Namath In, Meredith Out at ABC : Ex-Jet Star to Join Gifford and Simpson on Monday Nights

Turn out the lights--the party is over for Don Meredith.

ABC made it official Tuesday, announcing at a press conference in New York that Joe Namath will replace Meredith on its “Monday Night Football” announcing team.

Namath, who will join Frank Gifford and O.J. Simpson, signed a five-year contract. Two years are guaranteed, with the three others option years, an ABC spokesman said.

Namath will make his debut Aug. 3, when ABC televises the NFL Hall of Fame Game at Canton, Ohio, between the New York Giants and the Houston Oilers. Namath and Simpson will also be inducted into the Hall of Fame that day.

Meredith, who lives in Santa Fe, N.M., was not available for comment.

Roone Arledge, president of ABC news and sports, said: “Don Meredith decided he did not want to continue. We’ll miss him. We’ve been trying to get Joe involved for a long time.”

Meredith’s four-year contract with ABC expired after the last NFL season. A source said that Meredith made no effort to have his contract renewed and that ABC made no effort to re-sign him.

“They had grown dissatisfied with Meredith,” the source said. “It wasn’t his talent. The problem was his work habits.”

Meredith’s last assignment for ABC was the Super Bowl in January, when, contrary to pregame rumors, he worked in the booth with Gifford and Washington Redskin quarterback Joe Theismann.

Meredith joined “Monday Night Football” in 1970, its first year. He left to go with NBC in 1974 and then returned to ABC for the 1977 season. When Meredith left ABC in ‘74, it was rumored that Namath, even though he had not yet retired, might be the replacement.

Namath, 42, lives in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and in recent years has been a stage actor. He played pro football for 13 seasons--12 with the New York Jets and one with the Rams. He led the Jets past the Baltimore Colts in the 1969 Super Bowl, a victory that ranks as one of the major upsets in the history of sports. The Colts, favored by 18 points, were beaten, 16-7.

Namath retired after the 1977 season.

There is a possibility that Namath will also do some movie work for ABC. Said Arledge: “We’d like him involved with ABC entertainment and expect that he would be, although that is not part of the contract.”

Said Namath: “I, of course, am very excited. I’ve been out of football since 1977. I’ve been a good fan of football and missed not being closer to it.”

Namath said he had watched “Monday Night Football” as often as he could and that the key to his being a successful announcer would be preparation.

“I’ll certainly be prepared,” he said. “As a quarterback, I found out early how important that is--preparing, doing your homework. I want to feel comfortable. I don’t like to go on the stage with six days’ rehearsal, but you’ve got to do that sometimes. I want to be ready and start practicing.”

Namath said his wife, Debra, had encouraged him to seek an announcing job. “She’d listen to what I have to say about games we watched and she enjoyed it. It was her idea,” he said.

She said: “He’s been doing color for me for two years.”

Added Namath: “I’ll bring Joe Namath to the booth--the way I feel, the kind of guy I am.”

The “Monday Night Football” ratings, like those for other football telecasts, have dropped considerably in the last two seasons. “We were down 6%, which is less than the packages of the other networks,” Arledge said. “We had a 29 share of the audience and that’s pretty good.

“Last year, we ran into some one-sided games and matchups that didn’t work out. The league has given us an outstanding schedule for this season, the best it could deliver. I’m delighted that Pete Rozelle and the NFL did well by us.”

Arledge would not discuss financial terms of the deal with Namath except to say that they were very good.

Asked if he had any broadcasting experience, Namath answered in one word: “No.”

Arledge smiled. “Joe, at these prices we’d like a little more,” he said. “Something like, ‘No, but I expect to be marvelous.’ ”