‘He’s our chief. He’s our therapist’: Curt Menefee is ‘Fox NFL Sunday’ host, unsung hero

LOS ANGELES — Terry Bradshaw spills a cup of espresso, however Curt Menefee doesn’t flinch. Menefee leans towards a tray not seen on tv for some tissue to assist clear up as Bradshaw continues to make a degree in regards to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Howie Long helps with the cleanup, and Bradshaw retains speaking. Jimmy Johnson listens intently.

Menefee then ribs Bradshaw about needing one other cup of espresso, and Johnson makes use of espresso as a transition to speak in regards to the Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks.

“So Terry spills coffee on live TV … now, how do you react?” Menefee mentioned shortly after whereas sitting in a dressing room at Fox Studios. “Instead of going into panic mode, we made it part of the show, and we laughed it off and had some fun with it.”

It’s a humorous second within the studio. And Menefee, the longtime sports activities character for Fox Sports, would let you know he has one of the vital enjoyable jobs on the planet because the host of “Fox NFL Sunday.”

Curt Menefee (left) with Terry Bradshaw on the “Fox NFL Sunday” set. (Courtesy of Lily Ro Photography / Fox Sports)

It is likely to be espresso sooner or later. The subsequent day, Johnson would possibly get fired up speaking a couple of teaching scenario, or Long might need a passionate dialogue in regards to the Raiders, a franchise he performed with for 13 seasons. Michael Strahan is as busy as anybody on the present together with his a number of tv jobs. He might be humorous, or he might be dialed in and critical when discussing soccer. If the present had a script, it could go off-script more often than not.

But somebody has to maintain the present flowing. That’s the place Menefee steps in.

His colleagues name him a pal, therapist and a degree guard of types on the present. Menefee, 58, is in his 18th season as host of a present that’s all about soccer however is likely to be finest identified for the wacky moments that make viewers chortle.

Menefee isn’t just the host; he’s the simple character in an NFL comedy troupe.

“People never go, ‘You did a great job of breaking on the Cover 2.’ It’s, ‘I love it when you guys bust each other’s chops,’” Menefee mentioned. “That’s something that people will remember from the show more than anything else: (Bradshaw) spilled coffee, and you guys laughed it off and talked about it getting on his suit.”

To perceive Menefee’s significance, take into consideration the solid. There’s Bradshaw, the four-time Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame quarterback from the Pittsburgh Steelers dynasty of the Seventies. There’s Long, a Hall of Fame defensive lineman who received a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Raiders. There’s Strahan, a Hall of Fame defensive finish and the NFL report holder for many single-season sacks (22.5, tied with the Steelers’ T.J. Watt) who received a Super Bowl with the New York Giants. And there’s Johnson, a Hall of Fame coach who received two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys and in addition a nationwide school soccer championship on the University of Miami.

Curt Menefee (left) with the “Fox NFL Sunday” solid: Terry Bradshaw, Jimmy Johnson, Michael Strahan and Howie Long. (Courtesy of Lily Ro Photography / Fox Sports)

Someone comparatively new to the combination is Rob Gronkowski, who received 4 Super Bowls as a good finish with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and certain is headed to the Hall of Fame. Add within the ever-energetic NFL insider Jay Glazer, and that’s plenty of character on set with the potential for tv chaos. Someone would possibly go on a rant with nobody realizing the route.

Menefee has realized the right way to let everybody have their time whereas additionally ensuring the present stays on schedule.

“People have no idea what he does for us,” Glazer mentioned. “He’s our leader. He’s our therapist. There are six of us on the show, so there’s 19 personalities — and Bradshaw and I got 12. For Curt to be able to keep us in check like this … you know, we’re family.”

The espresso spilling is only a microcosm of what Menefee means to the present. Glazer and Bradshaw each have publicly mentioned a few of their psychological well being struggles. Glazer mentioned Menefee takes the time to verify on them and has been a confidant when instances are robust. When he’s coping with a potential anxiousness assault, Glazer mentioned it’s Menefee who typically is the primary to cease what he’s doing to assist.

That’s as a result of Menefee has constructed real friendships with the crew. There are offseason holidays. Glazer was Menefee’s finest man at his marriage ceremony 10 years in the past. Their spouses know one another, too.

Menefee mentioned he’s one of many “rare” visitors in a position to spend two days fishing at Johnson’s residence within the offseason as a result of Johnson normally solely offers guests sooner or later. Additionally, Menefee watches school soccer with Bradshaw and Johnson each Saturday, the place there’s bonding and the place Menefee picks up perception into how they’re eager about the NFL that is likely to be helpful on the present.

“I get to spend time with my best friends in life. That’s not a job,” Menefee mentioned. “It’s just fun time. It’s just an extension of the blessings that I’ve been given and the joy that I’m able to have in life to be able to do this and call it my job. I know that not many people get to say that.”

The friendship is the inspiration of what makes the present go. It permits Menefee to know when to let somebody hold speaking and in addition when to make use of nonverbal communication to inform somebody to wrap up his level. Menefee gauges what’s engaged on the fly. He does all of this with present producer Bill Richards talking to him in his earpiece.

What makes the present a lot enjoyable is the unpredictability — but it surely additionally might be annoying if somebody can’t preserve order. The present isn’t rehearsed, so Menefee will react to a Bradshaw rant or a Johnson monologue on the fly. Controlling the room is a crucial ability to verify segments don’t run lengthy and sponsor reads aren’t forgotten.

Emphasis on “controlling the room.”

“I’m not ripping the guys, but if this kindergarten class is going crazy, I need a teacher to say, ‘Now we’re going to commercial,’” Richards mentioned. “We can just let it go and these guys can go for an hour, we’d never take a commercial, and we’d all get fired. Curt keeping the train on the tracks, I can’t tell you how important that is.”

It additionally helps that Menefee has been on stay tv since he was 19 years previous, going again to his time as a scholar at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He’s been skilled to remain prepared for something.

Menefee took over because the full-time host of “Fox NFL Sunday” in 2007 after James Brown left for CBS. Long mentioned he admired how Menefee dealt with being the “bullpen guy” as Fox first experimented with utilizing Joe Buck to host and in addition name video games. Menefee taking up meant the present didn’t must journey to the place Buck was working.

For almost twenty years, it’s labored. And friendships have fashioned within the course of.

Curt Menefee (far proper) with Jimmy Johnson and Jay Glazer on the Empire State Building in November. (Noam Galai / Getty Images for Empire State Realty Trust)

Menefee’s preparation is meticulous. The Santa Barbara, Calif., resident is up by 5:30 a.m. on daily basis for meditation together with his spouse, Viollette, and to work out. The early begin additionally permits Menefee to name or textual content varied sources across the NFL on the East Coast who need to talk early of their day.

Menefee likes to maintain soccer to a minimal on Mondays in order that Viollette has a day with him with out the pressures of labor. By Tuesday, he’s speaking with Richards in regards to the imaginative and prescient for Sunday’s present. The rundown for the present is normally set by Thursday, which is when Menefee begins specializing in groups and stats that might be necessary for Sunday.

Friday is spent with plenty of texts and cellphone calls to individuals across the league. On Saturday, he drives from his residence in Santa Barbara roughly 100 miles to a lodge room in Los Angeles for his weekly custom of watching school soccer with Bradshaw and Johnson at their lodge round midday. Menefee likes to be again in his room by 5 p.m. to work on a few of the written elements of the present, and he prefers to be in mattress by 8 p.m. He’s then up by 4 a.m. for meditation and to reach on the Fox studio by 5 a.m. for present preparation.

Menefee jokes that his soccer profession led to center faculty, however he’s not considered as a soccer outsider by his associates on set. They acknowledge the work he does, together with visiting a number of coaching camps within the offseason and sustaining relationships and perception throughout the league to assist the present’s progress.

He is aware of the game and may juggle halftime highlights in a number of markets. He additionally can assist somebody with a bit of knowledge on the fly.

“If I was in a pro football game show and I had to phone a friend for some kind of information, Curt would be the guy to call,” Long mentioned. “Curt is so good with a lot of big personalities on the show. We’re not a rehearsal show. To be honest, I think that’s part of the reason why we’re successful, because what you’re seeing is genuine, authentic reactions to a first-time conversation.”

For all the reward Menefee receives, he’s admittedly his personal worst critic. He used to obsess over stumbling over a phrase or a mispronunciation. He mentioned these issues don’t trouble him anymore, as a result of, in common dialog, these issues occur.

His focus in after-show conversations with Richards is on the circulation of the present. What labored for every phase? What didn’t? For Menefee, it’s extra the large image.

“Did I get Terry in soon enough? Did I wrap him up quick enough?” Menefee mentioned. “Did I transition from this being serious to this being lighthearted or vice versa? I don’t think I’ve ever done a perfect show. I’m still striving, still trying to get there. I haven’t gotten there yet.”

“The best point guard is going to take a couple of shots, and those are the ones you might think about on the way out,” Richards mentioned. “But he’s a great shooter, so he’s making most of them, so nobody cares. Curt’s mistakes aren’t something I spend a lot of time on, because there’s not a lot (of them).”

Glazer’s friendship with Menefee dates again to the Nineteen Nineties when each had been working in New York and Glazer requested Menefee to co-host a present, “Unnecessary Roughness” on the MSG Network. He believes Menefee is nice to work with as a pal however added that Menefee might be “very, very, very hard on himself” after a present.

“I always tell him we kind of go as you go,” Glazer mentioned. “So, you may think something wasn’t good, but the rest of us don’t see it. So, don’t put that in our heads. Our show is imperfect. We’re off the cuff. I’ll just say to him, ‘Hey, bro, you beat up on yourself, but the rest of us don’t see what you’re upset about. So, don’t bring it out. Let’s you and I just talk it up.’

“Then we talk it out, and then he’s like, ‘You’re right.’”

Therapist. Point guard. Perfectionist. The grownup within the room. There are plenty of methods Menefee is described. His most important focus, although, is ensuring his associates look good on air.

He’s turn into a star in his personal proper. The present was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2019 — so technically, Menefee is a Hall of Famer like his panelists.

But if his associates are shining on air and the viewers proceed to come back again, he’s comfortable.

“The No. 1 goal is for people to leave the show feeling like they had a good time, that they enjoyed it, because entertainment is the first thing,” Menefee mentioned. “The second thing is that they get some information out of it.”

Spoken just like the grownup within the room.

(Top picture: Noam Galai / Getty Images for Empire State Realty Trust)