ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Mike Tirico is about to make his "Monday Night Football" debut, and the play-by-play announcer hopes he doesn't grab fans' attention.

"If I'm doing my job, I'll be like an offensive lineman or an official," Tirico said. "You'll know I'm there, but you won't really notice me."

Tirico will be part of a new-look broadcast as "Monday Night Football" moves from ABC — its home for 36 seasons — to ESPN, starting with today's broadcast of the Oakland-Minnesota game.

Al Michaels and John Madden are out, leaving to join NBC for its Sunday night NFL games, and Tirico is in along with analysts Joe Theismann and Tony Kornheiser.

Tirico is about to join an exclusive group and acknowledges he's not real comfortable about it. Keith Jackson was the play-by-play voice in 1970 when "Monday Night Football" started and was followed by Frank Gifford (1971-85) and Michaels (1986-2005).

"I'm only on that list because we have the same title. I hope I can earn my place with those guys down the road, because they're among the best in the business," Tirico said in a recent interview at a coffee house.

Kornheiser, a Washington Post columnist, hopes Tirico helps his transition to the broadcast booth. He has plenty of TV experience as co-host of "Pardon the Interruption," but acknowledges he has done nothing like the job he's about to start.

"My tenure on 'Monday Night Football' will be determined by Mike Tirico and how he treats me on the air," Kornheiser said. "He's my lifeline."

Tirico's life away from the booth is in Ann Arbor, where he lives with his wife and their two young children, a place he chose because it's near his wife's family and a major airport.

"The longer we've been in Ann Arbor the more we've loved it because the energy in a college town is second to none," he said.

His new schedule will keep him home more than when he traveled for two college football games each week and to about 15 golf tournaments.

"I'm very fortunate because usually when you get a promotion, it takes more time away from your family life," he said. "But this is actually going to keep me home more, and it's happening at a wonderful time in our lives."