A look at 5 ex-network TV voices; all talented, be they melodic, edgy, warm or classy

I heard Dick Vitale the other night. He can still teach the basics of the game. The 85 year old who has gone through hell, in and out of hospitals, easily invigorated through a ton of leadership years.

When he began with ESPN, Vitale had no experience in broadcasting. He was a High School basketball coach in New Jersey, before being hired by Tom Young who coached Rutgers to the Final Four in 1976. Dick had a strong hand in recruiting the players that advanced to the Final Four.

After a couple years, he took the job at the University of Detroit and then the NBA’s Pistons. The coaching stress took its effect. Unemployed in 1979, he still wanted to coach. It was in his blood. His wife suggested that he chase a TV gig to retain his visibility. He finally pursued a nascent ESPN and the rest is history.

ESPN and College Basketball turned into a perfect platform for Vitale. As the network expanded its hoops coverage, Vitale polished the college game and his identity. High Schoolers across the nation ate their dinners in front of the TV sets. Vitale’s energy made him a nationwide star.

Jim Nantz

He moved into the lead play-by-play role on the NCAA Final Four men’s basketball finals, working with Billy Packer (1991–2008), Clark Kellogg (2009–2013), Steve Kerr (2011–2014), and Greg Anthony (2013–2014). Nantz’ most recent partners on March Madness coverage were Bill Raftery and Grant Hill. In October 2022, Nantz announced his intention to step away from basketball coverage. He was part of the tourney’s tapestry. So for now, he’s so identified with the NFL, Golf and the Masters. 

Nantz, 65, began calling early-round games for CBS in 1986 and was the Final Four studio host for five years before succeeding Brent Musburger in 1991 as the lead play-by-play announcer. From 1986 to 1990, he did work in the Studio and games leading to the Final Four. He’s missed.

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Dick Enberg 

From Wikipedia, “In a basketball game that makes fans in Texas forget football temporarily, Number #2 and undefeated Houston ends Number #1 UCLA’s 47-game winning streak with a 71-69 victory at the Astrodome. Some  52,693, was at the time the largest crowd to see a college basketball game.” It was set up for January 20th 1968.

The primetime game got no interest from CBS, NBC or ABC. For that matter, the Houston-UCLA matchup was at the Astrodome in front of better than 50,000 on hand. It was the talk of the land, Elvin Hayes vs. Lew Alcindor!

The game was on a syndicated television network, managed by Eddie Einhorn of TVS. He brought in a fresh spirit of a newcomer onto the sports scene of play-by-play, Dick Enberg. TVS was also doing regional hoops. 

By the mid-1960s, Enberg called the 1979 NCAA Championship game between Michigan State, led by Magic Johnson, and Indiana State, led by Larry Bird. It put college basketball on the map. This is before Cable! It was still the age of independent channels and antenna TV. It meant meant everything then.  

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Curt Gowdy

He l the national semi-finals and for NBC in the 1960s, covering the great UCLA teams of Jabbar and Walton. He’d reference the millions watching, “I’ve always said this about the semi-finals. It’s the greatest bargain in sports. You get to see the best four teams in the land for the price of one.” Allen was best known for the most part through his baseball World Series  broadcasts on NBC. Mel brought in Curt Gowdy to join him for a couple seasons, 1949 and 1950. The following year he and his family moved to Boston where he presided over Red Sox radio, and for a short period of time the Celtics. Later the NBC folks hired him to do the AFL and with the 1970 NFL merger, he was prevalent. For that matter, he did the very first Super in 1967. In the 1960s and 70s, he had his hands on the MLB regular season, Game of the Week. His husky tenor gave him a gist and theme which brought warmth to his broadcasts. He also told me basketball was his sport to call.

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Brent Musburger

Brent was still new to CBS in the early 1970s. He had attended Northwestern and began to write for a Chicago newspaper that no longer exists, the Chicago American.

It was the late 60s when he started making a major mark. It didn’t take long for his ascent in the electronic media in the country’s number two market. His resumé was unusual for network play-by-players. He had little, if any notable experience calling play-by-play. Yet it was evident that he had a command on the mic, was assertive and definitely unafraid to express his opinion. 

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Verne Lundquist

Whether he marveled, emoted or agonized, Verne Lundquist was never about shtick or fabrication. Never scripted lines, yet Jack Nicklaus’ birdie at the 1986 Masters still resonates, “Yes Sir!” Lighthearted enthusiasm, of course. A hard hit, “How do you do!”

Lundquist’s unmistakable hearty laugh was comforting and reassuring for half a century. He covered it all, from the smashingly popular to the arcane. From the crunching hits of the gridiron to the elegance of figure skating, his resume defines versatility. It would take quite a reach to identify a sport in the last half century that he didn’t call.

His assignments ran the gamut; covering the beefy NFL and the college football field to the awkward on Bowling for Dollars, No matter the venue, his intonation was unhurried.

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(more to come)