CBS Sports TV Team

JIM NANTZ
Lead Play-by-Play Announcer
THE NFL ON CBS

Jim Nantz book excerpt; Always By My Side | Buy It!

Jim Nantz, the two-time Emmy Award winning commentator for “Outstanding Sports Personality – Play-by-Play” and five-time National Sportscaster of the Year, has covered virtually every sport for the CBS Television Network since joining it in 1985.  Nantz joined the CBS Sports golf team in 1986.  He became the anchor of the Network's golf coverage in April 1994 and was partnered with Ken Venturi until June 2002, and Lanny
Wadkins until 2006, before Nick Faldo assumed the lead analyst role in 2007.  Nantz has hosted CBS Sports’ coverage of the Masters® since 1988 and the PGA Championship since 1991, and served as anchor of the biennial Presidents Cup in 1994 and 1996.

Nantz also has been the lead play-by-play voice for THE NFL ON CBS since 2004, calling the action on the Network’s number one NFL and Super Bowl announce team and is the lead play-by-play announcer for college basketball, including the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship and Final Four. 

In August 2011 Nantz received the Pro Football Hall of Fame Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award.  The award, given annually by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, recognizes “long-time exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football.”  He is the youngest recipient ever of this award.  Nantz also was honored by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as its youngest recipient of the Curt Gowdy Media Award in 2002. Nantz joins Dick Enberg and Curt Gowdy as the only broadcasters to receive both Pro Football and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame honors.

In 2010 Nantz won his second consecutive Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Personality – Play-By-Play.  In addition, Nantz was honored by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association as National Sportscaster of the Year for the fifth time (2010, 2008, 2007, 2005 and 1998).  Nantz has won this prestigious award more times than any other CBS Sports commentator.
 
In 2007 Nantz became the first commentator in history to complete the rare broadcasting three-feat – calling Super Bowl XLI (Indianapolis Colts vs. Chicago Bears), the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Final Four and the Masters all in a span of 63 days.  In 2010 Nantz repeated the rare broadcasting triple beginning with his call of the most-watched program in television history (at the time of its airing), Super Bowl XLIV (New Orleans Saints vs. Indianapolis Colts), followed by the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Final Four and the Masters®. 

In 2008 Nantz co-authored with Eli Spielman the instant New York Times bestseller, Always By My Side.  The book climbed to No. 3 on the New York Times list making it the highest ranking achieved that year by a sports category book.  Nantz told his personal stories from football, basketball and golf and how he met people along the way who reminded him of the virtues his father instilled in him. The foreword to the book was written by one of his father figures and dear friend, former President George H.W. Bush. The paperback edition of Always By My Side was released on May 5, 2009 – updated and expanded, including a new afterword.

In January 2011 Nantz returned to his adopted hometown of Houston to team with The Methodist Hospital in Houston to create the Nantz National Alzheimer Center (NNAC) in honor of his father.  It is an all-inclusive center committed to cutting-edge Alzheimer’s research and treatment in hopes of one day finding a cure.  The NNAC (www.nantzfriends.org) also focuses on the connection between concussions and other traumatic brain injuries in athletes and their effects on dementing illnesses. 

In 2005 Nantz established his own production company, Jim Nantz Productions.  As executive producer, Nantz’s company annually produces a Masters Sunday special – JIM NANTZ REMEMBERS AUGUSTA – and to date, the following specials have aired: THE 1986 MASTERS (2006); THE 1960 MASTERS (2007); THE 1978 MASTERS (2008); SEVE AT THE MASTERS (2009); THE 1977 MASTERS (2010) and THE 1975 MASTERS (2011).  THE 1960 MASTERS special made television history by showcasing a sporting event that originally aired live in black and white and was re-broadcast in color. This special was nominated for a 2007 George Wensel Technical Achievement Sports Emmy Award. 

Nantz began his tenure at CBS Sports as the 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 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. Nantz has been the lead play-by-play voice for THE NFL ON CBS since 2004, teaming up with Phil Simms.  For six years (1998-2003) he anchored the Network's NFL pre-game studio show, THE NFL TODAY and hosted its coverage of the Super Bowl. 

Nantz took over as lead play-by-play announcer for college basketball in 1990 where he was teamed with Billy Packer until 2008.  In 2009, Clark Kellogg joined Nantz mid-court to call the action of the regular-season and NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship games.  Nantz 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.  Nantz also handled the play-by-play for regular- and post-season coverage of THE NBA ON CBS from 1986 to 1989.

Nantz's myriad assignments for CBS Sports include play-by-play at the U.S. Open Tennis Championships for nine years overall, primetime host of CBS Sports' coverage of the 1998 Olympic Winter Games, 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.  In addition, he had a prominent role in Kevin Costner's 1996 hit movie Tin Cup.

 

For Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston, Nantz was the Host and Chairman of the first-ever Super Bowl Opening Ceremony and concert spectacular:  Super Bowl XXXVIII: A Houston Salute. Nantz created and organized the event with former President George Bush, the chairman of the event. Along with former President Bush, and 41 of Houston’s sports legends, they welcomed the Super Bowl to the city by officially kicking off Super Bowl week.

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 in 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.

He was born May 17, 1959, in Charlotte, N.C. and has one child, Caroline.