Greg Gumbel Greg Gumbel ( born May 3 , 1946 ) is an American television sportscaster . He is best known for his various assignments on the CBS network ( most notably , the National Football League and NCAA basketball ) . The brother of news and sportscaster Bryant Gumbel , he became the first African American announcer to call play - by - play of a major sports championship in the United States when he announced Super Bowl XXXV for the CBS network in 2001 . He is of Creole ancestry . Biography . Early years . Gumbel was born in New Orleans , Louisiana , the first child of parents Richard Gumbel , a judge , and Rhea Alice LeCesne . As a young man , Gumbel grew up on the South Side of Chicago where he attended and graduated from De La Salle Institute . Before becoming a broadcaster , Gumbel graduated with a B . A . degree in English from Loras College in Dubuque , Iowa where he also played on the baseball team . He also has two sisters Renee Gumbel – Farrahi and Rhonda Gumbel - Thomas . Career . In 1973 , Greg ' s brother Bryant Gumbel informed him that a Chicago TV station ( WMAQ - TV ) was auditioning for a sports announcer . At the time , Greg was selling hospital supplies in Detroit . He ultimately got the job and worked there for seven years . The sportscaster he replaced , Dennis Swanson , went on to become president of ABC Sports . Prior to his rising to prominence at CBS , Gumbel worked for MSG , ESPN , and WFAN radio in New York City . At ESPN , he anchored SportsCenter and did play - by - play for early NBA games on the network . On MSG , Gumbel served as a backup announcer for Marv Albert on New York Knicks broadcasts as well as providing coverage for college basketball . When MSG signed a huge contract to broadcast New York Yankees games in 1989 , Gumbel served as host of the pregame and postgame shows . In addition to his MSG duties , he was the host of the first radio morning show on radio station WFAN . First CBS stint . Gumbel ' s CBS career began with part - time work as an NFL announcer in 1988 . Also in 1989 , Gumbel began announcing college basketball as well . He became host of " The NFL Today " ( alongside Terry Bradshaw ) for the 1990 to 1993 seasons . He also anchored CBS ' coverage of Major League Baseball , college football , and CBS ' coverage for the Daytona 500 . Besides his hosting duties , Gumbel provided play - by - play for the NBA , Major League Baseball including the 1993 American League Championship Series ( alongside Jim Kaat ) , and College World Series baseball . He was the prime time anchor for the 1994 Winter Olympic Games from Lillehammer , Norway and co - anchor for the weekday morning broadcasts of the 1992 Winter Olympics from Albertville , France . NBC Sports . Gumbel moved to NBC in 1994 following CBS ' losses of the NFL and Major League Baseball . While at NBC , Gumbel hosted NBC ' s coverage of the 1994 Major League Baseball All - Star Game . He also did play - by - play for the Major League Baseball National League Division Series and National League Championship Series ( on both occasions , teaming with Joe Morgan ) , did play - by - play for " The NBA on NBC " , hosted NBC ' s daytime coverage of the 1996 Summer Olympics from Atlanta , Georgia , hosted the 1995 World Championships of Figure Skating and served as the studio host for " The NFL on NBC " . Current CBS career . Gumbel left NBC after the network broadcast of Super Bowl XXXII to return to CBS . His first major assignment was to serve as studio host for the network ' s coverage of college basketball , including the NCAA men ' s basketball tournament , something he continues to do to this day . As CBS had just acquired the rights to NBC ' s previous NFL package , Gumbel joined the broadcast team as lead announcer with fellow NBC alumnus Phil Simms as his color man . Gumbel was " The NFL on CBS " ' lead announcer between 1998 and 2003 , calling Super Bowls XXXV and XXXVIII during that time period . For the 2004 NFL season , Gumbel traded positions with Jim Nantz as host of " The NFL Today " while Nantz would take over as lead announcer . At the end of the 2005 NFL season , Gumbel was replaced as studio host of the " The NFL Today " pre - game show by James Brown . Gumbel returned to the broadcast booth as the # 2 play - by - play man , replacing Dick Enberg , alongside color man Dan Dierdorf . Personal . Greg , his wife Marcy , brother Bryant and their married daughter Michelle , all reside in the Fort Lauderdale , FL area . Politics . In 1999 , Gumbel refused to attend a NASCAR banquet honoring Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas , on the basis that he disagreed with Thomas ' positions on political issues . He has regularly appeared on Howard Stern ' s radio show . Along similar lines , Gumbel said of Rush Limbaugh , " I find him someone whose words and opinions I can do without . " Legacy . Gumbel is the third man to serve as both host and play - by - play announcer for Super Bowls ( the first two were Dick Enberg and Al Michaels respectively ) . He hosted Super Bowls XXVI , XXX and XXXII before calling Super Bowls XXXV and XXXVIII . Jim Nantz became the fourth man to do so after he called Super Bowl XLI for CBS . During his tenure as the chief anchor of " The NFL Today " he served alongside co - anchors Dan Marino , Shannon Sharpe , and Boomer Esiason . The group was known to call him by his nickname " Gumby . "