Greg Gumbel was a longtime sportscaster best known for his work for CBS on “The NFL Today” and for his coverage of Super Bowls and March Madness.
- Died: December 27, 2024 (Who else died on December 27?)
- Details of death: Died at his home in Davie, Florida of cancer at the age of 78.
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Greg Gumbel’s legacy
Gumbel got his start covering sports on TV thanks to a tip from his younger brother, Bryant Gumbel. The future “Today” host was then working as a sportscaster in Los Angeles and heard that WMAQ-TV, in their hometown of Chicago, was auditioning for the same position. A former college baseball player who was then working in sales, Gumbel gave it a shot and got the job. He called sports for WMAQ for seven years before departing for larger markets.
By 1979, Gumbel was broadcasting to a national audience as an anchor of ESPN’s “SportsCenter.” He was there until 1988, when he first joined CBS Sports as an NFL announcer. As sports fans across the U.S. got to know Gumbel, he distinguished himself with his low-key delivery. He made a point of avoiding getting in the way of the athletes’ feats, choosing a minimalist delivery even as he made his love for sports clear.
In 1990, Gumbel began co-hosting the popular pre-game show “The NFL Today” alongside Terry Bradshaw. The two worked together until CBS lost NFL broadcasting rights in 1994, at which point Gumbel moved to NBC for a few years before returning to CBS.
Gumbel returned to NFL coverage at CBS, and in 2001 he covered Super Bowl XXXV, becoming the first Black sportscaster to call a Super Bowl or any major U.S. sports championship. Gumbel returned to Super Bowl coverage three years later, and later in 2004, he began helming “The NFL Today” again, doing so for two seasons.
At both CBS and NBC, Gumbel covered the Olympics, first in 1994’s Winter games at Lillehammer, Norway, then in Summer 1996 in Atlanta. When he returned to CBS in 1998, Gumbel began covering the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, becoming a fixture of March Madness over the years. He covered the fast-paced tournament for 25 years, only stepping aside in 2024.
Gumbel on March Madness
“It is such a unique, unique event on the sports calendar. And I’m just happy to be a part of it.” — from a 2021 interview with Brian Lord
Tributes to Greg Gumbel
Full obituary: The New York Times
