John Buccigross was hired by ESPN on October 28. 1996. He is grateful for his 25+ years at ESPN anchoring Sportscenter, as well as a diverse and interesting array of assignments. He has called the last 9 NCAA Men’s National Championship games, had a weekly hockey column on ESPN.Com. and is a part of ESPN’s NHL coverage. John met Jason in 1996 and he calls him, “One of my best friends on Planet Earth.”