Tony Gonzalez Joins the CBS Sports Crew as Analyst

Former Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons All-Pro tight end Tony Gonzalez joins CBS Sports as an analyst for the CBS Television Network's NFL pre-game show, THE NFL TODAY, and will contribute across multiple CBS platforms including Inside the NFL on Showtime and CBS Sports Network's Sunday pre-game show, That Other Pregame Show (TOPS). The announcement was made today by Sean McManus, Chairman, CBS Sports.

"Having just stepped off the playing field, Tony brings a fresh and insightful perspective," said McManus. "As a future Hall of Famer, we are excited for him to share his knowledge, experiences and opinions with our viewers. Tony was one of the most respected and hardworking players in the NFL and a tremendous teammate. We look forward to him bringing these attributes to CBS Sports."

Tony will join James Brown, Bill Cowher and Boomer Esiason on THE NFL TODAY.

"While we welcome Tony, we want to acknowledge Dan Marino and Shannon Sharpe who have contributed greatly to the success of The NFL Today for more than a decade," added McManus. "Dan and Shannon are true Hall of Famers on the field and in front of the camera. As they pursue other professional opportunities, we thank them for their hard work and dedication and wish them nothing but the best."

Gonzalez's NFL career spanned 17 years, 12 with Kansas City after being their first-round pick in 1997, and five with Atlanta before his retirement in 2013. He is the NFL's all-time leader in touchdowns (111) and yards (15,127) by a tight end. He also is the NFL's all-time leader in consecutive starts (120) and Pro-Bowl

appearances (14) by a tight end, and ranks second overall among all players in catches with 1,325. Known for his strength and durability, Gonzalez missed only two games during his 17-year career.

Gonzalez attended University of California, where he played football and basketball and majored in Communications. During his junior season he recorded 46 receptions for 699 yards and five touchdowns, earning him first-team All-Pac 10 and first-team All-America honors. That year he also helped lead the California basketball team to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, averaging 6.8 points and 5.4 rebounds.

Gonzalez started his television career as host of the local television show, "Chiefs Locker Room," and went on to appear on numerous national programs. He also is an author, writing two books, and entrepreneur, developing multi-media programs that celebrate and advocate sports for children in an educational format.

Gonzalez's philanthropic endeavors include a partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs, along with Shadow Buddies, an organization that provides emotional support through education regarding illness, disability or medical treatments. He is very active in health, wellness and fitness space. Tony is an investor and trainer in the fitness app FITSTAR and is on the board for Fusionetics which utilizes a state of the art, evidence-based sports Science process to optimize human performance.

The Sporting News named Gonzalez the #1 NFL Good Guy in 2004. Additionally, he won a Presidential Volunteer Award for his work on the "Books and Buddies" project, which sought to promote understanding between teenagers and seniors.

Tony and his wife, October, reside in his hometown of Huntington Beach, Calif. with their children.

To post a comment, you must register and login.