CHRIS “MaD DOG” RUSSO

Over the course of his legendary 40-year career, Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo has been one of the most influential figures in sports talk radio, widely recognized for his role in popularizing the format.   

Russo joined SiriusXM in 2008 to create and headline the exclusive all-sports talk channel named for him, Mad Dog Sports Radio. For two decades, Russo has hosted the channel’s anchor program, Mad Dog Unleashed, every weekday afternoon.   

Christopher Russo started his radio career in the early 1980’s in several radio markets in Florida, before joining WFAN AM in 1988 as an overnight, weekend, and fill-in host.  In the fall of 1989, WFAN-AM paired Russo with co-host Mike Francesa to host a new afternoon drive-time show called Mike and the Mad Dog. For the next 19 years their groundbreaking and hugely popular show dominated the ratings in the New York market, when Russo left WFAN-Am for SiriusXM.  

In 2017, ESPN dedicated a 30 for 30 documentary on Mike and the Mad Dog that examined the far-reaching impact the show had on the sports talk radio genre.

In 2022, Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo was inducted into the 2022 Radio Hall of Fame.