SOURCE: CBS Sports
May 19th, 2005--CBS Sports extended lead announcer Jim Nantz's contract
with a new long-term deal, it was announced by Sean McManus, President,
CBS Sports. Nantz has covered virtually every sport for the CBS Television
Network since joining it in 1985.
Following is a look at Nantz's career as he enters his 21st year with
CBS Sports this fall.
This year marked Nantz's 20th year covering the Final Four and the
Masters®. In 2004 Nantz moved up to assume the lead play-by-play job
for THE NFL ON CBS joining lead analyst Phil Simms on the Network's
number one NFL announce team. For the previous six years, he anchored
the Network's NFL pre-game studio show, THE NFL TODAY.
He took over as lead play-by-play announcer for college basketball
in 1990. Teamed with Billy Packer, he has called regular-season and
NCAA Men's Basketball Championship games since then. He has called the
play-by-play on more network broadcasts of the Final Four and Championship
game than any other announcer in the tournament's history. From 1986
to 1990, he served as host of CBS's coverage of the NCAA tournament
and Final Four.
His extensive credits include serving as host of THE SUPER BOWL TODAY,
CBS Sports' Super Bowl XXXV and Super Bowl XXXVIII pre-game show; anchor
of CBS's golf coverage, including the Masters and the PGA Championship;
lead play-by-play announcer for college basketball, including the Final
Four and Championship game; and primetime host of CBS Sports' coverage
of the 1998 Olympic Winter Games. Nantz was inducted into the Naismith
Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as the youngest recipient of the Curt
Gowdy Media Award in 2002. He was voted 1998's National Sportscaster
of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.
Nantz also was named the best golf host in a 2002 Golf Digest survey
and had the largest margin of victory of any individual in the poll.
Nantz joined the CBS golf team in 1985. He became the anchor for the
Network's coverage in April 1994 and was partnered with Ken Venturi
until June 2002, when Lanny Wadkins assumed the lead analyst's role.
Nantz has hosted CBS Sports' coverage of the Masters® since 1988, this
year he celebrated his 20th year at the Masters. He has hosted the PGA
Championship since 1991 and served as anchor of the biennial Presidents
Cup in 1994 and 1996. In addition, he had a prominent role in Kevin
Costner's 1996 hit movie "Tin Cup." (More) CBS Television...2
Nantz began his tenure at CBS Sports as host of the Network's college
football studio show (1985-88). He was lead play-by-play announcer for
CBS's coverage of college football (1989-90) and went on to cover the
NFL in 1991. By 1993, he was calling play-by-play for the Network's
second-team coverage of THE NFL ON CBS and all regular-season and post-season
broadcasts. He returned as the lead voice of college football in 1996,
calling the National Championship Games for the 1996 and 1997 seasons
(Fiesta Bowl; Nebraska vs. Florida and Orange Bowl; Tennessee vs. Nebraska,
respectively). In 1997, he returned to the studio to anchor COLLEGE
FOOTBALL TODAY. His lead role in college football has included coverage
of the Orange, Cotton, Fiesta, Sun, Gator and Blockbuster Bowls.
Nantz's myriad assignments for CBS Sports include play-by-play at
the U.S. Open Tennis Championships for nine years overall, co-hosting
the weekend daytime coverage of the 1992 and 1994 Olympic Winter Games
and coverage of NCAA track and field, skiing, speed skating, baseball,
swimming and diving, gymnastics, the U.S. Olympic Festival and Pan American
Games and even polo. He also served as host of the Network's coverage
of the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1994, 1995, 2000 and
2001. He also handled the play-by-play for regular- and post-season
coverage of THE NBA ON CBS from 1986 to 1989.
Nantz was graduated in 1981 with a degree in radio/television from
the University of Houston, where he was recruited as a member of the
golf team. He received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from
his alma mater in May 2001 in recognition of his contributions to his
profession and to the university. While a student at Houston, he held
a variety of broadcasting jobs, which led to positions at the city's
CBS stations KHOU-TV and KTRH Radio. Before joining CBS Sports, Nantz
was an anchor at KSL-TV Salt Lake City, then a CBS affiliate. While
at KSL, he also broadcast Utah Jazz basketball games and did play-by-play
with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young for BYU football
games, including the 1984 National Championship year. Nantz created
and organized along with former President George Bush the first-ever
Olympic-style Super Bowl opening ceremony gala called Super Bowl XXXVIII:
A Houston Salute, an event created to welcome the Super Bowl to its
host city. He was born May 17, 1959, in Charlotte, N.C., and grew up
in Colts Neck, N.J. He and his wife, Lorrie, live in Fairfield County,
Conn. They have one daughter, Caroline.
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