Greg Gumbel

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Greg Gumbel : biography

May 3, 1946 –

Greg Gumbel (born May 3, 1946) is an American television sportscaster. He is best known for his various assignments on the CBS network (most notably, the National Football League and NCAA basketball). The older brother of news and sportscaster Bryant Gumbel, he became the first African-American announcer to call play-by-play of a major sports championship in the United States when he announced Super Bowl XXXV for the CBS network in 2001. He is of Creole ancestry.

Career timeline

  • 1979–1988: ESPN – Reporter, Anchor, Play-by-play
  • 1989: MSG Network New York Yankees – Play-by-play
  • 1989–1994: College Basketball on CBS – Play-by-play
  • 1990–1993; 2004–2005: The NFL Today – Studio host
  • 1991: Seattle Mariners Television – Play-by-play
  • 1992–1993: Cleveland Cavaliers Television – Play-by-Play
  • 1992: Winter Olympics – Weekend morning host
  • 1994: Winter Olympics – Primetime host
  • 1994: Major League Baseball All-Star Game – Host
  • 1994–1995: MLB on NBC – #2 Play-by-play
  • 1994–1998: NFL on NBC – Studio host
  • 1994–1997: NBA on NBC – #2 Play-by-play
  • 1995: World Figure Skating Championships – Host
  • 1998–2004: NFL on CBS – Lead play-by-play
  • 1998–present: College Basketball on CBS – Studio host
  • 1990–1994; 2000–2002: College World Series on CBS – Play-by-play
  • 2006–present: NFL on CBS – #2 Play-by-play

Legacy

Gumbel is the third man to serve as both host and play-by-play announcer for Super Bowls (the first two were Dick Enberg and Al Michaels respectively). He hosted Super Bowls XXVI, XXX, and XXXII before calling Super Bowls XXXV and XXXVIII. Jim Nantz became the fourth man to do so after he called Super Bowl XLI for CBS.

During his tenure as the chief anchor of The NFL Today, he served alongside co-anchors Dan Marino, Shannon Sharpe, and Boomer Esiason. The group was known to call him by his nickname "Gumby."

Biography

Early years

Gumbel was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the first child of parents Richard Gumbel, a judge, and Rhea Alice LeCesne. As a young man, Gumbel grew up on Chicago’s South Side, where he attended and graduated from De La Salle Institute. Before becoming a broadcaster, Gumbel graduated with a B.A. degree in English from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa where he also played on the baseball team. He also has two sisters, Renee Gumbel-Farrahi and Rhonda Gumbel-Thomas.

Career

In 1973, Greg’s brother Bryant Gumbel informed him that a Chicago TV station (WMAQ-TV) was auditioning for a sports announcer. At the time, Greg was selling hospital supplies in Detroit. He ultimately got the job and worked there for seven years. The sportscaster he replaced, Dennis Swanson, went on to become president of ABC Sports.

Prior to his rising to prominence at CBS, Gumbel worked for MSG, ESPN, and WFAN radio in New York City. At ESPN, he anchored the show SportsCenter and did "play-by-play" for early NBA games. On MSG, Gumbel served as a backup announcer for Marv Albert on New York Knicks broadcasts as well as providing coverage for college basketball. When MSG signed a huge contract to broadcast New York Yankees games in 1989, Gumbel served as host of the pregame and postgame shows. In addition to his MSG duties, he was the host of the first radio morning show on radio station WFAN.

First CBS stint

Gumbel’s CBS career began with part-time work as an NFL announcer in 1988. Also in 1989, Gumbel began announcing college basketball as well. He became host of The NFL Today (alongside Terry Bradshaw) for the 1990 to 1993 seasons. He also anchored CBS’ coverage of Major League Baseball, college football, and CBS’ coverage for the Daytona 500.