25 years to the date of joining ESPN, Tirico bids farewell Thursday

September 17, 1995- (L-R) Dick Vitale, college basketball coach Pat Kennedy and Mike Tirico on ESPN Radio. (ESPN Images)

Bristol, CT – Chris Fowler (left) and Mike Tirico co-host together on ESPN in the early 1990s. (Rick LaBranche/ESPN Images)

SportsCenter anchors (L-R) Rich Eisen, Stuart Scott, Gary Miller, Charley Steiner, Robin Roberts, Dan Patrick, Linda Cohn, Steve Levy, Chris Berman, Bob Stevens, Chris McKendry, Larry Beil, Mike Tirico, Rece Davis. (ESPN Images)

1993 – (L-R) Mike Tirico, Mitch Albom, “Downtown” Julie Brown, Chris Mortensen, Joe Theismann and Craig James on NFL Prime Monday (Rick LaBranche/ESPN Images)

2000 – (L-R) Lee Corso, Mike Tirico and Kirk Herbstreit on the College Football studio set. (Rich Arden/ESPN Images)

(L-R) Nick Faldo, Paul Azinger and Mike Tirico at the 2005 Barclays Classic at Westchester Country Club. (Jeff Neira/ABC)

(L-R) ABC college football commentators Terry Bowden, Mike Tirico and Tim Brant at the 2005 Sugar Bowl. (Ida Mae Astute/ABC)

SUPER BOWL XL – Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl MVP Jerome Bettis (center) with Mike Tirico in Detroit in Feb. 2006. (Ida Mae Astute/ ABC)

(L-R) Jay Bilas, Stephen A. Smith, Mark Jackson and Mike Tirico at the 2007 NBA Draft. (ESPN Images)

(L-R) Ron Jaworski, Mike Tirico and NY Giants legend and former MNF broadcaster Frank Gifford during a 2010 MNF broadcast. (Ida Mae Astute/ESPN Images)

ESPN Radio’s Tirico and Van Pelt co-hosts Scott Van Pelt (l) and Mike Tirico. (ESPN Images)

(L-R) Mike Tirico, Alexi Lalas, Steve McManaman and Ruud van Nistelrooy report from the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. (Gabriela Batista/ESPN Images)

Roger Federer (left) being interviewed by Mike Tirico at the 2012 Wimbledon Championships. (Allen Kee/ESPN Images)

2012 – Analyst Jon Gruden (left) and play-by-play voice Mike Tirico in ESPN’s Monday Night Football booth (Ida Mae Astute/ESPN Images)

Thursday is Mike Tirico’s 25-year anniversary working for ESPN – the same day the respected play-by-play voice and studio host concludes his final assignment for the company, hosting coverage of the Poland-Portugal quarterfinal (2:30 p.m. ET) and post-match UEFA EURO 2016 Tonight studio show (5 p.m.) from Paris.

When he arrived in Bristol in 1991, Tirico was the sportscaster equivalent of a No. 1 draft pick. A few years removed from Syracuse’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications – widely considered the nation’s top broadcast journalism program, the 24-year old wunderkind brought both talent and a wealth of experience to his first national job.

Over the past two-and-half decades, Tirico has established himself as one of the industry’s most versatile talents. He initially made his mark in-studio, anchoring SportsCenter and hosting NFL Prime Monday (now Monday Night Countdown) and ESPN’s College Football Scoreboard. He helped launch ESPNEWS and ESPN Radio, among other roles.

After moving to live events, Tirico consistently expanded his ESPN and ABC Sports assignments from college football to the NFL, becoming just the fourth play-by-play voice in the storied history of Monday Night Football. He also became a key voice in ESPN’s presentation of the NBA, college basketball, major golf championships, tennis grand slams, global football events and more.

Whether he’s at Augusta National, Lambeau Field, Staples Center, Wimbledon or any other notable venue, Tirico always welcomes fans with his steady voice and warmth – and impresses with his encyclopedic knowledge. Away from the camera, he is widely respected by co-workers for his preparation and for the way he greets everyone on the crew – from on-air partners to runners pulling cables – with a smile and a handshake. And, as someone who has tremendous respect for his craft, Tirico regularly trumpets the work of fellow broadcasters throughout the industry.

When it was announced that Tirico would be leaving ESPN for NBC, ESPN’s Executive Vice President, Programming and Production, John Wildhack, echoed the sentiments of the entire company:

“During his 25 years with the company, Mike has made tremendous contributions to ESPN across the variety of sports and properties he has touched; even more important, he has developed lasting friendships with his on-air colleagues and so many ESPN employees behind the camera. We thank Mike for all he’s done for ESPN and we wish him the best in this new chapter of his career.”

Tirico recently appeared on ESPN Radio’s Mike and Mike (at 30:30) and Scott Van Pelt’s late-night SportsCenter, eloquently addressing his pending ESPN departure.

As he makes his final appearance Thursday, we offer a heartfelt thanks and salute our longtime friend and colleague with a gallery of photos from his 25 years with ESPN and some vintage video (below) from early in his ESPN career.

Samantha Baron produced the video below.