`Monday Night Football' - Channelling Cosell - Plans Luncheon Series

ESPN will host a "Monday Night Football" luncheon series, with "MNF Chalk Talk" lunches planned in 12 cities where the network will telecast games this season.

Dick's Sporting Goods and Ruth's Chris Steak House will sponsor the events to be held at local restaurants. The first one is set for Sept. 10 in San Francisco before the Arizona Cardinals-49ers contest.

Various ESPN personalities, including MNF's Ron Jaworski, Suzy Kolber, Michele Tafoya and Mike Tirico; Monday Night Countdown and SportsCenter host Stuart Scott; and NFL studio analysts Emmitt Smith and Steve Young, will participate.

"We're proud to work hand in hand with the NFL in honoring those who give back to their local communities, while celebrating an American sports institution - Monday Night Football," ESPN President George Bodenheimer said. "We're thrilled with the support that Dick's Sporting Goods and Ruth's Chris Steak House have given us with this initiative."

The move is brings back a tradition dating from the early 1970s when Howard Cosell and Don Meredith did similar events to generate excitement around the games in the local markets.

ESPN's inaugural season of "Monday Night Football," which moved to the cable network after airing on ABC from 1970-2005, was the most-watched series in cable television history. The 17 games were the biggest 17 household audiences for cable television in 2006 and nine of the top 10 on the list of cable's biggest household audiences ever.