Greg Gumbel, an acclaimed broadcaster for CBS Sports, passed away on Friday, reports CBS at the age of 78.
His family confirmed Gumbel’s passing in a joint statement, “He passed away peacefully surrounded by much love after a courageous battle with cancer.”
“Greg approached his illness like one would expect he would, with stoicism, grace and positivity,” the statement continued. “He leaves behind a legacy of love, inspiration and dedication to over 50 extraordinary years in the sports broadcast industry … His iconic voice will never be forgotten. Greg’s memory will forever be treasured by his family, dearest friends, colleagues, and all who loved him.”
David Berson, president and CEO of CBS, paid tribute to Gumbel in a statement, “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.”
“Greg broke barriers and set the standard for others to follow,” Berson said. “It is an extremely sad day for all of us at CBS Sports and the entire sports community. We will miss Greg dearly and send our deepest condolences to his wife Marcy, daughter Michelle, and his entire family.”
Born in New Orleans and raised in Chicago, Gumbel went on to work for MSG, ESPN and WFAN radio in New York City. At ESPN, he anchored SportsCenter and did “play-by-play” for early NBA games. While at MSG, Gumbel was the backup announcer for Marv Albert on New York Knicks broadcasts in addition to covering college basketball.
During his first tenure with CBS, Gumbel was the NFL announcer in 1988. He also called college basketball and was host of The NFL Today with Terry Bradshaw during the 1990-93 seasons. He also was the anchor of CBS’ coverage of Major League Baseball, college football, the Daytona 500 and the Pepsi 400.
Returning to CBS in 1998, Gumbel became the first African American announcer to call a major sports championship play-by-play when he announced Super Bowl XXXV for the CBS network in 2001. He was also known as the studio host for CBS’ men’s college basketball coverage and was a play-by-play broadcaster for the NFL on CBS until 2023.
In addition to his sports broadcasting career, Gumbel was affiliated with the March of Dimes for three decades and was a member of its board of trustees. He also was a member of the Sports Council for St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital for 16 years.
He was the older brother of award-winning journalist Byrant Gumbel, who hosted TODAY and Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel on HBO.
Gumbel was survived by his wife, Michelle, and daughter, Marcy.
We at EBONY extend our prayers and deepest condolences to Greg Gumbel’s family and friends.
