Despite all he’s done, Mike Tirico will experience the ‘thrill of a lifetime’ by calling the first Super Bowl for NBC

SAN FRANCISCO – Mike Tirico has been a play-by-play voice or studio host for an impressive array of high-profile sporting events during his long career.

Since moving from ESPN to NBC in the summer of 2016, he has been a prominent voice in the network’s coverage of five previous Olympic Games, the Kentucky Derby, US Open (golf), the Indianapolis 500 and even some NHL broadcasts.

This year, he added the role of lead play-by-play voice to NBC’s NBA programming the first year of the new rights agreementin addition to playing the same role on the network’s “Sunday Night Football” broadcasts.

And that is an incomplete list. In retrospect, it might have been easier to list the major events and broadcasts he has not been an important part.

But it comes Sunday night, when the Patriots and Seahawks face off Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, CaliforniaTirico will first enjoy a career.

This will be his first time calling a Super Bowl. The magnitude of the opportunity is not lost on him, despite all the success and fulfilled broadcasting dreams he has already enjoyed in his career.

“As I’ve said a few times, you don’t dream about this because the dream is so foolish that you stop and wake up before you get to this point,” Tirico said. “I think Super Bowls bring back very specific memories for all of us, people you watched the game with. When your favorite team was in it, moments that have lasted forever. And to be part of that scenario for this year’s Super Bowl is the thrill of a lifetime.”

Tirico and analyst Cris Collinsworth – calling his sixth Super Bowl, five of which have included the Patriots, including the Super Bowl XLIX victory over the Seahawks 11 years ago – will call the game, with reporters Melissa Stark and Kaylee Hartung on the sidelines. Terry McAulay is the rules analyst.

Maria Taylor will host the pregame showwhich starts at 1pm on NBC and Peacock. Taylor will also present the Lombardi Trophy to the winning team. The general coverage starts at 12:00 with the program ‘Road to the Super Bowl’.

Analysts and former Patriots Devin McCourty and Rodney Harrison will also be part of the pregame coverage, along with Tony Dungy (perhaps he’ll come across honestly whether he voted for Bill Belichick for the Hall of Fame) and Jason Garrett. Noah Eagle and Jac Collinsworth will also serve as co-hosts for the pregame.

Tirico’s workday won’t be over when the Super Bowl broadcast ends. In a notable daily broadcast, he will also host NBC’s Olympic studio program “Primetime in Milan” from Levi’s Stadium after the match.

Tirico, who still called NBA games leading up to the Super Bowl and the Olympics, acknowledges that he had to back off and devote serious study time to his high-profile assignments.

“Last week was a bit of a cave, if you will. I spent most of the last week preparing for what lies ahead,” he said. “The advantage of the Olympics is that you are part of it all year round and in the few years leading up to it, gradually preparing yourself along the way. the World Figure Skating Championships in Boston was part of the philosophy ‘let’s build and be ready for what lies ahead this winter with the combination of the Olympics and the Super Bowl.’

“For me this is incomprehensible, to be able to have the trust of the people we work for and with, to be able to do both events, but it doesn’t happen without the absolute best team in all places.”

The preparation requires a lot of discipline. But Tirico emphasizes that as time-consuming as preparing for the Olympics and the Super Bowl can be — while also mentioning NBA games — he knows he’s fortunate to be able to do it.

“Physically this is not hard work,” he says. “We don’t build buildings. We don’t dig ditches. We’re talking about sports, and we’re treated very well along the way. Chances are one that you budget your time, are prepared and have fun doing it.

“If I can’t have fun and embrace and enjoy this month, and this week in particular, then I have to do something else. And luckily, I’m going to be here for a while. I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity for this week.”

Chad Finn

Sports columnist

Chad Finn is a sports columnist for Boston.com. He has been voted Boston’s favorite sportswriter for the past four years in the annual Channel Media Market and Research Poll. He also writes a weekly sports media column for the Globe and contributes to Globe Magazine.