Greg Gumbel, a longtime CBS sportscaster who broke barriers during his career calling some of the biggest sporting events, has died from cancer, according to a statement from his family released by the network on Friday. He was 78.
“He leaves behind a legacy of love, inspiration and dedication to over 50 extraordinary years in the sports broadcast industry; and his iconic voice will never be forgotten,” wife Marcy Gumbel and daughter Michelle Gumbel said in a statement.
In March, Gumbel missed his first NCAA Tournament since 1997 due to what he said at the time were family health issues.
Gumbel was the studio host for CBS since returning to the network from NBC in 1998. Gumbel signed an extension with CBS last year that allowed him to continue hosting college basketball while stepping back from NFL announcing duties.
In 2001, he announced Super Bowl 35 for CBS, becoming the first Black announcer in the U.S. to call play-by-play of a major sports championship.
David Berson, president and CEO of CBS Sports, described Gumbel as someone who broke barriers and set standards for others during his years as a voice for fans in sports, including in the NFL and March Madness.
“A tremendous broadcaster and gifted storyteller, Greg led one of the most remarkable and groundbreaking sports broadcasting careers of all time," Berson said.
Gumbel had two stints at CBS, leaving the network for NBC when it lost football in 1994 and returning when it regained the contract in 1998.
Sean McManus said of all the moves he made in his nearly 27 1/2 years leading CBS Sports, one of his proudest was bringing Gumbel back.
“Not only did he elevate our NFL and NCAA coverage to a new level, but his kindness, generosity, sense of humor and unselfishness were second to none. When he was around, he made everyone from the researchers to the technicians to the executives feel like he was their best friend,” said McManus, who retired as CBS Sports chairman in April. “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 is a sadder place without him.”
Gumbel hosted CBS’ coverage of the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics and called Major League Baseball games during its four-year run broadcasting the national pastime. In 1995, he hosted the world figure skating championships and the following year hosted NBC’s daytime coverage of the Atlanta Summer Olympics.
But it was football and basketball where he was best known and made his biggest impact. Gumbel hosted CBS’ NFL studio show, “The NFL Today,” from 1990 to 1993 and again in 2004-05.
Earlier this year, Gumbel recalled replacing Brent Musburger as host of “The NFL Today” in 1990, describing it as intimidating and daunting.
“The fact that I got to sit in the same chair and do the same thing or try to do the same thing that he did was an incredible honor," he said.
Gumbel also called NFL games as the network’s lead play-by-play announcer from 1998 to 2003, including Super Bowl 35 and 38. He returned to the NFL booth in 2005, leaving that role after the 2022 season.
“Like all who knew and loved him, I too am saddened by his death, yet also so very grateful to have known him in my life,” Clark Kellogg, a CBS Sports college basketball game and studio analyst, said in a statement. “What a gift to be touched by such a good man and partner.”
Gumbel was the older brother of Bryant Gumbel, the host of NBC’s “Today” show and “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” on HBO. Bryant Gumbel received a lifetime achievement award at the Sports Emmys in 2003.
Greg Gumbel grew up in Chicago and graduated from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1967 with a degree in English. He had plans to become an English teacher, but after his brother got into sportscasting, he auditioned at WMAQ-TV, an NBC affiliate in Chicago in 1973, according to the book "You Are Looking Live!: How The NFL Today Revolutionized Sports Broadcasting." He was soon offered a position as weekend sports anchor.
“I’m kind of surprised I got the job. I certainly wasn’t anyone who was polished," he said in the book. “By my own reckoning, it took me a good year to start to feel comfortable in front of a camera.”
Gumbel also worked for ESPN and the Madison Square Garden network.
James Brown, who currently hosts “The NFL Today," described Gumbel on Friday as “Mr. Versatility and also very telegenic.”
“It was my pleasure to call him a friend and one who could do anything that was given to him in the wake of an assignment,” he added.
Gumbel won local Emmy Awards during his long career and was the recipient of the 2007 Pat Summerall Award for excellence in sports broadcasting.
Outside of his broadcast career, he was affiliated with the March of Dimes for three decades, including as a member of its board of trustees. He also was a member of the Sports Council for St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital for 16 years.
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Associated Press Reporter Mike Sisak and Sports Writer Joe Reedy contributed to this report.