Greg Gumbel, a veteran broadcaster who spent more than five decades in the sports television industry, died on Friday from cancer, according to a statement from his family. He as 78 years old.
“He passed away peacefully surrounded by much love after a courageous battle with cancer,” his wife, Marcy Gumbel, said in a joint statement with his daughter, Michelle Gumbel, as released by CBS Sports. “Greg approached his illness like one would expect he would, with stoicism, grace and positivity. 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.”
Gumbel began his sports television career in the mid 1970s, when he worked as a sports announcer at Chicago’s NBC-owned station WMAQ (Channel 5). He joined ESPN in the early 1980s, hosting programs like “SportsCenter” and performing as a play-by-play announcer for some of the network’s National Basketball Association (NBA) games.
His first stint at CBS Sports came in 1988, when he worked as a part-time National Football League (NFL) announcer. Gumbel also co-hosted the network’s coverage of the 1992 Winter Olympics in France and 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway, before moving to NBC Sports after CBS lost NFL rights to that network and Fox.
During his time at NBC Sports, Gumbel hosted the 1994 Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game, continued hosting NBA, and co-hosted the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Gumbel moved back to CBS Sports in 1998, where he became the first Black play-by-play announcer of a major sports championship game in the United States (it was Super Bowl XXXV). He also reprised his role as the host of “The NFL Today” at CBS Sports, starting in 2004; he previously served as host from 1990 to 1993.
Gumbel was also instrumental in CBS Sports’ coverage of the NCAA March Madness men’s college basketball tournament every year, stepping away in March to deal with an unspecified health issue.
In 2022, Gumbel celebrated his 50th year in broadcasting, CBS noted in his obituary on Friday.
“The CBS Sports family is devastated by the passing of Greg Gumbel. 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,” Dave Berson, the President and CEO of CBS Sports, said in a statement.
“A tremendous broadcaster and gifted storyteller, Greg led one of the most remarkable and groundbreaking sports broadcasting careers of all time. He was a familiar and welcoming voice for fans across many sports, including the NFL and March Madness, highlighted by the Super Bowl and Final Four,” Berson noted.
In addition to his network hosting and announcing duties, Gumbel was the host of “Inside the NFL” during its run on Paramount-owned Showtime, where he worked alongside Phil Simms, Boomer Esiason, Ed Reed and Brandon Marshall.
