Brent Musburger Brent Woody Musburger ( ; born May 26 , 1939 ) is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks . Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their program " The NFL Today " , Musburger has covered NASCAR , NBA , MLB , and NCAA football and basketball games . Musburger has also served as a studio host for games , a play - by - play man , and halftime host . He has also performed post game wrap up segments and covered championship trophy presentations . He is a member of the Montana Broadcaster ' s Association Hall of Fame . Early life and career . Born in Portland , Oregon , Musburger was raised in Billings , Montana by parents Cec and Beryl . He was an umpire for minor league baseball during the 1950s . He was also a boyhood friend of former Major League pitcher Dave McNally . His brother , Todd Musburger , is a prominent sports agent . Musburger ' s youth included some brushes with trouble : when he was 12 , he and his brother stole a car belonging to their mother ' s cleaning lady and took it for joy ride . His parents sent him to the Shattuck Military Academy in Faribault , Minnesota . Educated at Northwestern University ' s Medill School of Journalism , he was kicked out for a year for owning and operating a car without a license . Musburger began his career as a sportswriter for the now - defunct " Chicago American " newspaper . In 1968 Musburger began a 22 - year association with CBS , first as a sports anchor for WBBM radio and later for WBBM - TV . In the mid - 1970s Musburger moved to Los Angeles and anchored news and sports for KNXT ( now KCBS - TV ) ; there he worked alongside Connie Chung as a co - anchor on KNXT ' s evening newscasts from 1978 until 1980 , when he joined CBS Sports full - time . CBS Sports ( 1973 - 1990 ) . Beginning in late 1973 , Musburger was doing play - by - play for CBS Sports . He started out doing regular season National Football League games ( future " The NFL Today " co - host Irv Cross was also doing NFL games at that time as well ) . Musburger was paired with Tommy Mason or Bart Starr , who provided the color commentary . A year later , Wayne Walker would be paired with Musburger in the booth . By 1975 , at CBS , Musburger went from doing the NFL play - by - play ( and other items , mostly on CBS ' " Sports Saturday / Sunday " programs ) to rise to prominence as the host of the network ' s National Football League studio show , " The NFL Today " . Suddenly , Musburger began to cover many assignments for CBS Sports . Among the other events he covered , either as studio host or play - by - play announcer , were college football and basketball , the National Basketball Association , horse racing , the U . S . Open ( tennis ) tournament , and The Masters golf tournament . He would even lend his talents to weekend afternoon fare such as The World ' s Strongest Man contests and the like . Musburger also called Major League Baseball games for CBS Radio . " The NFL Today " . But it was Musburger ' s association with " The NFL Today " that made him famous . During his tenure , the CBS ' NFL pregame show was consistently the # 1 rated pregame show . One of the signatures of the program was Musburger ' s show - opening teases to the various games CBS would cover , along with live images from the various stadiums . Musburger ' s accompanying intro to each visual , " " You are looking live at . . . " " became one of his catch phrases . In promoting the network , his voice often tailed off on the last letter of " CBS " ( " " C . B . eeezz " " ) , creating another catch phrase . Musburger made headlines when he got into a fist - fight with " The NFL Today " s betting analyst Jimmy " The Greek " Snyder in a Manhattan bar on October 27 , 1980 . Only two years earlier , the two had co - announced the 1978 World Series of Poker . However , the fist - fight incident was quickly regarded as water under the bridge as the two cheerfully appeared on " The NFL Today " the following week wearing boxing gloves on camera . CBS departure . By the late 1980s , Musburger was CBS ' s top sportscaster . He was the main host and play - by - play announcer for the NBA Finals , college basketball , college football , the Belmont Stakes , and the College World Series . He also hosted a New Year ' s Eve countdown for CBS . Musburger is regarded as the first broadcaster to apply the term " March Madness " to the annual NCAA Men ' s Division I Basketball Championship tournament . Early in 1990 , CBS underwent a significant management change . During the early morning hours of April 1 , 1990 , Musburger was fired from CBS . His final assignment for CBS came the following evening , doing play - by - play for the 1990 NCAA men ' s basketball final , which was Duke versus UNLV . When the game was completed , Musburger thanked the audience and CBS Sports , and the analysts that he had worked with through the years like Billy Packer , who was standing next to him . At the time of his firing Musburger had been set to handle play - by - play duties for CBS ' s television coverage of Major League Baseball later that month ; he was replaced by Jack Buck in that capacity . His position at " The NFL Today " was filled by Greg Gumbel . His position as the lead play - by - play announcer for college basketball was filled by Jim Nantz . ABC Sports and ESPN ( 1990 - Present ) . Following his dismissal from CBS , Musburger considered several offers – including one to return to Chicago and work at WGN - TV . Musburger settled at ABC . With Al Michaels entrenched as ABC ' s top broadcaster , Musburger focused on college football and basketball . After his hiring , ABC ' s merger with ESPN under the Disney umbrella allowed him to work on ESPN and ABC Sports divisions in 2006 , including Major League Baseball , NBA games , ESPN Radio , golf tournaments , horse racing , the Indianapolis 500 , Little League World Series , soccer games , college football , and even some NFL games ( including hosting halftime duties for " Monday Night Football " and Wild Card round games ) . Musburger ' s college football duties has included calling two BCS championship games , the 2000 Sugar Bowl and the 2004 Sugar Bowl ( both on ABC ) . He also announced the 2010 BCS National Championship Game for ABC in January 2010 as well as the 2011 , 2012 and 2013 BCS National Championship Game s for ESPN . Musburger has also covered the Tour de France for ABC . Since 2006 , Musburger has called ABC Sports ' college football prime time series , along with analysts Bob Davie and Kirk Herbstreit . Musburger called the 2007 Rose Bowl , taking over for the recently retired Keith Jackson . He also has called some games on ESPN . After Al Michaels was hired by NBC in February 2006 , Musburger became the face of ABC Sports / ESPN on ABC . He was the main studio host during ABC ' s coverage of the 1998 World Cup and the 2006 World Cup , and was also the studio host for ESPN and ABC ' s NASCAR coverage . In 2010 , Musburger voiced his support for a college football playoff in an interview with the " Chicago Sun - Times " . Controversies . 1968 column on Tommie Smith and John Carlos . In 1968 , while a columnist for " Chicago ' s American " , Musburger penned a controversial column regarding Tommie Smith and John Carlos ' s protest of racial injustice in the United States with a Black Power salute on the medal stand during the 1968 Summer Olympics . In it he stated " Smith and Carlos looked like a couple of black - skinned storm troopers " who were " ignoble , " " juvenile , " and " unimaginative . " In a 1999 article in " The New York Times " , Musburger stated that comparing the two to the Nazis was " harsh " , but he stood by his criticism of the pair ' s action : In June 2012 , Dave Zirin of " The Nation " called on Musburger to apologize to both Carlos and Smith for the column where he also extolled the virtues of then - President of the International Olympic Committee , Avery Brundage , who Zirin described as an " avowed white supremacist and anti - Semite . " According to Carlos , Musburger never apologized : Others . On September 17 , 2005 , after broadcasting the Nebraska Cornhuskers vs . Pittsburgh Panthers , Musburger was cited for an open container in a motor vehicle . On September 18 , 2006 , University of Southern California Sports Information Director Tim Tessalone sent a letter to ESPN , complaining that Musburger revealed privileged information during his broadcast of the September 16 , 2006 , NCAA football game , in which the USC Trojans hosted the Nebraska Cornhuskers . Musburger disclosed that he had learned a signal used by Trojans quarterback John David Booty in a pre - game conversation with the quarterback . USC claimed this information was for private purposes only . Tessalone said " I ' ve never seen such an egregious breach of trust . Brent is not a rookie at this , and he should know better . " ESPN and Musburger released separate statements , saying they regretted the confusion . Musburger also appeared on ESPN Radio ' s " Dan Patrick Show " , saying that there was never an intention of putting team secrets on the air . On October 5 , 2010 , Musburger told a class of college journalism students at the University of Montana that professional athletes under a doctor ' s supervision could potentially use steroids to improve performance . He said that steroid use should have no place in high school athletics . Style . Musburger has a down - home manner of speaking , often addressing his viewers as " folks . " In a " Sports Illustrated " profile done on Musburger in January 1984 , he stressed his hesitance to " pontificate " during his broadcasts . CNN Sports Illustrated ' s Stewart Mandel selected him as the second - best college football announcer , behind Ron Franklin . Mandel said of Musburger , " His voice will always be associated with some of the sports ' most memorable modern moments . " Other media . Musberger was a reporter in " Rocky II " , and had his role immortalized in a 1979 action figure . He also made cameo appreances in " The Main Event " , " The Waterboy " and " Cars 2 " . He appeared as himself in the episode " Lying Around " on the ABC sitcom " Happy Endings " .