“Turn on the lights. . .” a look back at MNF’s start, 44 years ago this week

The New York Jets play host to the Chicago Bears tonight in ESPN’s Monday Night Football (8:30 p.m. ET).

Forty-four years ago yesterday, the Jets were the visitors in the very first regular-season MNF game in a matchup with the Cleveland Browns at Municipal Stadium. Keith Jackson, Don Meredith and Howard Cosell called the Sept. 21, 1970 telecast on ABC.

(L-R) Analyst Howard Cosell, commentator Keith Jackson and analyst Don Meredith at Cleveland Municipal Stadium for the historic first Monday Night Football telecast on ABC.

A typical Monday Night Football telecast involved nine cameras instead of three or four that were standard for NFL telecasts of the era.

Jets QB Joe Namath, the MVP of Super Bowl III, starred in the first MNF game, but the host Cleveland Browns prevailed, 31-21.

More than 80,000 fans attended the game under the lights at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.