Greg Gumbel: The Brother Who Brought New Orleans to Your Weekend

The Brother Who Brought Bourbon Street to Your Morning

Greg Gumbel was born on May 3, 1946, in New Orleans, Louisiana — the older brother of Bryant Gumbel and the first African American to anchor a major network's coverage of a major professional sports championship. While Bryant became the face of morning television on the Today show, Greg carved his own path in sports broadcasting, building a career that proved the Gumbel household in New Orleans produced not one but two of the most talented broadcasters in American television history.

Gumbel attended Loras College in Iowa, where he graduated in 1967 with a degree in English. He worked in Detroit television before joining ESPN in 1981, where he called early-era college basketball games. He moved to CBS Sports in 1988 and became the lead announcer for the NFL on CBS — one of the most prestigious positions in sports television.

Making History

In 2001, Gumbel became the first African American to call play-by-play for a major professional sports championship when he anchored CBS's coverage of Super Bowl XXXV. He had previously hosted CBS's coverage of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, the NFL, and the NBA. His voice became a fixture of American sports weekends for over three decades.

Greg Gumbel was never as famous as his younger brother, and he seemed perfectly fine with that. He let his work speak for itself — steady, professional, and reliable in a way that made the biggest games feel accessible to every viewer. Two kids from the same New Orleans household, both making history on national television. The Gumbel family legacy is one of the great stories in American broadcasting.