Nationally prominent sportscaster Greg Gumbel, longtime Dan Dierdorf partner, dies at 78

His demeanor was humble.

Prominent sportscaster Greg Gumbel died Friday of cancer at age 78. His family made the announcement via a statement released by CBS Sports, his longtime employer.

“He passed away peacefully surrounded by much love after a courageous battle with cancer,” his wife, Marcy Gumbel, and daughter, Michelle Gumbel, said. “Greg approached his illness like one would expect he would, with stoicism, grace and positivity. 

"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. Greg’s memory will forever be treasured by his family, dearest friends, colleagues and all who loved him.”

Gumbel was the last NFL broadcast partner for St. Louisan Dan Dierdorf, who joined CBS after his epic 12-year run as a commentator on “Monday Night Football” ended. They were together for eight seasons before Dierdorf retired from network broadcasting nearly 11 years ago.

Dierdorf fondly recalls those times they spent together.

“The games don’t matter,” he said Friday night. “It was all the dinners, the social occasions, the conversations. That’s what I remember. Greg Gumbel was my partner, yes. But he was my friend.”

He said the actual games are “way down the list when I think of the time I spent with Greg Gumbel. Greg was supremely intelligent, a great storyteller and conversationalist.”

Dierdorf added that his wife, Debbie, who often traveled with him in his later years with CBS, also is taking the news hard.

“She’s as bad off as I am,” Dierdorf said. “She and Greg were really friends. He had a gift. (Longtime Dierdorf ‘Monday Night Football colleague) Frank Gifford had that gift, too, of making everyone around him feel welcome, comfortable and included. Greg Gumbel certainly checked off all those boxes.”

Gumbel’s sportscasting career began in 1973 at the NBC affiliate in Chicago, where he and his prominent-broadcasting brother Bryant grew up. He also had a stint in New York and with ESPN before doing some NFL games for CBS in 1988 before being hired full time by that network the following year.

He filled many slots at CBS, both in the studio and at events, including becoming the first Black announcer in the U.S. to do network television play-by-play of a major sports championship when he called Super Bowl XXXV for CBS (on Jan. 28, 2001), the first of two NFL title contests for which he had the lead role.

“Greg was a role model and a pioneer,” CBS Sports executive producer Harold Bryant said in a statement. “He broke barriers being one of the few Black broadcasters covering sports at the highest levels. He set a high bar for others to follow. His work was beyond reproach as he became one of the most respected broadcasters in the industry. ... Greg loved his family, loved The Rolling Stones and loved CBS. He treated everybody with respect and gratitude.”

Gumbel also hosted the network’s legendary “The NFL Today” show and anchored its prime-time coverage of the 1994 Winter Olympics in addition to doing so for college football, Major League Baseball and auto racing. He also called games in MLB, the NBA and College World Series.

“There has never been a finer gentleman in all of television,” CBS Sports president David Berson said in a statement. “He was beloved and respected by those of us who had the honor to call him a friend and colleague. ... Greg led one of the most remarkable and groundbreaking sports broadcasting careers of all time. He was a familiar and welcoming voice for fans across many sports. ... Greg broke barriers and set the standard for others to follow. It is an extremely sad day for all of us at CBS Sports and the entire sports community.”

After CBS lost its NFL and MLB broadcast rights in 1994, Gumbel moved to NBC but returned four years later after the CBS regained a significant portion of the NFL contract. He was well known most recently for co-hosting the NCAA Tournament coverage shared by CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery outlets including TNT and TBS.

“Greg Gumbel was broadcasting royalty,” Jim Nantz, who was CBS’ lead NCAA Tournament game broadcaster for 32 years before relinquishing that role after the 2023 event, said in a statement. “He was as selfless a broadcaster as anyone in the industry has ever known. Our careers intersected for nearly 35 years, and he was the consummate teammate and friend. There’s not a member of the CBS Sports family who doesn’t have a sweet or kind memory of Greg. I have so much love and respect for him, and I’m going to miss him dearly.”

Gumbel had hosted the tourney’s show in which the field and pairings are revealed every year since 1998 before missing this year’s edition because of what was said to be a family health issue.

“He didn’t tell anybody” that it actually was himself who was sick, Dierdorf said. “We all suspected it, but he didn’t tell any of his friends he was battling cancer. He said there were some family issues. I talked to a whole bunch of the guys at CBS and nobody knew. He told no one. I can’t venture a guess why, but (maybe) he just didn’t want everyone to worry. But I can’t pretend to think why.”

Dierdorf said he talked to Gumbel a few months ago, but it wasn’t until recently that he received a big clue as to his former broadcast partner’s situation.

“He was old school,” Dierdorf said. “He would always write out his own Christmas cards and address them himself.”

But a card did not arrive this year.

“That’s when I knew it was Greg who was sick and not a member of his family,” Dierdorf said. “When that Christmas card didn’t come a couple weeks ago, I knew something was wrong. Every year like clockwork (it came). He took the time to sit and write something. When that card didn’t come this year I thought to myself, ‘Oh God, this might be bad.’”

Dierdorf praised the versatility of his former colleague, who excelled in studios and booths, across many sports.

“He had a foot in both worlds,” he said. “I was proud to call him my friend.

“He was a wonderful human being.”