Busting Brackets
Fansided

Legendary sports broadcaster and face of Selection Sunday Greg Gumbel passes away at 78

ByTristan Freeman|
Apr 5, 2021; Indianapolis, IN, USA; CBS announcer Greg Gumbel prior to the national championship game in the Final Four of the 2021 NCAA Tournament between the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Baylor Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Apr 5, 2021; Indianapolis, IN, USA; CBS announcer Greg Gumbel prior to the national championship game in the Final Four of the 2021 NCAA Tournament between the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Baylor Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

CBS has been one of the TV channels tied to all sports, including college basketball. For decades, one of the faces of their coverage has been Greg Gumbel, a New Orleans native who was known for his coverage of both the NFL and college hoops. On Friday, the sports world received news that at 78 years old, the media great has passed away.

For years, Mr. Gumbel hosted Selection Sunday on CBS, one of the biggest annual sporting events. His professional approach and his entertaining style of discussing the sport made him a fan favorite during March each year. From 1998 until last year, it was he who helped introduce the 64-68 teams that had a chance to win a national title.

Besides NCAA Basketball, the 78-year-old broadcast legend also did play-by-play for the NFL, MLB, NBA, and even the college baseball World Series. Gumbel also called multiple Super Bowls in his time as well.

Not many broadcasters these days are versatile to call multiple sports while also being able to avoid any kind of backlash of unflattering opinions from fans. The universal respect Mr. Gumbel had in an era where everyone has their fair share of fans and enemies will be hard to replicate going forward.

Due to past health issues, Greg Gumble wasn’t able to host the 2023 Selection Sunday. And while Ernie Johnson was great in his own right, you could feel his absence. That day Sunday evening won’t be the same going forward without Gumble.

This is a major loss for CBS, the sports broadcasting world and for NCAA Basketball fans alike. Rest in peace Mr. Gumbel, one of the best to ever do it.

Home/NCAA Basketball News