2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Greg Gumbel, Iconic Voice and Comforting PresenceBy Dave Barron, SVG Contributor Monday, November 17, 2025 - 11:52 am
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Greg Gumbel hit all the high notes during a five-decade career that included stops at ESPN, NBC, and CBS, hosting and calling marquee events and breaking barriers at each stop. Equally lasting and especially cherished in the wake of Gumbel's death last year is the memory of his low-key affability that was as evident and genuine to co-workers as it was to viewers.
Being with Greg was always easy, always fun. It felt like being home, says Lesley Visser, a Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer who worked with Gumbel on CBS's The NFL Today.
Greg helped me with everything in work and life, says Seth Davis, who joined him in the NCAA Tournament studio for two decades. He was my hero and my best friend.
He listened to everything that was said on the set, says Chris Berman, a Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer who worked hundreds of newscasts with Gumbel at ESPN. Listening is a real trait, and Greg was a good listener.
He was your partner. He was your anchor, says Clark Kellogg, another NCAA Tournament studio colleague. And what you saw from Greg on the air is what you would encounter off the air.
Born in New Orleans and raised in Chicago, Gumbel worked in advertising and sales after college before applying for a job at WMAQ Chicago at the suggestion of his younger brother, Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer Bryant Gumbel.
Gumbel called high-profile events and broke barriers in a career spanning five decades. (Photo: John P. Filo/CBS)
Joining ESPN in 1981, he brought immediate gravitas to the young channel, according to Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer and former ESPN executive Steve Bornstein: He and Berman on SportsCenter were a big part of the early history of ESPN. He was a class guy who never forgot his roots.
One of Gumbel's greatest talents, Berman says, was putting viewers at ease. Before he even opened his mouth, just from looking at him, you knew you were watching a friend, someone you could trust. You enjoyed spending time with him. When you're in our seat, that's two-thirds of the battle. He put a stake in the ground for us at ESPN.
Gumbel moved to CBS Sports in 1989 and, a year later, became host of The NFL Today. He was joined by Terry Bradshaw, who says Gumbel helped him prepare for a continuing career that included Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame induction in 2022.
Greg taught me how to do the studio, Bradshaw explains. I asked a lot of questions. I was loud and crazy and over the top, and he would tell me This is good, but you may not want to go there.' He was the rudder, and everyone leaned on him.
Gumbel also anchored CBS's coverage of the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics before moving to NBC in 1994. His duties there included working with other big personalities in Bill Walton and Steve Snapper Jones, frequently acting as referee and rhetorical playground monitor for the two old friends and NBA teammates.
He hosted the NFL on NBC pregame show, including Super Bowl pregame editions in 1996 and 1998, and did play-by-play work on Major League Baseball and studio work for MLB and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Gumbel returned to CBS, along with the NFL, in fall 1998, first as host of The NFL Today and later as a member of the broadcaster's No. 1 play-by-play team with Phil Simms.
Gumbel returned to CBS, along with the NFL, in fall 1998, first as host of The NFL Today and later as a member of the broadcaster's No. 1 play-by-play team with Phil Simms. He was the first Black announcer to call a major sports championship game with the 2001 Super Bowl between the Baltimore Ravens-New York Giants.
When we brought the NFL to CBS in 1998, says former CBS Sports Chairman and Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer Sean McManus, No. 1 on my list for talent was Greg. His silky-smooth delivery in both the studio and booth was second to none. He had a quiet dignity and class that the entire industry celebrated.
Before he even opened his mouth, just from looking at him, you knew you were watching a friend, someone you could trust, says Chris Berman.
He was studio host for CBS's coverage of Super Bowl XLVII (2013) and Super Bowl 50 (2016) and did play by play for Super Bowl XXXVIII (2004), one of dozens of games he worked alongside his longtime spotter, Michael Gluc, with analysts Simms, Dan Dierdorff, Trent Green, Rich Gannon, and Adam Archuletta.
It was my pleasure to be his right-hand man for 24 years, says Gluc. We had a lot of fun events: Friday nights before a game or Sunday dinners afterward. He wasn't just someone I worked for. He was a dear friend.
Gumbel also had a long run as ringmaster of the broadcaster's NCAA Tournament and Selection Sunday programs, occasionally teaming with another high-energy duo in Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith but more frequently with Kellogg and Davis.
Gumbel had a long run as ringmaster of CBS's NCAA Tournament and Selection Sunday programs along with Clark Kellogg and Seth Davis. (Photo: Mary Kouw/CBS)
I sat next to him for over 20 years, Kellogg says. It wasn't until his passing that I considered all the things he had done and the firsts he had done as an African-American broadcaster. An icon, a giant. He was easy to listen to and easy to like.
As colleagues mourn his passing, they remember little things. Bradshaw recalls Gumbel's fondness for toothpicks. Visser remembers his love of espionage novels and his aversion to golf: One time we had an NFL seminar for a week in Pebble Beach, and Greg got a note from his doctor that he couldn't play.
Jim Nantz: I've always heard that the camera never lies. The camera said that Greg Gumbel is a
