Jan. 1972 photo, released by ABC, shows, from left, Don Meredith, Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford,
If you were ready for some football, it was the place to be for 35 seasons on Monday nights. Tonight, the NFL bids farewell to ABC. The second longest-running series on network TV shifts to ESPN beginning next season.The series began in 1970, with Keith Jackson handling the play-by-play. ESPN is paying about $1.1 billion over eight seasons for the Monday night contract.
