Bio

Super Bowl LIV marks game director Rich Russo’s fourth Super Bowl for FOX Sports. Russo directed his first Super Bowl for FOX in February 2011 from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and continued with Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014 from New York/New Jersey. He last directed Super Bowl LI in 2017 in Houston.

Now in his 26th year with FOX Sports, the celebrated director has won 12 Emmy Awards. He has directed coverage of FOX Sports’ premier properties, including NFL, MLB, NASCAR, college football and basketball. Russo joined FOX Sports in 1994 as an associate director on FOX NFL coverage and now directs FOX’s lead NFL broadcast team of Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Kristina Pink on THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL and with Buck, Aikman and Andrews on AMERICA’S GAME OF THE WEEK, TV’s No. 1 show for 11 straight years. Russo previously directed the NFL’s international feed of the Super Bowl for six seasons, which was seen in 234 countries and territories, including U.S. Armed Forces stationed around the world.

Russo has served in multiple roles for the network during Super Bowl telecasts, once as lead associate director for Super Bowl XXXI and another as replay director for Super Bowl XXXIII. Russo produced and directed NFL Europe League telecasts for FOX Sports for five seasons in addition to The World Bowl in 1998 and 1999. He also worked as an associate director for the renowned FOX Sports broadcast team of Pat Summerall and John Madden.

Russo called the shots for three college football title games as the lead director for FOX’s BCS coverage from 2007-10. He directed the 2008 Allstate Sugar Bowl and the thrilling 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl featuring Boise State’s come-from-behind win over Oklahoma in overtime. As an associate director for the NHL on FOX, he worked on the lead broadcast team featuring Mike Emrick and John Davidson for three seasons.

Prior to joining FOX Sports, Russo spent nine years at CBS Sports as a broadcast associate and then associate director. He worked on multiple events, including the NFL and Super Bowls XXI and XXVI; “The NFL Today”; The NBA on CBS (including the playoffs and Finals); the NCAA Basketball Tournament (including three Final Fours); Major League Baseball; college football; three U.S. Open Tennis Championships; the PGA Tour; the 1987 Masters; and and ice hockey during the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics.

Russo graduated from Penn State in 1984 with a degree in broadcasting and communications. He was a four-year letter winner in lacrosse and has held the school record for most goals in a game with 10. Russo grew up in Massapequa, N.Y. and resides in Holmdel, N.J., with his wife Sally, daughter Isabel and son Jack, who is a freshman soccer player at St. John’s.