Some sad news arrived in the sports broadcasting world when it was reported that Greg Gumbel had died at the age of 78 from cancer.
He had been a pioneering sportscaster for many decades, and the network he was most associated with was CBS, where he called the telecasts of several sports.
CBS Sports issued a statement highlighting not only what Gumbel did throughout his career but also what he was like outside the broadcasting booth.
“There has never been a finer gentleman in all of television. He was beloved and respected by those of us who had the honor to call him a friend and colleague,” the statement read.
A statement from CBS Sports on the passing of Greg Gumbel pic.twitter.com/Bp4ixu7mWB
— CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) December 27, 2024
Gumbel started out as a reporter for WMAQ-TV in Chicago and later moved on to host a morning show on New York City-based WFAN Radio while also calling New York Knicks and college basketball games for MSG Network.
During the early 1980s, he joined a fledgling cable sports network known as ESPN and anchored “SportsCenter” while also serving as a play-by-play man for NBA games.
But Gumbel is perhaps best remembered for his time at CBS, where he served two stints, one from 1988 to 1994 and the other from 1998 until his passing.
There, he was a host of “The NFL Today” and a play-by-play man for NFL games, and also was a studio host for the network’s coverage of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in addition to calling NBA and MLB games.
In 2001, he made history by becoming the first African-American to do play-by-play for a major world championship when he called Super Bowl XXXV.
Gumbel is the older brother of Bryant Gumbel, who has had a distinguished broadcasting career in his own right.
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