Legendary sports broadcaster Brent Musberger has announced his retirement after five decades of calling play by play action in both college football and college basketball. Musberger, 77, said that he would officially retire at the end of January and then will go into a sports book business with his family in Las Vegas.
Musberger said of his years in broadcasting that, “What a wonderful journey I have traveled with CBS and the Disney company. A love of sports allows me to live a life of endless pleasure. And make no mistake, I will miss the arenas and stadiums dearly. Most of all, I will miss the folks I have met along the trail.”
Musberger began his broadcasting career at CBS back in the early part of the 1970’s and stayed with them for nearly twenty years. In a dump-the-big-salaries move, CBS fired him in 1990. He went on to join ESPN and to also work for ABC/Disney. Throughout the 1980’s and the 1990’s, Musberger was to go-to voice for college football on a Saturday afternoon. He called many a memorable game and his commentary and play by play always added to the historic enjoyment of the event. He was famous for starting a broadcast with his, now familiar, “you’re looking live…” opening which just seemed to stir the drama of the event right from the beginning.
ESPN’s Senior Vice President, Stephanie Druley was taken a bit by surprise and tried to talk Musberger into staying. She commented in a public post that, “About 10 days prior to the Sugar Bowl, we were told that Brent was considering stepping away from play-by-play. I was shocked. I did not feel like it was time for him to step aside. We had a follow-up meeting where we made a very strong pitch to get him to change his mind. In the end, he made a personal decision for himself and for his family. I respect that. But, personally and professionally, I am disappointed and saddened, considering he’s still a fantastic play-by-play announcer.”
Musberger goes way back, as they say. There is even a picture with him sitting poolside in Fort Lauderdale with New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath as Broadway Joe famously predicted that the Jets would win Super Bowl 3. In January of 1969, the Jets, indeed, did just that by beating the heavily favored Baltimore Colts. The Jets victory caused the merger between the American and National football leagues the following season in 1970.
Musberger believed it just may be time as, he said, the sports broadcasting industry has changed and, “has become more and more numbers-driven, advanced statistics and everything. That’s fine. I was never going to change because I’m a people guy. I like pulling up a chair in a saloon with a cold beer and telling stories.”
His career wasn’t without the occasional scandal but, in the end, he said of all that, “Not everyone approved of everything I said. I understand that. I come from a sportswriting background and I’m not afraid to take a position on certain things from time to time. But for the most part, I thought people should be coming to a game to escape for three hours and forget about what their individual problems are.”
In a released statement, President of ESPN, John Skipper, declared that, “Brent’s presence and delivery have come to symbolize big time sports for multiple generations of fans. When he opens with his signature ‘You are looking live,’ you sit up straight in your chair because you know something important is about to happen. Brent’s catalog of big events is unmatched, and he has skillfully guided us through some of the most dramatic and memorable moments in sports with his authentic and distinctive style. He is one of the best storytellers to ever grace a sports booth. We and the fans will miss him.”
PHOTO CREDITS: ESPN /USA Today / Twitter
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