CBS Sports anchor Greg Gumbel has died at the age of 78 following a battle with cancer. “It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of our beloved husband and father, Greg Gumbel. He passed away peacefully surrounded by much love after a courageous battle with cancer. Greg approached his illness like one would expect he would, with stoicism, grace, and positivity,” his family said in a statement.
“The CBS Sports family is devastated by the passing of Greg Gumbel. 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,” said David Berson, the president and CEO of CBS Sports, in a statement.
Gumbel's career in broadcasting spanned over 50 years, beginning as a sports announcer at WMAQ in Chicago. He went on to work at ESPN and NBC, with two separate periods at CBS. His first stint, from 1989 to 1994, included anchoring various parts of the network’s Olympics coverage in 1992 and 1994. His move to NBC followed CBS's loss of NFL and MLB rights. He returned to CBS in 1998, coinciding with CBS regaining NFL rights.
He served as the lead announcer for “The NFL on CBS” from 1998 to 2003 and called two Super Bowls for the network, Super Bowls XXXV and XXXVIII – a first in network broadcasting history. From 2004, his on-air roles shifted, transitioning to the network’s studio NFL show before returning to game announcing. He also hosted “Inside the NFL” on Showtime and covered college basketball for CBS. His contract with CBS was renewed in 2023, although health issues prevented him from covering much of the 2024 March Madness tournament.
Gumbel is the older brother of Bryant Gumbel, a former co-anchor of “Today” and CBS’s “The Early Show,” also a well-known sportscaster.