The Truth About Al Michaels' Wife, Linda
Al Michaels might be one of the most famous names in sports broadcasting. Having got his start in ABC Sports in the '70s, Al has spent 16 years calling famous sporting events, including "Miracle on Ice" and the 1989 World Series, during which an Earthquake hit and caused ABC feeds to temporarily stop, according to ESPN. In recent years though, Al has been known to viewers as the voice of NBC's "Sunday Night Football," and will be reprising his play-by-play duties at the 2022 Super Bowl on February 13, per a press release by NBC Sports.
As Al takes on the final preparations before the big game on Sunday, intrigue about his personal life has increased. Millions of viewers know about his storied career in broadcasting, but do not know about his wife, Linda Michaels, whom he married in 1996 — years before Al became famous. Here's the truth about Al's wife.
Al Michaels and his wife met when they were teenagers
Al Michaels may have had a long career in media, but he's had an even longer marriage to Linda Michaels — his wife of 50 years. Speaking to Sports Illustrated in 2014, Al said that the two fell in love as teenagers. "Linda and I met in the 10th grade so we have known each other since we were 15," he recalled. "She is the love of my life."
While Al has been awarded many accolades in his sports broadcasting career — including the prestigious Ford C. Frick Award in 2021 — he told SI that Linda is "the biggest piece of luck" he's had in his life and said that she's the only one who knows him the best. But besides falling in love at an early age, the couple also worked together when Al started out in broadcasting, learning under the guidance of famed game show host Chuck Barris.
Al's first job was being an office boy under Barris and helped pick the women who appeared on "The Dating Game," according to the Los Angeles Times. Meanwhile, Linda worked as the assistant prize coordinator on "The Newlywed Game" — another Barris creation — which was fitting as the two had just gotten married in 1966. However, working together is just one of their preferred ways of spending time with each other.
Al and Linda Michaels are huge hockey fans
While Al Michaels is primarily known as a football commentator, it turns out that he and his wife Linda are huge hockey fans too. In fact, going to hockey games was one of their preferred dates, as Al told Newsday in 2014. Al took Linda to the Los Angeles Blades games while they were dating and the two are even bigger fans of the Los Angeles Kings in the NFL. Al recalled that he and Linda were in the stands when the Kings began their inaugural season on October 14, 1967.
Al's obsession with the Kings is so intense that he once dropped $350,000 on season tickets, and even attended games when the Kings didn't play well, including the 19-year gap between the team's 1993 and 2012 Stanley Cup wins. Currently, Al resides in Brentwood, California with Linda, which explains their frequent dates. The two share two successful adult children — Steve Michaels and Jennifer Michaels Cohn — both of whom work in executive roles in entertainment and media. According to ABTC, Jennifer has two kids of her own, making Al and Linda grandparents.