Late Friday afternoon, the sports community across the county mourned the passing of CBS Sports’ Greg Gumbel, who was 78 years old.
Gumbel was a media trailblazer and icon, recognized as one of the best in the business by all who followed his career across different networks and sports.
His wife and daughter issued a statement about his passing:
It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of our beloved husband and father, Greg Gumbel. He passed away peacefully surrounded by much love after a courageous battle with cancer. Greg approached his illness like one would expect he would, with stoicism, grace, and positivity.
He leaves behind a legacy of love, inspiration and dedication to over 50 extraordinary years in the sports broadcast industry; and his iconic voice will never be forgotten.
Greg’s memory will forever be treasured by his family, dearest friends, colleagues and all who loved him. — Marcy & Michelle Gumbel
Gumbel had an amazing career, especially considering that he didn’t have any formal training.
He was actually a medical supplies sales representative in Detroit when his brother, Bryant, suggested that he audition for a sportscaster role at a local station in Chicago.
He got that job and so began his legendary career.
Gumbel worked at ESPN from 1981-1986 and would also host and handle play-by-play duties for the Knicks, Yankees and the MSG Network. He also worked at WFAN in New York and won two local Emmys at WMAQ-TV in Chicago.
In 1989, he started his first stint with CBS Sports, staying until May 1994 when he left for NBC to host the network’s NFL pregame show after CBS lost the rights to the league.
At NBC Sports, Gumbel continued his greatness, hosting The NFL on NBC pre-game show and the network’s Super Bowl pre-game shows in 1996 and 1998. He also hosted the pre-game show for the 1994 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, was a play-by-play announcer on Baseball Night in America, a play-by-play announcer for The NBA on NBC and hosted the daytime coverage of the 1996 Olympic Summer Games in Atlanta.
Gumbel’s experience and range allowed him to cover many sports, which is the mark of a great broadcaster.
After returning to CBS Sports in 1998, he was the host and play-by-play announcer for college basketball and The NFL on CBS.
He went on to cover the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics for CBS Sports, the latter being the first time the Winter and Summer Games were held in separate years (they would go on to be held in alternating even-numbered years) and also hosted the College World Series (1989-93 and 2000-02), Major League Baseball and college football.
But his biggest moment came in 2001 when he became the first African American play-by-play announcer to call a Super Bowl (XXXV), a feat he repeated in 2004 at Super Bowl XXXVIII. That made him the first network broadcaster to both call play-by-play and host a Super Bowl.
