Yahoo Sports Trailblazing CBS Sports Anchor Greg Gumbel Dead At 78
Longtime CBS Sports anchor and commentator Greg Gumbel has died, his family announced Friday. He was 78.
Gumbel, who started at CBS in 1988, died “after a courageous battle with cancer,” his family said.
“Greg approached his illness like one would expect he would, with stoicism, grace, and positivity,” the family’s statement said. “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 made history during the 2001 Super Bowl when he became the first Black announcer to call the play-by-play of any major sports championship in the U.S.
“My reaction is on the one hand that I’m honored,” Gumbel said in an interview at the time. “This is not something I set out to do. And then on the other hand, what took so long?”
Gumbel, who’s also announced NBA and college basketball games, called out the same issues in basketball.
“Basketball is dominated by African-Americans, yet the number of African-American announcers is way off the mark. Where are all the black faces?” he asked in the 2001 Chicago Tribune interview.
In 1973, Gumbel was working selling hospital supplies in Detroit when he heard that an NBC affiliate in Chicago, where he’d grown up, was auditioning new sports announcers. He landed the gig, setting off a lifelong career in sports broadcasting.
He went on to work at various stations before landing at CBS in 1988. After a brief stint at NBC starting in 1994, he moved back to CBS.
Gumbel credited his friendly on-air demeanor for his popularity with viewers.
“I don’t like people who yell at me on the air,” he said in a 2021 interview with Brian Lord. “I don’t like people who are aloof and who ... give you the impression that they know everything. And they kind of look at the camera, go, “OK, sit down children, and I’m going to explain to you everything there is to know about this.” I don’t like that type of broadcaster, and I don’t believe that most people do.”
David Berson, the president and CEO of CBS Sports, recalled Gumbel as an esteemed member of the network.
“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,” he said.
“Greg broke barriers and set the standard for others to follow,” Berson said.
Gumbel is survived by his wife, Marcy, and daughter Michelle. His younger brother, journalist Bryant Gumbel, was a longtime host of NBC’s “Today.”
