NBC’s Mike Tirico ready to pull off an Olympic-sized feat at Super Bowl

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MILAN — Mike Tirico was baptized on the day of Super Bowl I.

Sunday, the NBC play-by-play announcer will be baptized by fire.

This will be Mike Tirico’s first time announcing the Super Bowl, and he’ll immediately transition to hosting the Winter Olympics coverage from the stadium right after the game.

This is a first-of-its-kind move in sports broadcasting, taking talent from the highest levels of American football to cover exciting events in the Italian Alps.

Mike Tirico, 59, explained that the Olympic broadcast will include elements of the Super Bowl celebration, like confetti and heartwarming family scenes. He hosted the Super Bowl pregame show four years ago, but didn’t actually announce the game itself, which was held at SoFi Stadium.

2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics

Here’s a preview of some of the American athletes who are likely to contend for gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina.

“What I learned from Super Bowl LVI is that it’s possible to do this without cheating either job.”

That might be true, but it takes a lot of detailed planning and organization, something Tirico is well-known for at the network. Every year, he gives coworkers a color-coded calendar – each sport he’s covering gets its own color – and the resulting calendar looks like a colorful, busy mess, almost like the iconic Partridge Family bus.

According to Rob Hyland, the coordinating producer for “Sunday Night Football,” Mike is an exceptionally skilled multitasker.

“This is in his DNA. It’s how he’s wired.”

Even for someone as experienced as Tirico, this is a challenging undertaking. Immediately after broadcasting the Rams’ playoff game in Chicago, he flew to Italy to familiarize himself with NBC’s studios in Milan, ensuring he’d be comfortable with the facilities.

Before the Super Bowl even starts, Mike Tirico will be awake at 4:30 AM Pacific Time to watch Lindsey Vonn compete in the women’s downhill skiing event. He’ll then attempt to get some rest before a full day of covering the football game, relying on adrenaline to keep him going late into the night. Even during halftime, he’ll quickly check the latest news from Italy.

2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics

Lindsey Vonn announced she tore her ACL in a crash last week, but she’s still determined to compete in the upcoming Milan-Cortina Olympics.

He and a team from NBC are traveling to Milan on Monday, and Tirico will start his Olympic coverage from the studio on Tuesday.

Mike Tirico is one of only thirteen play-by-play announcers who have ever called the Super Bowl on national television. He described the experience of broadcasting the game as similar to taking three final exams back in college at Syracuse. He expects a busy day, planning to snack throughout rather than take a proper meal break.

He explained that people often recommend feeling a little hungry before a test, and he believes that applies to game days as well.

While Super Bowl preparations start as soon as the teams are set, Tirico explained that his work for the Olympics has been a long-term project, taking years to develop.

He explained that it’s important to be ready for anything, but not to overthink it. You should focus on knowing the key things you need during the game to be successful.

The trick is to use information carefully, avoiding overwhelming your audience with too many details and numbers.

2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics

Tai Babilonia, alongside her skating partner Randy Gardner, achieved incredible success and overcame challenges to become one of the most influential figure skaters of her time, earning five U.S. championships.

According to Hyland, even with incredibly detailed and specific information, Mike always remembers what matters most to a general audience. He described Mike as exceptionally rare and unique – ‘a unicorn,’ truly one of a kind.

Hyland is retiring after the Super Bowl. He plans to return home to Connecticut and enjoy the game as a fan.

He said he’ll be back home in Southport, enjoying time with his six-month-old son and watching the Olympics as a viewer.

In a sense, Tirico is a fan, too. There’s still a kernel of disbelief that this is his job.

He explained that this moment – waking up – is what comes after dreams end. Apparently, dreams don’t allow you to reach this point on your own.

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2026-02-06 15:31