Rich Eisen’s ‘SportsCenter’ return was a beautiful turn back the clock moment

The last time Rich Eisen hosted an episode of SportsCenter, LeBron James was still a few weeks away from being drafted. But his return to his longtime former desk on Monday was perfect.

ESPN brought out some old-school graphics and music for Eisen’s introduction. During the introduction, Eisen said, “This show is all about strolling down memory lane,” later adding, “It’s about throwing a whole bunch at you while having an old school good time.”

Then it was time to start the show.

“Hey there,” Eisen said. “Saying this for the first time in 22 years, welcome to SportsCenter, alongside all of you, I am Rich Eisen.”

Eisen then moved to his interview with ESPN’s Monday Night Football announcers, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. He started with a “stroll down memory lane,” going back to when he first began hosting SportsCenter in 1996. That was Buck’s first year calling the World Series on Fox, as Eisen remembered, with visuals. There were also visuals for Aikman in 1996, as he was still quarterbacking the Dallas Cowboys, one year after winning his third Super Bowl.

“Yes, the Cowboys actually did play in a Super Bowl,” Aikman quipped.

More flashbacks came when Eisen did the highlights for Monday night’s preseason game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Commanders. He shouted out Chris Berman, even mimicking his voice. And to top it all off, the old NFL Primetime music was back.

Naturally, Eisen’s SportsCenter return included a tribute to Stuart Scott.

Eisen spoke of his late, great former partner, then used many of Scott’s most famous calls when reading the highlights for Monday’s MLB game between the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs.

Indeed, a lot has changed since Eisen last called SportsCenter. But on Monday night, it was as if he never left.