What was Greg Gumbel's Net Worth and Salary?
Greg Gumbel was an American television sportscaster who had a net worth of $16 million at the time of his death. Unfortunately, Greg Gumble died on December 27, 2024, at the age of 78.
Greg Gumbel was a pioneering American television sportscaster known for breaking barriers as one of the first African American broadcasters to host major sporting events. His career in broadcasting began in Chicago in the early 1970s, and he joined ESPN in 1979 as one of their first anchors. In 1988, Gumbel moved to CBS Sports, where he would make much of his lasting impact. He became the first African American announcer to call a major sports championship when he hosted Super Bowl XXXV in 2001. Throughout his career at CBS, he was a prominent figure in their NFL, NCAA basketball, and college football coverage.
Gumbel was particularly associated with CBS's coverage of March Madness, serving as the primary studio host for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament for many years. His smooth delivery and professional demeanor made him one of sports broadcasting's most respected figures. During his career, Greg has also worked for NBC Sports (1994-1998), where he covered the NFL, MLB, and college basketball. He won multiple Emmy Awards for his work and is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame.
Early Life
Greg Gumbel was born on May 3, 1946, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is the son of Rhea Alice LeCesne and Richard Gumbel, a judge. He grew up on the south side of Chicago and was raised Catholic, having attended and graduated from De La Salle Institute. Gumbel earned his B.A. degree in English from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, where he also played baseball. It was his brother Bryant Gumbel, who was working as a television sportscaster at KNBC in Los Angeles, who told Greg of a position opening as a sports announcer at Chicago TV Station WMAQ-TV. Gumbel went from selling hospital supplies in Detroit to his dream job, returning to Chicago to work for seven years.
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Career
Greg Gumbel's initial exposure on CBS was as a part-time NFL announcer in 1988. He also began to announce for college basketball in 1989. From 1990-1993, he hosted "The NFL Today" alongside Terry Bradshaw and covered Major League Baseball, college football, and the Daytona 500. CBS lost the NFL and MLB broadcasting contracts, and Greg moved to NBC in 1994, where he hosted their coverage of the MLB All-Star Game. He then teamed up with Joe Morgan to handle play-by-play duties for the 1995 MLB National League Division Series and National League Championship Series. Other assignments included play-by-play for "The NBA on NBC," hosting of the 1996 Summer Olympics, hosting of the 1995 World Championships of Figure Skating, and serving as studio host for "The NFL on NBC."
After the network broadcast of Super Bowl XXXII, Greg returned to CBS to serve as the studio host for their coverage of college basketball, namely the NCAA men's basketball tournament. With NFL package rights now back with CBS, Gumbel joined the broadcast team as lead announcer with Phil Simms from 1998-2003. He then traded positions with Jim Nantz as host of "The NFL Today" for the 2004 season. At the end of the 2005 season, Greg was replaced by James Brown. He returned to the broadcast booth as a #2 play-by-play man and also joined Trent Green as the #3 team from 2014 to 2019. He teamed with Rich Gannon in 2020 and then Adam Archuleta in the #4 slot after CBS declined to renew Gannon's contract.
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Salary
Greg Gumbel's annual salary was $4 million.
Legacy
Greg Gumbel became the third man, following Dick Enberg and Al Michaels, to serve as both a host and play-by-play announcer for Super Bowls. He hosted Super Bowls XXVI, XXX, and XXXII and called Super Bowls XXXV and VVVVIII. He got the nickname "Gumby" during his tenure as the chief anchor of "The NFL Today" from co-anchors Dan Marino, Boomer Esiason, and Shannon Sharpe.
