Longtime CBS sportscaster Greg Gumbel has died of cancer, according to a family statement released by CBS on Friday. He was 7
“He leaves a legacy of love, inspiration and dedication to the sports broadcasting industry for more than 50 years; and his incredible 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 appearance since 1997 because of what he said was family health issues at the time. Gumball Studio c Host for CBS After returning to the network in 1998 from NBC. Gumbel signed an extension with CBS last year that allowed him to continue hosting college basketball while stepping back from NFL announcing duties.
In 2001, he announced Super Bowl XXXV for CBS, becoming the first black announcer in America to call play-by-play of a major sports championship.
David Burson, president and CEO of CBS Sports, described Gumball as breaking barriers and setting standards for others during his years as a voice for fans in sports, including the NFL and March Madness
“A brilliant broadcaster and gifted storyteller, Greg led one of the most unique and illustrious sports broadcasting careers of all time,” Burson said.
Gumbel had two stints at CBS, leaving the network for NBC when it lost football in 1994 and returning in 1998 after regaining the contract.
He hosted CBS’s coverage of the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics and called Major League Baseball games during four years of the national entertainment broadcast. In 1995, he hosted the World Figure Skating Championships and the following year hosted NBC’s daytime coverage of the Olympic Summer Games in Atlanta.
But it was football and basketball where he was best known and made his biggest impact. Gumball hosted CBS’s NFL studio show, “The NFL Today” from 1990 to 1993 and again in 2004.
He also called NFL games as the network’s lead play-by-play announcer from 1998 to 2003, including Super Bowls XXXV and XXXVIII. He returned to the NFL booth in 2005, leaving that role after the 2022 season.
“Like everyone who knew and loved him, I am saddened by his passing, yet grateful to have known him in my life,” Clark Kellogg, CBS Sports college basketball game and studio analyst, said in a statement. .” “What a gift to be touched by such a good man and partner.”
Gumbel, the older brother of sportscaster Bryant Gumbel, grew up in Chicago and graduated from Lores College in Dubuque, Iowa in 1967 with a degree in English. He won local Emmy Awards during his long career and was the recipient of the 2007 Pat Summerle Award for Excellence in Sports Broadcasting.
Outside of his career as a sportscaster, he was involved with the March of Dimes for three decades, including as a member of its board of trustees. He was also a member of the Sports Council for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital for 16 years.
Reporting by the Associated Press.

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