Greg Gumbel, a longtime CBS sports reporter who broke barriers during his career as host of some of the biggest events in sports, has died of cancer, according to a statement from his family released by the network on Friday.
“He leaves a legacy of love, inspiration and dedication for over 50 extraordinary years in the sports broadcasting industry; and his iconic voice will never be forgotten,” his wife Marcy Gumbel and daughter Michelle Gumbel said in a statement.
In March, Gumbel missed his first NCAA Tournament since 1997 for health reasons, he said at the time.
Gumbel has been the studio anchor for CBS since returning to the network from NBC in 1998. Gumbel signed an extension with CBS last year that allowed him to continue hosting college basketball while stepping away from his NFL announcing duties.
In 2001, he announced Super Bowl 35 for CBS, becoming the first black announcer in the United States to call play-by-play of a major sports championship.
David Berson, president and CEO of CBS Sports, described Gumbel as someone who broke barriers and set standards for others during his years as the voice of fans in sports, including in the NFL and March Madness.
“Greg was an outstanding broadcaster and gifted storyteller and led one of the most remarkable and groundbreaking sportswriting careers of all time,” Berson said.
Moderated coverage of the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics
Gumbel had two stints at CBS, leaving the network for NBC when it lost football in 1994 and returning when he won the contract back in 1998.
He anchored CBS’ coverage of the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics and anchored Major League Baseball games during the national pastime’s four-year broadcast. In 1995, he hosted the World Figure Skating Championships and the following year he anchored NBC’s daytime coverage of the Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
We are saddened by the passing of Greg Gumbel, one of the preeminent sports reporters of his time.
Although known for his longtime coverage of football, basketball and the Olympics, Gumbel has served as host and play-by-play man for several of baseball’s biggest events in… pic.twitter.com/CwYBLncOok
—@MLB
But it was football and basketball where he was best known and had the greatest influence. Gumbel hosted CBS’s NFL studio show The NFL today from 1990 to 1993 and again in 2004-05.
Earlier this year, Gumbel recalled replacing Brent Musburger as host of The NFL today in 1990 and described it as intimidating and discouraging.
“The fact that I could sit in the same chair and do the same thing or try to do the same thing as him was an incredible honor,” he said.
Gumbel also hosted NFL games as the network’s lead play-by-play announcer from 1998 to 2003, including Super Bowl 35 and 38. He returned to the NFL booth in 2005 and left that role after the 2022 season.
“Like everyone who knew and loved him. I, too, am saddened by his passing, but also so grateful to have known him in my life,” CBS Sports college basketball game and studio analyst Clark Kellogg said in a statement. “What a gift to be touched by such a good man and partner.”
I am saddened by the passing of longtime and legendary broadcaster and friend Greg Gumbel. Greg was an African American pioneer. He spent over 50 years in sports broadcasting – as one of the first studio hosts and in the broadcast booth for the NFL, March Madness and…
Gumbel was the older brother of NBC anchor Bryant Gumbel Today show and Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel on HBO. Bryant Gumbel received a lifetime achievement award at the 2003 Sports Emmys.
Greg Gumbel grew up in Chicago and graduated from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1967 with a degree in English. He planned to become an English teacher, but in 1973 he applied to WMAQ-TV, an NBC affiliate in Chicago, after his brother started broadcasting sports, according to the book You’re Watching Live!: How NFL Today Revolutionized Sports Broadcasting. He was soon offered a job as a weekend sportscaster.
“I’m kind of surprised I got the job. “I certainly wasn’t someone who was dressed up,” he said in the book. “In my own estimation, it took me a good year to feel comfortable in front of the camera.”
Gumbel also worked for ESPN and the Madison Square Garden network.
James Brown, who is currently hosting The NFL todaydescribed Gumbel on Friday as “Mr. Versatility and also very telegenic.”
“It was a pleasure to call him a friend who could do anything he was given following an assignment,” he added.
Gumbel won local Emmy Awards throughout his long career and received the 2007 Pat Summerall Award for Excellence in Sports Broadcasting.
Outside of his career as a sportscaster, he was associated with the March of Dimes for three decades, including as a member of the Board of Trustees. He also served on the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital Athletic Council for 16 years.
