Greg Gumbel, the pioneering CBS Sports broadcaster and studio host who made history as the first Black announcer to call play-by-play of a major sports championship in the United States and hosted numerous Super Bowls and NCAA March Madness tournaments, died Friday, December 27, 2024, after a battle with cancer. He was 78.
His family confirmed his passing in a statement: “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.”
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on May 3, 1946, and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Gumbel graduated from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1967. His broadcasting career began in the early 1970s at WMAQ-TV in Chicago, where he won two local Emmy Awards. He later joined ESPN and the Madison Square Garden Network, where he earned another Emmy for his coverage of New York Yankees baseball and New York Knicks basketball.
After joining CBS Sports in 1989, Gumbel became one of the network’s most versatile broadcasters. He hosted “The NFL Today” from 1990-93 and 2004-05 and served as play-by-play announcer for NFL games from 1998 to 2003. In 2001, he made history when he became the first Black announcer to call play-by-play for a major sports championship at Super Bowl XXXV. He would go on to call Super Bowl XXXVIII, making him the first network broadcaster to call play-by-play and host a Super Bowl. [Sources:
“The CBS Sports family is devastated by the passing of Greg Gumbel. A tremendous broadcaster and gifted storyteller, Greg led one of the most remarkable and groundbreaking sports broadcasting careers of all time,” said David Berson, president and CEO of CBS Sports.
In 1994, Gumbel moved to NBC Sports for four years, where he hosted “The NFL on NBC” pre-game show and NBC’s Super Bowl pre-game shows in 1996 and 1998. He also served as play-by-play announcer for “The NBA on NBC” and hosted the network’s daytime coverage of the 1996 Olympic Summer Games in Atlanta. [Sources:
His colleague Lesley Visser, a trailblazing sports journalist and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee who worked alongside him at CBS Sports noted that Greg possessed an inherent dignity in his work. NBA Hall of Famer and business mogul Earvin “Magic” Johnson emphasized Greg’s role as a trailblazer for African Americans in sports broadcasting.
Throughout his five-decade career, Gumbel covered a wide range of sporting events. He served as primetime anchor for CBS Sports’ coverage of the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer and co-anchored the network’s weekday morning broadcasts of the 1992 Olympic Winter Games in Albertville. He also hosted MLB’s All-Star Game in 1990 and provided play-by-play for regular-season and post-season Major League Baseball games.
“The news that Greg Gumbel has passed is just heartbreaking,” sportscaster Ernie Johnson, host of “Inside the NBA,” wrote. “Was an honor to share the March Madness desk with him. A pro’s pro and a gentleman of the highest order.”
Beyond broadcasting, Gumbel dedicated significant time to charitable causes. He served two six-year terms on the March of Dimes Board of Trustees and spent 18 years on their National Board of Advisors. For 16 years, he was also a member of the Sports Council for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. He also served as a member of the Board of Regents for his alma mater, Loras College, since 2009.
In 2007, Gumbel received the Pat Summerall Award for excellence in sports broadcasting. His final role at CBS included hosting “Inside the NFL” on SHOWTIME in 2014 alongside analysts Phil Simms, Boomer Esiason, Ed Reed, and Brandon Marshall. He celebrated his 50th year of broadcasting in 2022 before stepping away from his NFL broadcasting duties after that season.
Gumbel is survived by his wife Marcy, daughter Michelle, and younger brother Bryant Gumbel, who also achieved prominence in broadcasting as host of NBC’s “Today” show and HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.”
