About Russ Salzberg
It can take a lifetime for some people to figure out what they want to do for a career. For Russ Salzberg, he realized his dream of becoming a sportscaster at the age of 32… and once he did… he never looked back.
Russ is a native New Yorker. He was born in the Bronx and raised in the projects and playgrounds in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. Russ graduated in 1969 from Brooklyn Technical High School in Downtown Brooklyn. He went on to attend Loyola College in Montreal, Quebec, where he studied Sociology and Psychology. After graduating with a Bachelors degree in 1974, Russ returned home to Brooklyn and sold business machines in Manhattan for two years. After that, he moved to Toronto to sell real estate. But, his next career move would be the one that would change his life… forever.
Russ dreamed of a career in sportscasting… and with the support of his loving wife, Vikki, he went after it. The first job he landed in the business was with Rogers Cable TV. He did anything he could do there for nothing… just to get experience. After his stint there, Russ won his first on-air radio job on Q107 in Toronto; earning a mere $1.07 an hour. After some time developing his craft at Q107, the owner of CITY-TV in Toronto heard Russ on the air… and invited him to come in for a job interview. He was hired a short time later as a full-time sportscaster in May of 1984. Four years later, Russ was covering a Canadian golf tournament when he got a call from WWOR-TV (MY9) in Secaucus, NJ. In 1988, Russ was offered a job as WWOR-TV’s newest sportscaster. He and his family packed up their things and moved to the Tri-State area. During his time at WWOR-TV (MY9), Russ hosted the ‘New York Yankees Post-Game,’ ‘New York Giants Pre-Game’ and ‘New York Giants Post-Game’ shows. Russ also co-hosted a midday radio show on WFAN from 1993-2000. Later, he transitioned to WWOR-TV’s sister station, WNYW-TV (Fox 5 News) in New York City, as the prime-time sportscaster. Russ currently co-hosts the ‘New York Giants Kickoff Show’ on WNYW-TV. He also hosts ‘Big Blue Kickoff Live‘ on giants.com, and frequently appears as a guest on ‘The Joe Piscopo Show‘ on AM 970 The Answer.
Since returning to his roots in New York, Russ Salzberg has made quite a name for himself with his distinctive and gutsy style of sportscasting. Russ is a two-time Emmy award-winner and has been nominated roughly two dozen times. He’s also won several Associated Press awards and the prestigious Edward R. Murrow award.
For over three decades, Russ has gained the respect of athletes and sports fans alike by combining his genuine love of sports with his enthusiastic delivery. His most notable interviews include: former heavyweight boxing champion of the world Mike Tyson, the late principal owner and managing partner of the New York Yankees George Steinbrenner III, former New York Giants Quarterback Phil Simms, as well as New York Giants legend Lawrence Taylor, NBA superstar Michael Jordan, and New York Yankees legend and a dear friend of Russ, the late Yogi Berra.
Russ believes in giving back. He contributes much of his time to causes that are near and dear to his heart. They include… the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the March of Dimes, and the CJ Foundation for SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).