The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- Judith Benjamin
LOS ANGELES — Terry Bradshaw spills a cup of coffee, but Curt Menefee doesn’t flinch. Menefee leans toward a tray not visible on television for some tissue to help clean up as Bradshaw continues to make a point about the Cincinnati Bengals.
Howie Long helps with the cleanup, and Bradshaw keeps talking. Jimmy Johnson listens intently.
Menefee then ribs Bradshaw about needing another cup of coffee, and Johnson uses coffee as a transition to talk about the Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks.
“So Terry spills coffee on live TV … now, how do you react?” Menefee said shortly after while 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 funny moment in the studio. And Menefee, the longtime sports personality for Fox Sports, would tell you he has one of the most fun jobs in the world as the host of “Fox NFL Sunday.”
It might be coffee one day. The next day, Johnson might get fired up talking about a coaching situation, or Long might have a passionate discussion about the Raiders, a franchise he played with for 13 seasons. Michael Strahan is as busy as anyone on the show with his multiple television jobs. He can be funny, or he can be dialed in and serious when discussing football. If the show had a script, it would go off-script most of the time.
But someone has to keep the show flowing. That’s where Menefee steps in.
His colleagues call him a friend, therapist and a point guard of sorts on the show. Menefee, 58, is in his 18th season as host of a show that’s all about football but might be best known for the wacky moments that make viewers laugh.
Menefee is not just the host; he’s the straightforward personality 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 said. “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 understand Menefee’s importance, think about the cast. There’s Bradshaw, the four-time Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame quarterback from the Pittsburgh Steelers dynasty of the 1970s. There’s Long, a Hall of Fame defensive lineman who won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Raiders. There’s Strahan, a Hall of Fame defensive end and the NFL record holder for most single-season sacks (22.5, tied with the Steelers’ T.J. Watt) who won a Super Bowl with the New York Giants. And there’s Johnson, a Hall of Fame coach who won two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys and also a national college football championship at the University of Miami.
