Greg Gumbel, the sports broadcaster who had narrated some of the most-watched college and basketball games for the US-based media networks at a time, died at his Florida residence on Friday, December 27. He passed away at the age of 78.
Greg Gumbel Cause Of Death
A statement from CBS Sports on the passing of Greg Gumbel pic.twitter.com/Bp4ixu7mWB
— CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) December 27, 2024
In a Facebook post, his family announced his death, and he joined CBS Sports in 1989. They indicate that he had been suffering from cancer at the time of his death. Greg Gumbel has won many awards for his career in sports that spanned over 50 years. He was also the first black color commentator to announce a major sports championship play-by-play for Super Bowl XXXV for CBS.
“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,” his wife Marcy Gumbel and daughter Michelle Gumbel said in a statement.
Reactions
RIP @NFLonCBS @CBSSportsNet _ @cbsncaatourney best voice of all time Greg Gumbel_I’m so glad watching him call greatest games ever he always be voice CBS sports his legacy be around forever thank for great 50 years you truly be miss RIP Sport ICON 🙏🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/1AU3fqnXhj
— James F Roets Jr (@f_roets93142) December 28, 2024
CBS Sports president and CEO David Berson joined the tributes showered on Greg Gumbel, who had worked for the network before joining HBO and CNN and later returned to CBS. He re-iterated how Gumbel did his best in the sports broadcasting arena and acknowledged his achievements that helped change this world.
“A tremendous broadcaster and gifted storyteller, Greg Gumbel led one of the most remarkable and groundbreaking sports broadcasting careers of all time,” said Mr Berson.
Fans of Mr. Gumbel took to social media to say that they would miss his deep voice and never see him in the commentary box again. His followers described him as a humorous character who was a renowned sports commentator.
“Selection Sundays will never be the same again! RIP Mr Gumbel,” said one user, while another added, “I had no idea how hard this would hit me.”
A third commented: “So incredibly sad. So many March Madness memories of him. On a side note, I had no idea he was 78. Dude looked 20 years younger.”
Who Was Greg Gumbel?
Mr. Grey Gumbel was born in New Orleans on May 3, 1946, but raised in Chicago. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in English from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa 1967. In the early 1970s, he landed his initial employment opportunity as an announcer for Channel 5 for which he worked as a broadcaster for a high school basketball game broadcast every Saturday.
His breakthrough came in the 1980s when he started reporting to the National Basketball Association. He was able to call his first NFL game in 1988. During his long career, he received the local Emmy awards, and in 2007, he was awarded the Pat Summerall Award for his achievement in the sportscasting field.
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