Analyst Tom Jackson (r) interviews then NFC Pro Bowl coach Mike Ditka at the 1988 Pro Bowl. Ditka and Jackson are now teammates on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown. (Kirk Aeder/ESPN Images)
Chris Berman reports from the endzone in Aloha Stadium in Hawaii during the 1988 Pro Bowl. (Kirk Aeder/ESPN)
(L-R) Chris Berman with Tom Jackson and Hall of Famer Jim Kelly on-set at Aloha Stadium at the 1999 Pro Bowl. (Scott Clarke/ESPN Images)
(L-R) Chris Berman interviews Super Bowl XLIV starting quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Drew Brees at halftime of the 2010 Pro Bowl in South Florida. (Phil Ellsworth/ESPN Images)
Combining the top players in the NFL with the warm weather many fans are craving this time of year, the Pro Bowl returns to ESPN on Sunday (8 p.m. ET) for the first time in five years.
The first of ESPN’s 11 Pro Bowl telecasts was in 1988; ABC also televised the game from 1975-87 and 1995-03. This year’s version features Pro Football Hall of Famers Michael Irvin and ESPN’s own Cris Carter as alumni captains selecting the teams that will play Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., kicking off Super Bowl XLIX week.
The gallery of photos above shows how ESPN has covered the annual Pro Bowl through the years from Hawaii to South Florida and Arizona this weekend.