Greg Gumbel, CBS Sports broadcasting legend, dies at 78
Greg Gumbel, the famous CBS sports anchor and commentator, has died at the age of 78.
His family confirmed the news in a statement on Friday, saying:
It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of our beloved husband and father, Greg Gumbel. He passed away peacefully, surrounded by love, after a courageous battle with cancer. Greg approaches his illness with the stoicism, grace, and positivity that one would expect.
He leaves behind a legacy of love, inspiration and dedication during his extraordinary 50-plus years in the sports broadcasting industry; his iconic voice will never be forgotten.
Greg’s memory will forever be cherished by his family, dearest friends, colleagues and all who loved him. — Marcy and Michelle Gambel
Gumbel serves as play-by-play announcer and studio host cbs sportswhich previously aired on NBC Sports for several years. He has built a following through his hosting of “NFL Today” and his coverage of multiple Super Bowls and the Olympics.
In 2022, he celebrated 50 years of his broadcasting career.
Mary Kouw/CBS ©2021 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved
David said: “The CBS Sports family is saddened by the passing of Greg Gumbel. There never was a finer gentleman in television. He was loved and respected by those of us who were fortunate enough to call him a friend and colleague. .” Burson, president and CEO of CBS Sports.
“Greg was a superb broadcaster and talented storyteller who led one of the most distinguished and groundbreaking sports broadcasting careers of all time. He was a familiar and welcome voice to fans of many sporting events, including The NFL and March Madness, especially the Super Bowl and Final Four,” Burson said.
“Greg broke barriers and set an example for others to follow. This is an extremely sad day for everyone at CBS Sports and the entire sports community. We will miss Greg deeply and send our condolences to his Deepest condolences to his wife Marcy and daughter Michelle,” as well as his entire family. “
Gambell was born in New Orleans on May 3, 1946, and grew up in Chicago. He graduated from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1967. his brother, Bryant GumbelHe also rose to prominence in the broadcast world as the host of NBC’s “Today” show and HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.”
Greg Gumbel joined CBS Sports in 1989 from the Madison Square Garden Network where he served as the New York Knicks basketball and Hosting and game duties for the New York Yankees baseball team, as well as three other weekly MSGN shows, earned him a local Emmy Award. He also worked at ESPN, WMAQ-TV in Chicago and WFAN radio in New York City, where he won two local Emmy Awards.
At CBS Sports, he hosted “The NFL Today,” the network’s NFL pregame, halftime and postgame studio show, from 1990-93 and 2004-05, including the 26th in 1992 Super Bowl, 2013 Super Bowl 47 and 2016 Super Bowl 50.
He served as a primetime anchor for CBS Sports’ coverage of the 1994 Winter Olympics and served as co-anchor of the network’s weekday morning coverage of the 1992 Winter Olympics.
He also served as play-by-play announcer for Major League Baseball’s regular season and postseason games, host of the 1990 All-Star Game at Wrigley Field in Chicago, college football broadcasts for CBS Sports, Daytona International TV’s The host of “Speed Week” joined Speedway in 1999 and has served as the host and play-by-play announcer of the College World Series for many years.
In 1994, he worked at NBC Sports for several years, serving as the host of the “NFL on NBC” pregame show, and in 1996 and 1998 as the host of NBC’s Super Bowl pregame show.
AP Photo/Ron Heflin
He hosted the 1994 Major League Baseball All-Star Game pregame show and served as the play-by-play announcer for NBC’s “Baseball Night in America.” Gumbel also serves as the play-by-play announcer for “NBC’s NBA.” He was the host of the 1995 World Figure Skating Championships and NBC’s daytime coverage of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
In 1998, Gumbel returned to CBS Sports as host and play-by-play announcer for college basketball games and “CBS NFL.” He worked with analyst Phil Simms for six seasons to form the CBS network’s primary NFL commentary team. He called CBS’s coverage of Super Bowls 35 and 38, which at the time made him the first network broadcaster to do play-by-play and host the Super Bowl.
Gumbel hosted “NFL Today” for two seasons in 2004 and 2005 before returning to the booth to work with Dan Dierdorf for eight seasons until 2013. In 2014, he served as host of the SHOWTIME show “Inside the NFL” with analyst Phil Simms. Boomer Esiason, Ed Reed and Brandon Marshall.
At CBS, Gumbel also provides play-by-play coverage of the college basketball regular season, the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament, the NBA regular season and playoffs, and the College World Series championship game.
Gumbel received the 2007 Pat Summerall Award for excellence in sports broadcasting.
Outside of the studio, Gambell is a long-time supporter of the March of Dimes, serving two six-year terms as a member of the March of Dimes Board of Directors and serving as a member of the organization’s National Advisory Board for 18 years. For 16 years, he has been a member of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Athletic Committee, which provides direction and guidance to the organization’s mission.
Since 2009, he has also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, Loras College.
