Mitchell Haaseth / © NBC Universal, Inc.

Cris Collinsworth, the most honored studio analyst in sports television, will be replacing John Madden in the broadcast booth for Sunday Night Football in 2009. He previously served as the studio analyst and co-host of NBC's "Football Night in America" studio show.

Collinsworth, who was first part of the NBC Sports family from 1990-96, has won eight Sports Emmy Awards, including a record seven Emmy Awards for Outstanding Sports Studio Analyst.

In 2007 Collinsworth was awarded both Outstanding Sports Studio Analyst for his work on NBC and HBO’s “Inside the NFL” and Outstanding Sports Game Analyst for his work on the NFL Network. He won his first Emmy Award in 1997 for his work on the “NFL on NBC” studio show. Collinsworth, known for his candid and insightful analysis, has received consistent critical acclaim throughout his broadcast career.

In 1990, Collinsworth joined NBC Sports as a game analyst for the network's NFL coverage and select college football broadcasts, highlighted by the 1994 Fiesta Bowl and the 1995 Orange Bowl national championship game between Nebraska and Miami. Collinsworth was assigned to the “NFL on NBC” pregame show in 1996, where he provided analysis that led to his first Emmy Award in 1997. While at NBC, Collinsworth proved his versatility and received critical praise while working as a reporter for track and field at the Atlanta Olympic Games.

In 2005, Collinsworth returned to the NFL on Fox broadcast booth alongside play-by-play announcer Joe Buck and former quarterback Troy Aikman to form the network's lead broadcast team. Collinsworth first joined Fox Sports as a member of “Fox NFL Sunday” pregame show, in January 1998.

Upon completion of an eight-year NFL career as a wide receiver with the Cincinnati Bengals (1981-88), Collinsworth moved smoothly into broadcasting as a reporter for HBO's “Inside the NFL” in 1989. The following season he graduated to the show's studio cast where he continues to serve, now as co-host alongside Bob Costas.

A three-time Pro Bowl selection during his NFL career, Collinsworth played in 107 games, catching 417 passes for 6,698 yards and 36 touchdowns. He had four 1,000-yard seasons and played in Super Bowls XVI and XXIII.

The Bengals selected him in the second round of the 1981 draft out of the University of Florida, where he graduated with a degree in accounting. Collinsworth was an All-American and Academic All-American, and was later inducted into the Academic All-American Hall of Fame in 2001. He returned to school at the University of Cincinnati Law School, completing his law degree in 1991.

Born January 27, 1959, in Dayton, Ohio, Collinsworth was raised in Titusville, Fla. He now resides in Kentucky with his wife Holly and their four children.

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