James Brown ( sportscaster ) James Brown ( born February 25 , 1951 ) , commonly called " J . B . " , is an American sports announcer known for being the host of " The NFL Today " on CBS and " Inside the NFL " on Showtime . He is the former host of the FOX network ' s NFL pregame show , " Fox NFL Sunday " . Early life . Born on February 25 , 1951 in Washington , D . C . to John and Maryann Brown . Brown attended high school at DeMatha Catholic High School . Brown graduated from Harvard University with a degree in American Government . A standout on the basketball court , he received All - Ivy League honors in his last three seasons at Harvard University and captained the team in his senior year . His roommate at Harvard was the later Princeton University professor / philosopher / activist Cornel West . CBS . After failing to make a roster spot when he tried out for the NBA ' s Atlanta Hawks in the mid 1970s , Brown entered the corporate world , working for such companies as Xerox and Eastman Kodak . Brown went into sports broadcasting in 1984 when he was offered a job doing Washington Bullets television broadcasts . He later moved on to an anchor position at WDVM - TV ( later WUSA ) in Washington and to some work at CBS Sports . Brown first joined CBS Sports in 1984 where he served as play - by - play announcer for the network ' s NFL and college basketball coverage , as well as reporter for the NBA Finals . He also was host of the afternoon show from the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville , France and the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer , Norway . While at CBS he also was co - host of " CBS Sports Saturday / Sunday " , a weekend anthology series . FOX , and back to CBS . In 1994 , Brown accepted the position of host of the " NFL on Fox " pregame show . He shared the set with former football players Terry Bradshaw and Howie Long and former coach Jimmy Johnson . Cris Collinsworth and Ronnie Lott have also appeared on the program during Brown ' s time there . From 1994 – 1998 , Brown was the lead studio host for " FOX NHL Saturday " . He appeared in a similar capacity in the EA Sports video game " NHL ' 97 " , which used full - motion video . His voice appeared in Madden NFL 2001 . Following the 2005 NFL season , Brown left Fox in order to rejoin CBS Sports . Brown cited a desire to remain closer to his home in Washington D C , an opportunity that existed at CBS , which broadcasts " The NFL Today " out of New York City . " Fox NFL Sunday " is produced in Los Angeles . Brown was removed from college basketball coverage for CBS after a one year stint in 2007 . Brown also primary hosts the college basketball pregame , halftime and postgame in the CBS studios in New York City Greg Gumbel is the main host but sometimes Brown fills in when Gumbel is on another assignment . Other appearances . Brown has also hosted " The World ' s Funniest ! " ( the Fox network ' s counterpart of " America ' s Funniest Home Videos " ) , " Coast to Coast " ( a syndicated radio show formerly hosted by Bob Costas ) , and served as a correspondent for " Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel " . Brown appeared on an episode of " Married . . . with Children " in a November 24 , 1996 episode titled " A Bundy Thanksgiving " . Aside from his Showtime and CBS duties , Brown hosted a weekday radio sports talk show that aired weekdays on Sporting News Radio for several years . Brown left the network in April 2006 . He has since , returned to Sporting News Radio with Arnie Spanier . Brown regularly appeared on the syndicated radio program , " The Don and Mike Show " . In March 2009 , James Brown was named the Community Ambassador for AARP . On Aug . 10 , 2009 , Brown interviewed NFL quarterback Michael Vick for a segment that aired on " 60 Minutes " Aug . 16 . Personal life . Brown resides outside of Washington , D . C . in Bethesda , MD , his town of birth , with his wife Dorothy and daughter Katrina . He formerly had a second residence in Century City , California , when working on FOX as their NFL program was based in Los Angeles . He was also named one of the 100 most influential student athletes by the NCAA . He has three granddaughters , born to his daughter , Katrina and her husband John . On May 3 , , Brown became a minority owner of the Washington Nationals Major League Baseball team . Brown was one of a handful of investors in the group led by Washington , D . C . real estate developer Ted Lerner .