Jim Nantz

One of the most successful sports broadcasters of his era, Jim Nantz's varied career spanned over several decades, announcing for the NFL, the NCAA Division I, and the PGA for CBS Sports, among many other credits. Jim Nantz was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and he grew up in New Orleans and Marlboro, New Jersey. In high school, he was co-captain of the basketball team, and became the number one player on the golf team. Nantz then went to the University of Houston in Texas, graduating with a degree in radio/television broadcasting and working for the local stations KHOU-TV and KRTH Radio. Nantz anchored for KSL-TV in Salt Lake City. Then Nantz went to cover NCAA Football for CBS from 1985 to 1988, as well as covering the PGA Tour for the network beginning in 1986. In addition, Nantz announced college basketball games for the network, including covering the NCAA Basketball finals every year from 1991 to 2008. Nantz became a play-by-play announcer for "The NFL on CBS" (CBS 1998-) in 2004, and hosted "The NFL Today" (CBS 1961-) for six years. During a particularly prolific stretch of his career, Nantz pulled off the impressive feat of announcing the Super Bowl, the NCAA Final Four basketball games, and the Masters golf tournament within a sixty-three day period in 2007. Nantz won the Pro Football Hall of Fame Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award in 2011, becoming the youngest person ever to do so. He penned his first book, a memoir about his father called Always By My Side in 2008.