Longtime CBS Sports broadcaster Greg Gumbel passed away at the age of 78 after a battle with cancer, his family announced Friday.
In a statement released through CBS Sports, Gumbel’s family confirmed he died peacefully and surrounded by loved ones. “Greg approached his illness like one would expect he would, with stoicism, grace, and positivity,” the statement said.
“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.”
It was revealed in March that Gumbel would miss the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament due to family health issues. Gumbel stepped back from his role in NFL play-by-play broadcasting at the end of the 2022 season to focus more on college sports, Sporting News reported.
Born May 3, 1946 in New Orleans, Gumbel moved to Chicago, where he was raised, CBS News reported. His brother Bryant Gumbel similarly gained popularity as a broadcaster, hosting NBC’s “Today” show and HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.”
Gumbel’s broadcasting career began to flourish in 1989 when he joined CBS Sports. Before this, he honed his skills in New York, handling play-by-play responsibilities for the New York Knicks and New York Yankees under the Madison Square Garden Network. This is in addition to his hosting three weekly programs that brought him a local Emmy Award.
His other stints included roles at ESPN, Chicago’s WMAQ-TV, where he clinched two local Emmys, and WFAN Radio in New York City, the outlet reported. At CBS Sports, he led “The NFL Today,” a pre-game, halftime, and post-game studio show from 1990-1993 and again from 2004-2005.
His tenure included broadcasting major events such as Super Bowl XXVI in 1992, Super Bowl XLVII in 2013, and Super Bowl 50 in 2016. Gumbel also anchored CBS Sports’ prime-time coverage of the 1994 Olympic Winter Games and co-anchored the network’s weekday morning broadcasts of the 1992 Olympic Winter Games.
In 1994, Gumbel transitioned to NBC Sports, where he hosted “The NFL on NBC” pre-game show and led the network’s Super Bowl pregame shows in 1996 and 1998. He also covered the 1994 Major League Baseball All-Star Game and was a play-by-play announcer on NBC’s “Baseball Night in America.”
Gumbel revisited “The NFL Today” in 2004 and 2005, later partnering with Dan Dierdorf for eight seasons through 2013. He hosted “Inside the NFL” on SHOWTIME in 2014, working alongside analysts like Phil Simms, Boomer Esiason, Ed Reed, and Brandon Marshall.
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