What is Chris Russo’s Net Worth and Salary?
Chris Russo is an American sports radio personality who has a net worth of $22 million. Chris Russo is known as “Mad Dog” and is the former co-host of the sports radio show “Mike and the Mad Dog” with Mike Francesa on WFAN in New York City.
Early Life
Christopher Michael Russo was born on October 18, 1959, in Syosset, New York. He was an only child to Anthony Michael “Tony” Russo (from Flushing, Queens) and Vera “Molly” (from England) who went to Darrow School in New Lebanon, New York, and Rollins College near Orlando, Florida, where he graduated with a degree in history. He also spent a semester at the Cranleigh School south of London, England, and another at the University of Sydney in Australia to study Australian history and literature.
Prior to joining WFAN, Chris worked for a station in Orlando for three years and for a different New York station for another three years. While he was in Florida, listeners reportedly had trouble understanding his thick accent and quick way of speaking. When he joined WFAN in 1988, he was an overnight and weekend host. He soon caught the ear of radio legend Don Imus who brought Chris in to be his sports reporter. Imus eventually helped Chris get his own weekend show on WFAN that aired on Saturday mornings.
Mike and the Mad Dog
When weekday drive time host Pete Franklin’s contract was not renewed, WFAN paired Chris with Mike Francesa to launch “Mike and the Mad Dog” on September 5, 1989. The “Mike and the Mad Dog” show ran until 2009 when Chris decided he wanted to go in a different direction. It was rumored that Mike and Chris strongly disliked each other, but Chris denied the sentiment saying it was all about wanting to do something different. And on October 16, 2009, Russo joined Francesca for a reunion show at Yankee Stadium. On March 30, 2016, the pair reunited again for a “Mike and the Mad Dog” show at Radio City Music Hall.
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Mad Dog Unleashed
Chris Russo signed a five-year contract with Sirius XM on August 19, 2008, to host a show called “Mad Dog Unleashed” on the new sports talk radio channel called “Mad Dog Radio.” The deal was said to be worth $3 million per year for a total of $15 million. He would sign a similar three-year deal again in 2013.
High Heat
Chris Russo’s new Sirius XM deal included daily hosting of the MLB Network TV show “High Heat” starting on March 31, 2014. In September of 2016, Russo signed a new three-year contract and then renewed the contract for four more years in April of 2019. In February of 2021, Chris announced that the show’s producer, Bruce Schein, who appeared on-air daily, was let go by MLB Network.
Personal Life
Outside of radio, Chris has also authored the books “The Mad Dog 100: The Greatest Sports Arguments of All Time” and “The Mad Dog Hall of Fame: The Ultimate Top-Ten Rankings of the Best in Sports.”
Chris Russo married Jeanne Lavelle on May 6, 1995. They have four children together: Timmy, Kiera, Colin, and Patrick. His son Colin made his radio debut in his old time slot on WFAN in December of 2020 along with co-host Sonny Carton, the son of longtime host Craig Carton. Chris Russo resides in New Canaan, Connecticut.