Greg Gumbel, the longtime sports broadcaster whose voice became synonymous with March Madness and NFL coverage, died at the age of 78, his family said Friday.

Gumbel died “after a courageous battle with cancer,” his wife Marcy and daughter Michelle said in a statement released through CBS Sports.

“Greg approached his illness like one would expect he would, with stoicism, grace and positivity,” they said. “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 Gumbel has passed away at the age of 78.

Forever a legendary March Madness voice. pic.twitter.com/XXNlIl01rP

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) December 27, 2024

Gumbel’s five-decade career in broadcasting stood out for its versatility. He had experience with nearly every major sport, including the Olympics, and morphed between studio hosting and play-by-play at the highest levels of the business.

In the studio, Gumbel’s voice became a staple of Selection Sunday and the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. From 1998 to 2023, he hosted “College Basketball on CBS,” revealing the bracket region by region and leading the group of analysts breaking down the matchups — and ensuing weeks of coverage. Gumbel missed the 2024 tournament due to what was described as a family health concern. It was the first tournament he missed since 1997.

In the broadcast booth, Gumbel called Super Bowls in 2001 and 2004, making him the first network broadcaster to call play-by-play and host a Super Bowl. He was also the first Black play-by-play announcer to call a Super Bowl.

“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,” CBS Sports president David Berson said.

“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. Greg broke barriers and set the standard for others to follow.”

Born on May 3, 1946, in New Orleans, Gumbel grew up in Chicago. He graduated from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1967, and, after working for a hospital supply company, began his broadcast career at WMAQ-TV in Chicago in the 1970s. Gumbel’s younger brother Bryant, a longtime journalist and former host of NBC’s “Today,” gave him a tip that helped him find his way into the business.

“(Bryant) said they are looking for a weekend sportscaster in Chicago. Are you interested?” Gumbel told The Oklahoman in 2013. “And I said, ‘Mmm, baseball, bedpans, baseball, bedpans.’ I flew in and I auditioned with a couple hundred other people.”

Gumbel remained in Chicago until 1981 when he joined ESPN. He worked as a “SportsCenter” anchor and on the network’s NBA coverage for five years.

“Greg was a highly accomplished and pioneering figure in sports broadcasting who brought instant credibility to ESPN in the early years of the network,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement Friday.

After a stop at MSG, Gumbel’s career with CBS began in 1988 as a part-time NFL broadcaster. He began announcing college basketball in 1989, became the host of “The NFL Today” studio show in 1990 and anchored parts of CBS’ coverage of the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics.  But when CBS lost NFL, MLB and NBA rights in 1994, Gumbel jumped to NBC — where he hosted “The NFL on NBC,” did baseball and basketball play-by-play and hosted daytime coverage of the 1996 Olympics.

In 1998, when CBS regained NFL rights, Gumbel returned to the network and would never leave, becoming the voice of March Madness studio coverage and serving a variety of roles on the NFL. He worked alongside Phil Simms as CBS’ No. 1 NFL play-by-play announcer until 2004, when he and Jim Nantz swapped roles and he took over as the host of “NFL Today.” Two years later, Gumbel returned to calling NFL games from the booth and would do so until 2022.

“Greg Gumbel was broadcasting royalty,” Nantz 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.”

In addition to his NFL and college basketball broadcasting work, Gumbel worked everything from NASCAR to college baseball to figure skating. 

“We are saddened to learn of the passing of Greg Gumbel, one of the preeminent sportscasters of his time,” MLB said in a statement. “While known for his many years covering football, basketball, and the Olympic Games, Gumbel served as a host and play-by-play man for several of Baseball’s biggest events in the early 1990s. We send our condolences to his family and friends.”

We are saddened to learn of the passing of Greg Gumbel, one of the preeminent sportscasters of his time.

While known for his many years covering football, basketball, and the Olympic Games, Gumbel served as a host and play-by-play man for several of Baseball’s biggest events in… pic.twitter.com/CwYBLncOok

— MLB (@MLB) December 27, 2024

Outside the studio, Gumbel dedicated 30 years to supporting the March of Dimes, including 18 years on the National Board of Advisors for the organization, which focuses on improving the health of mothers and babies. Gumbel was also a member of the Sports Council for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for 16 years.

“For close to 25 years, I enjoyed and was richly blessed by Greg’s friendship, goodness, humor, partnership, professionalism and wisdom,” said Clark Kellogg, one of Gumbel’s longtime teammates during CBS’ NCAA Tournament coverage. “He was excellent in his work and exemplary in his caring and character. Like all who knew and loved him, I too am saddened by his death, yet also so very grateful to have known him in my life. What a gift to be t

I’m saddened to hear about the passing of longtime and legendary broadcaster and friend Greg Gumbel. Greg was an African-American pioneer. He spent over 50 years in sports broadcasting – as one of the first studio hosts and in the broadcast booth for the NFL, March Madness, and…

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) December 27, 2024

(Photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)