Remembering Greg Gumbel

South Side native dies at 78

Longtime CBS Sports broadcaster Greg Gumbel passed away Friday afternoon at the age of 78 due to complications from cancer. 

Born in New Orleans and raised on Chicago’s South Side, Gumbel graduated from De La Salle High School and started his career at NBC-owned WMAQ-TV in 1973 as a sports anchor and interviewer, and called high school basketball games for the station. 

Gumbel left WMAQ in 1980 after his contract wasn’t renewed, and landed at the just-launched ESPN, where he was one of the network’s first hosts, anchored SportsCenter, handled the NBA coverage, and did play-by-play. New York’s MSG also employed Gumbel as a fill-in announcer for Knicks games. 

Gumbel moved to CBS Sports in 1988 where he achieved his greatest successes. In addition to broadcasting NFL games, he succeeded Brent Musburger as host of The NFL Today in 1990, partnered with Terry Bradshaw, and lasted through the end of the 1993 season. At CBS, Gumbel was the main studio anchor of the Winter Olympics, including the ratings record-setting 1994 Lillehammer Games, fueled by the drama surrounding figure skaters Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan. He also handled college basketball and baseball during this time. 

After CBS lost the NFL, Gumbel moved to NBC where he was the NFL studio host, called NBA and MLB games, and served as studio host during the 1996 Summer Olympics. Gumbel returned to CBS in 1998 after the network regained the NFL and was on the network’s top broadcast team with Phil Simms. Gumbel became the first Black person to call a Super Bowl with the 35th edition in 2001 and called Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004. 

The same year, Gumbel replaced Jim Nantz as host of The NFL Today and held the role until James Brown returned. Gumbel returned to calling NFL games with various partners until retiring from that role after the 2022 season. Gumbel also became the host of CBS Sports’ college basketball coverage, including March Madness and The Final Four. 

Gumbel took a leave of absence from CBS Sports earlier this year due to undisclosed health issues, forcing him to miss NCAA Tournament coverage.

Greg Gumbel is survived by his wife Marcy, his daughter Michelle, and his brother Bryant. 

A statement from CBS Sports on the passing of Greg Gumbel pic.twitter.com/Bp4ixu7mWB

— CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) December 27, 2024