Greg Gumbel, the veteran sports broadcaster whose work ranged from The NFL Today and Super Bowl play-by-play to CBS’s March Madness studio coverage, died on December 27, 2024. He was 78.
His wife, Marcy Gumbel, and daughter, Michelle Gumbel, confirmed his death through CBS Sports, saying he died peacefully surrounded by loved ones after a courageous battle with cancer.
Greg Gumbel, the veteran sports broadcaster whose work ranged from The NFL Today and Super Bowl play-by-play to CBS’s March Madness studio coverage, died on December 27, 2024. He was 78.
His wife, Marcy Gumbel, and daughter, Michelle Gumbel, confirmed his death in a statement released through CBS Sports. The family said Gumbel died peacefully surrounded by loved ones after a courageous battle with cancer. They described him as stoic, graceful and positive throughout his illness. No specific type of cancer, treatment history, hospital or diagnosis date was disclosed.
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Why Greg Gumbel mattered
Gumbel’s importance was not limited to one network, sport or signature call. Over more than five decades, he became one of American television’s most versatile sports broadcasters, moving comfortably between studio hosting and live play-by-play.
He worked across the NFL, NBA, MLB, college basketball, the Olympics and New York sports radio and television. His long association with CBS Sports made him a familiar presence for multiple generations of viewers, but his career also included significant years at NBC and earlier assignments in local and regional broadcasting.
CBS executives remembered him as a gifted storyteller who broke barriers and established a standard of professionalism. That description reflects the breadth of his work: Gumbel was trusted not only to introduce major events from a studio, but also to narrate them as they unfolded.
His barrier-breaking 2001 Super Bowl call
Gumbel’s most historically significant assignment came at Super Bowl XXXV in 2001. Calling the game for CBS, he became the first Black announcer in the United States to handle play-by-play for a major sports championship, according to an Associated Press report carried by NFL.com.
The distinction is specific and important. Gumbel’s achievement concerned play-by-play for a major U.S. sports championship; it should not be expanded into the inaccurate claim that he was the first Black person to perform every kind of Super Bowl broadcast role.
The assignment represented both a personal milestone and a broader change in sports media. Gumbel reached that broadcast booth after years of proving his range in roles that had often been treated as separate specialties: studio anchor, football announcer, basketball broadcaster and host of major-event coverage.
From Chicago broadcasting to a national career
Gumbel was born in New Orleans on May 3, 1946, and grew up in Chicago. He graduated from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1967. Loras later identified him as a prominent alumnus and a former member of the college’s governing leadership.
He began in local broadcasting and went on to work at WMAQ-TV in Chicago. His early and middle-career assignments included Knicks basketball, Yankees baseball, ESPN, WFAN Radio in New York and Madison Square Garden Network.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsThose experiences helped establish the defining characteristic of his career: adaptability. Gumbel could work in the highly structured environment of a pregame show, carry a live game broadcast, or guide viewers through a long tournament or Olympic program without making himself more important than the event.
His CBS, NBC and NFL years
Gumbel joined CBS Sports in 1989. A year later, he became host of The NFL Today, the network’s NFL pregame program. He held the role during the early 1990s and returned to it during a later period of his career.
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When CBS lost its football rights, Gumbel left for NBC in 1994. There, he hosted NFL pregame coverage, including Super Bowl pregame editions, and worked on MLB, NBA and Olympic programming.
He returned to CBS in 1998 after the network regained the NFL contract. Gumbel served as one of CBS’s leading NFL play-by-play voices from 1998 through 2003 and returned to the NFL booth in 2005. He remained associated with CBS’s college-basketball coverage after leaving that NFL assignment following the 2022 season.
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A central voice of March Madness
College basketball became one of the most enduring parts of Gumbel’s CBS legacy. He hosted the network’s March Madness programming for many years and was a familiar guide through the NCAA Tournament’s studio coverage.
His final public season included a notable absence. Gumbel did not appear for the 2024 NCAA Tournament, his first absence from the event since 1997. At the time, contemporaneous reports described the reason as family health issues.
It was only with the announcement of his death in December 2024 that his family publicly described his battle with cancer. The earlier March absence should therefore not be presented as a confirmed cancer announcement or as proof that viewers knew the cause at the time.
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Independent of a famous broadcasting family
Gumbel’s younger brother, Bryant Gumbel, also became a prominent broadcaster. The family connection is part of Greg Gumbel’s background, but Greg built an independent identity through his own assignments, judgment and on-air style.
His career was defined less by spectacle than by dependability. Whether presenting an NFL pregame show, calling a Super Bowl, hosting college-basketball coverage or working across other sports, he brought authority without overwhelming the competition itself.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A legacy of range and restraint
Gumbel’s legacy combines longevity, versatility and representation. He worked for more than 50 years in sports broadcasting, crossed repeatedly between studio and play-by-play roles, and reached a landmark in 2001 that changed the visibility of Black announcers on the biggest U.S. sports stages.
But his career should not be reduced to a single barrier-breaking assignment. His lasting value came from the accumulation of work: NFL Sundays, Super Bowl coverage, March Madness, baseball, basketball, Olympic programming and the many transitions required to keep a major broadcast moving.
The Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame’s biographical account emphasizes that breadth, describing a broadcaster capable of handling studio hosting, live play-by-play and multiple sports. That range helps explain why Gumbel remained trusted across formats and generations.
Greg Gumbel died surrounded by family, according to the statement released by Marcy and Michelle Gumbel through CBS Sports. He leaves behind the record of a broadcaster who made historic progress visible while maintaining the calm, prepared presence that allowed the games to remain at the center of the screen.
Source note
The death and family statement are based on reporting from CBS News and CBS Sports. Career chronology and the account of Gumbel’s 2024 NCAA Tournament absence are based on Associated Press reporting carried by NFL.com. Career context is also drawn from the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame and Loras College.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Greg Gumbel die, and how old was he?
Greg Gumbel died on December 27, 2024, at age 78. His family said he died peacefully surrounded by loved ones after a courageous battle with cancer.
Was Greg Gumbel’s 2024 March Madness absence publicly identified as cancer-related?
No. Reports at the time described his absence from the 2024 NCAA Tournament as related to family health issues. His family’s public disclosure that he had been battling cancer came with the announcement of his death in December 2024.
What was Greg Gumbel’s historic Super Bowl achievement?
He called Super Bowl XXXV play-by-play for CBS in 2001 and became the first Black announcer in the United States to call play-by-play for a major sports championship, according to the Associated Press.
The Bottom Line
Greg Gumbel’s legacy rests on more than his historic 2001 Super Bowl assignment. He was a versatile, trusted broadcaster who spent more than five decades moving between major sports, live play-by-play and studio coverage with authority and restraint.
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