Randy Cross

Lore & Background

Cross was born in Brooklyn, New York, and attended Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino, California. He was a high school shot put champion in the Southern California CIF from 1970 to 1972, and was named CIF California State Meet champion in the event, defeating future world record holder Terry Albritton and future WWF wrestling star Jim Neidhart. He heaved the 12-pound high school shot 67' 6.5", which remains the Crespi school and stadium record.

At UCLA, Cross was an All-America selection. As a senior, he helped lead his team to the 1976 Rose Bowl championship over top-ranked Ohio State. He began his career as a center, but was moved to right guard for his junior year before playing both guard and center as a senior. He was named First-team All-America in 1975 and First-team All-Conference in 1975.

He started in 28 of 34 career games including his final 23. Cross also played collegiate rugby for UCLA. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

Reader's Guide

In 1976, Cross was selected with the 42nd overall pick in the second round of the NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers. His 13-year career, entirely with the 49ers, included three Pro Bowl selections and three Super Bowl championships (SB XVI, XIX, and XXIII). His last game as a player was Super Bowl XXIII in early 1989. He played center from 1976 to 1978, then guard from 1979 to 1986, before finishing his career at center in the 1987 and 1988 seasons.

After retirement, he joined the Miller Lite All Star's cast making commercials. From 1989 to 1993, Cross was a member of the CBS Sports team covering the NFC playoffs and Super Bowl XXVI. He also served as an analyst for CBS Radio Sports' coverage of Super Bowl XXIV. He left CBS to join NBC Sports as a football analyst for NFL telecasts and a part-time analyst for Notre Dame football games.

In 1998, he returned to CBS Sports as a game analyst. From 1999 to 2001, he served as an analyst on The NFL Today. He returned to the broadcast booth in 2002. He also co-hosts shows on Sirius NFL Radio.

In 2009, he became the color analyst for US Naval Academy home games on CBS College Sports TV. He was the former lead color commentator for New England Patriots pre-season games from 1995 to 2012. He co-hosted the midday show 'Rick and Randy' with Rick Kamla on WZGC in Atlanta, Georgia.

Did You Know?

• He played both guard and center in college on a rare rotating nine-man offensive line.
• He filled in for Hank Stram during CBS Radio's coverage of Super Bowl XXIV after Stram lost his voice.