Legendary Sportscaster Greg Gumbel Passes Away at 78: A Legacy of Breaking Barriers and Inspiring Generations
Greg Gumbel, a trailblazing sportscaster who spent over 50 years in the sports broadcast industry, has passed away due to cancer, his family announced through a statement released by CBS on Friday. He was 78 years old.
Gumbel’s wife, Marcy, and daughter, Michelle, remembered him fondly: “He leaves behind a legacy of love, inspiration, and dedication to over 50 extraordinary years in the sports broadcast industry; his iconic voice will never be forgotten.”
In March, Gumbel missed his first NCAA tournament due to family health issues. Since returning to CBS from NBC in 1998, Gumbel had been a staple as the studio host for CBS.
Last year, Gumbel signed an extension with CBS that allowed him to continue hosting college basketball while scaling back his NFL announcing duties. One of his most notable achievements was becoming the first Black announcer in the U.S. to call play-by-play for a major sports championship when he announced Super Bowl 35 for CBS in 2001.
David Berson, president and CEO of CBS Sports, praised Gumbel for his groundbreaking career: “A tremendous broadcaster and gifted storyteller, Greg led one of the most remarkable and groundbreaking sports broadcasting careers of all time.”
Sean McManus, who recently retired as CBS Sports chairman, reflected on bringing Gumbel back to CBS as one of his proudest moves.
“He elevated our NFL and NCAA coverage to a new level, but his kindness, generosity, sense of humor, and unselfishness were second to none,” McManus said. “He made everyone from researchers to technicians to executives feel like he was their best friend. His love for his family was always the foundation of his life. There will never be another Greg Gumbel, and our industry and this world are sadder without him.”
Gumbel’s career included hosting CBS’ coverage of the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics and calling Major League Baseball games during its four-year run broadcasting MLB. He also hosted the world figure skating championships in 1995 and NBC’s daytime coverage of the Atlanta Summer Olympics in 1996.
However, it was football and basketball where Gumbel made his most significant impact. He hosted CBS’ NFL studio show, “The NFL Today,” from 1990 to 1993 and again from 2004 to 2005. Earlier this year, he recalled replacing Brent Musburger as host of “The NFL Today” in 1990 as an intimidating yet honorable experience.
Gumbel also served as CBS’s lead play-by-play announcer for NFL games from 1998 to 2003, including Super Bowls 35 and 38. He returned to the NFL booth in 2005 before stepping down after the 2022 season.
Clark Kellogg, a CBS Sports college basketball game and studio analyst, expressed his gratitude for knowing Gumbel: “Like all who knew and loved him, I too am saddened by his death yet so very grateful to have known him in my life.”
Greg Gumbel was the older brother of Bryant Gumbel, known for hosting NBC’s “Today” show and “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” on HBO. Bryant received a lifetime achievement award at the Sports Emmys in 2003.
Born in Chicago, Greg Gumbel graduated from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, with an English degree in 1967. Initially planning to become an English teacher, he followed his brother into sportscasting after auditioning at WMAQ-TV, an NBC affiliate in Chicago in 1973.
“I’m kind of surprised I got the job,” he reflected in the book “You Are Looking Live!: How The NFL Today Revolutionized Sports Broadcasting.” “By my own reckoning, it took me a good year to start feeling comfortable in front of a camera.”
In addition to his work at CBS and NBC, Gumbel also worked for ESPN and the Madison Square Garden network.
James Brown, current host of “The NFL Today,” described Gumbel as “Mr. Versatility” and highly telegenic. “It was my pleasure to call him a friend and one who could do anything given to him in the wake of an assignment,” Brown added.
Throughout his career, Gumbel won local Emmy Awards and received the 2007 Pat Summerall Award for excellence in sports broadcasting