio attended Sewanhaka High School. He graduated from the State University of New York at Oneonta in 1977 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. He also attended

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

, where he received a master's degree in journalism in 1978. Paolantonio served as a Surface Warfare officer in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

from 1979 to 1983 where he was awarded the United Nations Medal in 1983. He served aboard and the .

Career

Prior to joining ESPN, he was a political reporter and Philadelphia Eagles beat reporter for '' The Philadelphia Inquirer'' from 1993 to 1995. During that time he also served as a reporter for WPHL-TV nightly news show, ''Inquirer News Tonight'' and hosted ''Saturday Morning Sports Page'' on WIP sports radio. In 1993, he published his first book, a biography of Frank L. Rizzo entitled ''The Last Big Man in Big City America''. In 2018, he published ''Philly Special: The Inside Story of How the Philadelphia Eagles Won Their First Super Bowl Championship''. In 2007, he and fellow sports journalist Reuben Frank put out ''The Paolantonio Report: The Most Overrated and Underrated Players, Teams, Coaches, and Moments in NFL History''. It has been the best-selling NFL book in the country (October 11, 2007) according to Amazon.com. He went on to make the provocative claim in his 2008 folk history, ''How Football Explains America'', that the competition informed the public morality on integration and consciously developed in the mid-20th century into an almost mythic spectacle. With its origins in the closing of the Turnerian frontier, the NFL league, rather than baseball, apparently broke down the color barrier in sports.

Personal life

Paolantonio has been a resident of Haddon Township, New Jersey. He later moved to nearby Moorestown.Fiorillo, Victor (October 25, 2013)
"ESPN's Sal Paolantonio Was a Nobody in High School; Plus, the Moorestown-based sports broadcast personality and former Inquirer reporter tells us why
onovan McNabb is misunderstood, his summer chasing Russian subs, and how the Beatles saved the USA". ''

''. Accessed January 11, 2018.Aleardi, Marianne (July 2013)
"Ten Questions: Sal Paolantonio; The ESPN correspondent talks sports, politics and Uncle Bill's Pancake House"
''South Jersey Magazine''. Accessed January 11, 2018. "A resident of Moorestown, Paolantonio spends the NFL season watching, talking, breathing football."

Awards

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References

External links

Sal Paolantonio's ESPN BioSal Paolantonio at ESPN.comSal Paolantonio at ESPN.tv
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paolantonio, Sal Living people American television sports announcers American writers of Italian descent People from Haddon Township, New Jersey People from Moorestown, New Jersey Sportspeople from Queens, New York The Philadelphia Inquirer people United States Navy sailors ESPN people State University of New York at Oneonta alumni New York University alumni Saint Joseph's University faculty Sportspeople from the Delaware Valley Writers from Burlington County, New Jersey Writers from Camden County, New Jersey NFL announcers Writers from Queens, New York American male non-fiction writers United States Navy officers Military personnel from Burlington County, New Jersey Military personnel from Camden County, New Jersey Year of birth missing (living people)