Don’t expect this dog to lose his bite anytime soon.
Chris “Mad Dog” Russo doesn’t plan on stepping away from the microphone in the near future, even with the longtime sports personality turning 67 in October.
“I will definitely do this for, I don’t want to say for the next 20 years, but I would think [the] next couple years you’re still gonna hear me,” Russo told The Post during a recent visit to ESPN’s studios in Manhattan. “And what am I gonna do if I retire? You know? I mean, all my kids are gone. My wife and I would drive each other crazy staring at each other.
“I would think for the next couple of years you’ll see me and hear me the times you want to do it.”
Russo, who made his mark on sports talk during his days at WFAN as part of the legendary “Mike and The Mad Dog” duo, said he didn’t have a set plan for when he wants to retire, and it could come in waves by cutting back to just doing his radio show.
“I still feel good. I still love and think I can make a contribution, so we’re going to work as much as we can,” he said. “I’m not going to overdo it. I’m not gonna take 20 jobs, but ESPN is nice enough to still have me, and you got the radio, that’s plenty.”
Russo left WFAN in 2008 over a contract dispute and signed with SiriusXM to launch his own “Mad Dog” channel. He has signed with Sirius through 2027.
Russo made a guest appearance on “First Take” in 2022 and the fan interest, combined with his chemistry with Stephen A. Smith, has led to a weekly spot on the show.
On the day The Post visited the Worldwide Leader, Russo flexed his football history muscles alongside Jeremy Schaap while recording an episode of “The Biggest Game,” a digital series hosted by Schaap focusing on the Super Bowl and some of its biggest moments.
The appearance was a bit of a different side of Russo, with the well-known personality presenting a more tame version compared to the opinionated and, at times, bombastic persona that he has come to be known for on “First Take” and on his daily radio SiriusXM show “Mad Dog Unleashed.”
Russo has made a name for himself by giving his strong takes on TV and radio, and has been quick to ignite debate on social media when clips from his radio show or ESPN appearances make it online.
But the sports talker said that he was shocked that a segment he did about Ulysses S. Grant and Abraham Lincoln on his radio show drew so much attention; Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina jokingly described it as “The single greatest sports talk radio host in the history of the medium.”
His takes are also quick to draw criticism, though that doesn’t bother Russo, who was quick to point out that as long as people are paying attention, that’s what matters the most.
“I don’t worry too much about what people say, as long as they have an opinion about what I say,” Russo said. “I mean, if they were apathetic, that’s a bad sign. They’re not. That’s the most important sign.”
