Latest news with #GregGumbel
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ernie Johnson, Clark Kellogg Kick Off March Madness with Emotional Greg Gumbel Tribute: ‘He Was So Good at What He Did'
March Madness kicked off on Thursday, March 20 with a touching tribute to beloved sportscaster Greg Gumbel whose presence and voice became synonymous with the annual college basketball tournament throughout his career. Gumbel died from pancreatic cancer in December 2024 at the age of 78. The renowned broadcaster was absent from last year's March Madness tournament as he dealt with the illness, and his colleagues Ernie Johnson and Clark Kellogg said they had hoped Gumbel might be back for this year's tournament. 'Just after Christmas we learned that cancer had taken his life and we were crushed,' Johnson, 68, said on Thursday night as he and his colleagues paid tribute to Gumbel the beginning of sports broadcast. 'A void was left that will never be filled. We wear his pin on our jackets, and we carry his memory in our hearts.'Johnson then turned to Kellogg, 63, at the panelists' desk and admitted: 'It's heavy in here.' Ernie Johnson and company kick off this year's NCAA Tournament with a moving tribute to longtime host Greg Gumbel. — Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 20, 2025 Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.'It sure is,' Kellogg told Johnson, before sharing a beautiful tribute to their longtime colleague. 'It's sad and surreal that he's not in that chair and won't ever be in that chair again,' Kellogg said. 'Because he was so good at what he did and he was so good to the people he did it with and for, you the viewers, were who he sought to serve. And in doing that with class, with confidence, with consistency, with gentleness and kindness, he lifted all of us who had the privilege of being in the orbit of his colleagueship and his friendship.' He concluded, 'While I'm sad, I'm extremely grateful to have known Greg as a colleague and a friend because he not only made everybody better but he made everybody feel good and that will never change.' Charles Barkley then lightened the mood, recalling Gumbel's 'nerdy dad jokes' and how he'll miss hearing them. 'Man, nobody can do what he does unless two things: You're talented and people like you,' the NBA hall of famer said. 'He did it with such grace for so long. You have to be talented first and foremost, but people have to like you. And he will be missed.' Related: Greg Gumbel, Legendary Sports Broadcaster, Dies of Cancer at 78 Gumbel joined CBS in 1989 after stints working for ESPN, WMAQ-TV in Chicago, WFAN Radio and the Madison Square Garden Network. At CBS, Gumbel became the lead anchor for the network's Winter Olympics coverage while also serving as the host of NFL Today. The New Orleans native would later join NBC Sports, where he continued covering the Olympics and the NFL, before returning to CBS in 1998. In his second stint with the network, the father of one was named the host of College Basketball on CBS and held the post for 26 years, becoming the voice of Selection Sunday and the March Madness tournament. 'He was beloved and respected by those of us who had the honor to call him a friend and colleague," David Berson, the president & CEO of CBS Sports, said shortly after Gumbel's death. "A tremendous broadcaster and gifted storyteller, 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, including the NFL and March Madness, highlighted by the Super Bowl and Final Four." The NCAA Tournament continues Friday with the remainder of the Round of 64 games. March Madness, as it's become known in recent decades, will conclude with the championship game on April 7. Read the original article on People
USA Today
20-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Charles Barkley, CBS crew pay tribute to Greg Gumbel, longtime March Madness host
Charles Barkley, CBS crew pay tribute to Greg Gumbel, longtime March Madness host Show Caption Hide Caption Ian Eagle and Clark Kellogg remember broadcasting legend Greg Gumbel CBS' Ian Eagle and Clark Kellogg discuss their memories of legendary broadcaster Greg Gumbel who recently passed away. Sports Seriously CBS Sports' coverage of the men's NCAA Tournament is synonymous with longtime host Greg Gumbel, who presided at the anchor desk for 25 years before he was diagnosed with cancer last year. Gumbel died in December at age 78, but his ever-present spirit was still felt on the set as CBS tipped off coverage of the tournament's first round on Thursday afternoon with the music of Gumbel's favorite band, the Rolling Stones. "A void was left that could never be filled," current host Ernie Johnson said as the broadcast opened. "We wear his pin on our jackets and we carry his memory in our hearts." Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley remember Greg Gumbel A somber mood engulfed the set as the network's trio of analysts offered up their memories of working with Gumbel. "It's sad and surreal that he's not in that chair," Clark Kellogg said. "Because he was so good at what he did and he was so good to the people he did it with and for, you, the viewers were who he sought to serve. In doing that with class, with competence with consistency, with gentleness and kindness, he lifted all of us." Said Charles Barkley: "It is surreal. We had been texting back and forth, he said, 'I'll see you guys next year.' Then out of the blue you get a text that he had passed, and whoa, what just happened? … "Nobody can do what he does as long as he did unless you're talented and people like you. The ability to do multiple sports, Ernie (Johnson) is great at that. Kevin Harlan, Sean McDonough is great at that. Brian Anderson, Greg Gumbel … To go from sport to sport, that has got to be incredibly hard. And he did it with such grace for so long." Kenny Smith said the week before Gumbel died, he texted a simple message that was never returned. "We just assume these things are going to continue forever. ... He echoes through these hallways." Smith summed things up as the broadcast turned toward the games at hand – a total of 16 of them on Thursday: "We're gonna miss him wholeheartedly. It's a difficult time, but we're gonna have fun." (This story was updated with new information and a new video.)
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ernie Johnson kicked off March Madness coverage with a touching tribute to the late Greg Gumbel
It's finally the men's NCAA tournament, but March Madness won't feel the same this year. CBS Sports anchor Greg Gumbel died in December at 78 after a battle with cancer, leaving the sports media world without a legend in March. As studio coverage kicked off ahead of the opening game between Creighton and Louisville, host Ernie Johnson started the broadcast with an emotional tribute to his friend. Clark Kellogg, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith also joined in with kind words about Gumbel. Gumbel — and the rest of the CBS team — had worked in collaboration with the Turner Sports (Warner Bros. Discovery) crew since the NCAA tournament TV deal that launched in 2011 with the two companies. Ernie Johnson and company kick off this year's NCAA Tournament with a moving tribute to longtime host Greg Gumbel. — Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 20, 2025 He'l be missed. That's for sure. This article originally appeared on For The Win: Ernie Johnson kicked off March Madness coverage with a touching tribute to the late Greg Gumbel
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Charles Barkley, CBS crew pays tribute to Greg Gumbel, longtime March Madness host
CBS Sports' coverage of the men's NCAA Tournament is synonymous with longtime host Greg Gumbel, who presided at the anchor desk for 25 years before he was diagnosed with cancer last year. Gumbel died in December at age 78, but his ever-present spirit was still felt on the set as CBS tipped off coverage of the tournament's first round on Thursday afternoon with the music of Gumbel's favorite band, the Rolling Stones. "A void was left that could never be filled," current host Ernie Johnson said as the broadcast opened. "We wear his pin on our jackets and we carry his memory in our hearts." Ernie Johnson and company kick off this year's NCAA Tournament with a moving tribute to longtime host Greg Gumbel. — Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 20, 2025 A somber mood engulfed the set as the network's trio of analysts offered up their memories of working with Gumbel. "It's sad and surreal that he's not in that chair," Clark Kellogg said. "Because he was so good at what he did and he was so good to the people he did it with and for, you, the viewers were who he sought to serve. In doing that with class, with competence with consistency, with gentleness and kindness, he lifted all of us." Said Charles Barkley: "It is surreal. We had been texting back and forth, he said, 'I'll see you guys next year.' Then out of the blue you get a text that he had passed, and whoa, what just happened? … "Nobody can do what he does as long as he did unless you're talented and people like you. The ability to do multiple sports, Ernie (Johnson) is great at that. Kevin Harlan, Sean McDonough is great at that. Bryan Anderson, Greg Gumbel … To go from sport to sport, that has got to be incredibly hard. And he did it with such grace for so long." Kenny Smith said the week before Gumbel died, he texted a simple message that was never returned. "We just assume these things are going to continue forever. ... He echoes through these hallways." Smith summed things up as the broadcast turned toward the games at hand – a total of 16 of them on Thursday: "We're gonna miss him wholeheartedly. It's a difficult time, but we're gonna have fun." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Greg Gumbel tribute: CBS broadcasters emotional on NCAA pregame show
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
March Madness 2025: CBS studio hosts pay tribute to the late Greg Gumbel
CBS opened up its broadcast of the first day of the NCAA men's tournament with the studio panel paying tribute to the late Greg Gumbel. "A void was left that will never be filled," said host Ernie Johnson of Gumbel's passing. Gumbel, a longtime fixture during CBS' March Madness coverage, died in December after a battle with cancer. Johnson and analysts Clark Kellogg, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley — all wearing pins in honor of Gumbel — each took turns talking about their former colleague and just how much they'll miss him and dad jokes. The segment began with music from the Rolling Stones, Gumbel's favorite band. Ernie Johnson and company kick off this year's NCAA Tournament with a moving tribute to longtime host Greg Gumbel. — Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 20, 2025 [Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: Enter for a shot to win up to $50K] For more than two decades, Gumbel was a regular in CBS' coverage of both the NFL and college basketball, always providing a welcoming face in either the broadcast booth or the studio host's chair. He retired from NFL coverage in 2022 but continued handling the college hoops side of the job until 2024. Gumbel stepped away from covering the 2024 NCAA tournament, with "family health issues" presented as the reason why. Following Gumbel's passing in December, personalities from throughout the sports world paid tribute to him. As CBS began its broadcast of Selection Sunday this past weekend, the network opened with a two-minute video showcasing Gumbel's impact on March Madness.
