Greg Gumbel, a prominent 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 so much love after a brave battle with cancer. Greg approached his illness with the stoicism, grace, and positivity one would expect.
He leaves behind a legacy of love, inspiration and dedication during his more than 50 extraordinary years in the sports broadcasting industry. And his iconic voice will never be forgotten.
Greg’s memory will be forever cherished by his family, dear friends, colleagues and all who loved him. — Marcy and Michelle Gumbel
Gumbel served as a play-by-play announcer and studio host at CBS Sports and previously broadcast for several years at NBC Sports. He has amassed a huge fan following by hosting a wide range of coverage, from “The NFL Today” to multiple Super Bowls and the Olympics.
The show will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2022.
Mary Kouw/CBS ©2021 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved.
“The CBS Sports family is devastated by the passing of Greg Gumbel. There was never a finer gentleman in television. He was loved and respected by all of us who were honored to call him a friend and colleague. ” David said. Mr. Berson is president and CEO of CBS Sports.
“A great broadcaster and gifted storyteller, Greg led one of the most remarkable and groundbreaking sports broadcasting careers in history. “It was a familiar welcome to fans of many sports, including the NFL and March Madness,” said Berson.
“Greg broke barriers and set a standard for others to follow. This is a very sad day for all of us at CBS Sports and the entire sports community. We will miss Greg dearly. Our deepest sympathies go out to his wife Marcy, daughter Michelle, and his entire family. ”
Gumbel was born in New Orleans on May 3, 1946, and raised in Chicago. He graduated from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa in 1967. his younger brother is Bryant Gumbelhe also achieved broadcast fame as host of NBC’s “Today” show and HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.”
Greg Gumbel joined CBS Sports in 1989 after many years as host and play-by-play of New York Knicks basketball and New York Yankees baseball games on the Madison Square Garden Network, as well as other MSGN programming, where he won a local Emmy Award. did. He also worked at ESPN, WMAQ-TV Chicago, where he won two local Emmy Awards, and WFAN radio in New York City.
CBS Sports featured “The NFL Today,” the network’s NFL pregame, halftime, and postgame studio show from 1990-1993 and 2004-2005, Super Bowl XXVI in 1992, and 2013. Super Bowl 47 in 2017, and officiated at the Super Bowl. Bowl 50 in 2016.
He served as prime-time anchor for CBS Sports’ coverage of the 1994 Winter Olympics and co-anchored the network’s weekday morning broadcast of the 1992 Winter Olympics.
He also served as play-by-play announcer for Major League Baseball’s regular season and postseason, host of the 1990 MLB All-Star Game, college football broadcasts for CBS Sports, and host and play-by-play announcer for the university. The first World Series in several years.
“He was one of the truly great players. Light touch, quick wit, and everyone loved working with him,” said Leslie Visser, a longtime colleague at CBS Sports. Ta.
“Greg had an innate dignity and he brought that to the table,” she told CBS News in an interview Friday.
In 1994, Gumbel began a four-year stint at NBC Sports, and in 1996 and 1998 he hosted the NFL on NBC pregame show and NBC’s Super Bowl pregame show.
AP Photo/Ron Heflin
He hosted the pregame show for the 1994 Major League Baseball All-Star Game and was the play-by-play announcer on NBC’s “Baseball Night in America.” Gumbel also served as the play-by-play announcer for “The NBA on NBC” and hosted NBC’s daytime coverage of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Gumbel returned to CBS Sports in 1998 as host and play-by-play announcer for college basketball and “NFL on CBS,” where he teamed with analyst Phil Simms for six seasons. He called into CBS’ coverage of Super Bowl XXXV and Super Bowl XXXVIII, at which time he provided play-by-play coverage, making him the first network broadcaster to host a Super Bowl.
Gumbel hosted “The NFL Today” for two seasons before returning to the booth to team up with Dan Dierdorf for eight seasons, ending in 2013. In 2014, he co-hosted SHOWTIME’s “Inside the NFL” with analysts Phil Sims, Boomer Esiason, and Ed. Reed and Brandon Marshall. At CBS, Gumbel also provided play-by-play for regular season college basketball and the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, NBA regular season and playoff games, and the College World Series Championship game.
“The news of Greg Gumbel’s passing is simply heartbreaking,” “Inside the NBA” host and sportscaster Ernie Johnson said in a social media post. “It was an honor to share the March Madness desk with him. He was a professional’s professional and a gentleman of the highest quality.”
Gumbel received the 2007 Pat Summerall Award for Excellence in Sports Broadcasting.
“Greg Gumbel never cared about fame,” Visser said. “He cared about the people he worked with and his job.”
Basketball icon Earvin “Magic” Johnson also paid tribute, writing, “I am saddened to hear of the passing of my longtime legendary broadcaster and friend, Greg Gumbel. Greg was a pioneering African-American. “He was a man,” X wrote in a post expressing his condolences.
Outside of the studio, Gumbel is a longtime supporter of the March of Dimes, serving two six-year terms as a member of the March of Dimes Board of Directors and an additional 18 years as a member of the organization’s National Advisory Board. Served. He has also been a member of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Sports Council for 16 years, providing direction and guidance for the organization’s mission.
Since 2009, he has also served on the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, Loras University.
