Dan Dierdorf Net Worth

What is Dan Dierdorf's Net Worth and Salary

Dan Dierdorf is an American retired sportscaster and former professional football player who has a net worth of $16 million. Dan Dierdorf played 13 seasons with the NFL's St. Louis Cardinals from 1971 to 1983, and was named Offensive Lineman of the Year for three consecutive years from 1976 to 1978. Since the end of his playing career, he has done sportscasting for ABC, CBS, and radio.

Early Life and High School

Dan Dierdorf was born on June 29, 1949 in Canton, Ohio to Evelyn and John. He attended Glenwood High School, where in addition to football he did the discus throw and shot put.

Collegiate Career

For college, Dierdorf was recruited by Wolverines football coach Bump Elliott to play at the University of Michigan. In his freshman season in 1967, he played on both offense and defense. Dierdorf had his breakout year as a sophomore in 1968, when he started nine out of ten games at right offensive tackle and helped Michigan to an 8-2 record. In 1969, under new coach Bo Schembechler, Michigan won the Big Ten Conference championship and Dierdorf was named a first-team All-Big Ten Conference player. He earned that honor again as a senior in 1970, when Michigan finished with a 9-1 record. Dierdorf was also a consensus first-team pick for the 1970 All-America team.

NFL Career, 1971-1979

In the 1971 NFL draft, Dierdorf was chosen by the St. Louis Cardinals in the second round. After appearing in 12 games in his rookie season, he became a fixture on the Cardinals' offensive line in 1972 and 1973, starting all 14 games in both years. In 1973, Dierdorf permanently settled at the position of offensive tackle. For the next three seasons, he started every game at right tackle. This was a highly productive time for the Cardinals, with head coach Dan Coryell leading the team to records of 10-4 in 1974, 11-3 in 1975, and 10-4 in 1976. Although the team floundered in 1977 and 1978, Dierdorf continued his strong offensive playing. From 1976 to 1978, he earned three consecutive Offensive Lineman of the Year honors from the NFL Players Association. In both 1976 and 1977, he allowed zero sacks. Dierdorf was also a Pro Bowl selection for five consecutive years from 1974 to 1978. Things took a turn for the worse in 1979, when a knee injury caused him to miss most of the season. However, for all of his incredible successes, Dierdorf was named to the NFL All-Decade Team.

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NFL Career, 1980-1983

After recovering from his injury, Dierdorf returned to the Cardinals in 1980 and started all 16 games. For the season, he earned his fifth and final first-team All-Pro selection and sixth and final Pro Bowl selection. Dierdorf started all 16 games for the Cardinals again in 1981. The following season, he moved to center tackle and started all nine games in the strike-shortened season. Dierdorf returned to right tackle in 1983 but only started four games out of the seven he played in. On October 11, with the Cardinals sitting at a 1-5 record, Dierdorf announced his intention to retire at the end of the season. He cited his physical ailments, including his troubled knees, as the reason.

Contracts, Salaries & Career Earnings

During his 13-year NFL career with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1971 to 1983, Dan Dierdorf earned salaries that reflected the league's evolving economics but fell far short of modern standards. As one of the premier offensive linemen of the 1970s, he became one of the team's highest-paid players, earning roughly $100,000 to $150,000 per season at his peak—a strong figure for an offensive lineman in that era. While exact contract terms were rarely publicized, Dierdorf's consistent All-Pro status and leadership role likely brought him modest signing bonuses and performance incentives. Over his entire playing career, he is estimated to have earned between $1 million and $1.5 million in total NFL salary. After retiring in 1983, Dierdorf built a highly successful second career as a broadcaster for ABC's "Monday Night Football" and CBS Sports, where his long tenure and visibility earned him the vast majority of his current net worth.

Sportscasting Career

In early 1984, following his NFL retirement, Dierdorf became an afternoon talk show host on KMOX radio in St. Louis. Later in the year, he began doing color analysis for radio broadcasts of Missouri Tigers football games and St. Louis Blues hockey games. In 1985, Dierdorf joined CBS as part of its broadcast team covering NFL games; he returned to the network in 1986. The year after that, Dierdorf joined "Monday Night Football" on ABC, where he sat alongside Al Michaels and Frank Gifford. He left the program in 1999 after 12 seasons. While working for ABC, Dierdorf also briefly did boxing commentary and served as a correspondent at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.

In 1999, Dierdorf returned to CBS and joined Verne Lundquist to cover NFL games. After Lundquist left in 2000, Dierdorf was paired with Dick Enberg until 2005. Subsequently, from 2006 to 2013, he was paired with Greg Gumbel. In late 2013, Dierdorf announced that he would be retiring as an NFL analyst after the end of the season. He went on to become a color analyst for Michigan Wolverines football games on the radio from 2014 to 2021. Dierdorf was paired with his former Michigan teammate Jim Brandstatter. Both men retired from broadcasting after the 2021 season.

Personal Life

With his wife Debbie, Dierdorf has two children named Dana and Katie. He still resides in St. Louis, where he was the co-proprietor of the now-shuttered steakhouse Dierdorf and Hart's, with fellow former Cardinals player Jim Hart.

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