CBS Sports Analyst Jim Nantz
Jim Nantz
CBS Sports Broadcaster Jim Nantz, who has covered virtually every sport for the CBS Television Network since joining CBS in 1985, serves as anchor of The NFL Today, the Network's NFL pre-game, half-time and post-game studio show.
His extensive credits include serving as primetime host of CBS Sports' coverage of the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan; anchor of CBS's golf coverage, including The Masters® and the PGA Championship; and lead play-by-play announcer for college basketball, including the Final Four and Championship games.
Nantz joined CBS Sports as host of the CBS Television Network's college football studio show (1985-88). He was lead play-by-play announcer for CBS's coverage of college football (1989-90), and went on to cover the NFL in 1991. By 1993, Nantz was the Network's No. 2 NFL play-by-play announcer for all regular-season and post-season broadcasts. He returned as the lead voice of college football in 1996. In 1997, he moved into the studio to anchor College Football Today. His lead role in college football has included coverage of the Cotton, Fiesta, Sun, Gator, Blockbuster and Orange Bowls.
Nantz took over as lead play-by-play announcer for college basketball in 1990 and has called regular season and NCAA Men's Basketball Championship coverage since then. He has called the play-by-play on more Network broadcasts of the Final Four and the Championship game than any other announcer in the tournament's history. From 1986 to 1990, Nantz served as host of CBS's coverage of the NCAA Tournament and Final Four. In addition, he handled the play-by-play for regular- and post-season coverage of the NBA on CBS.
A full-time member of the CBS golf broadcast team since 1986, Nantz assumed the anchor position for the Network's coverage in April 1994. He has hosted CBS Sports' coverage of The Masters since 1989 and the PGA Championship since 1991, and served as anchor of the biennial Presidents Cup in 1994 and 1996. In addition, he had a prominent role in the 1996 Kevin Costner movie Tin Cup.
Nantz's myriad assignments for CBS Sports include: play-by-play at the U.S. Open Tennis Championships for nine years overall, co-hosting the weekend daytime coverage of the 1992 and 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Albertville, France, and Lillehammer, Norway, and coverage of NCAA track and field, skiing, speed skating, baseball, swimming and diving, gymnastics, the U.S. Olympic Festival, the Pan American Games and even polo. He also served as host of the Network's coverage of the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (1994-95).
Nantz was graduated in 1981 with a degree in radio/television from the University of Houston, where he played on the golf team. While at Houston, he held a variety f broadcasting jobs, which led to sportscaster positions at the city's CBS stations KHOU-TV and KTRH radio. Before joining CBS Sports, Nantz was an anchor at KSL-TV in Salt Lake City. While at KSL, he also broadcast Utah Jazz basketball games.
Nantz was born May 17, 1959, in Charlotte, N.C., and grew up in Colts Neck, N.J. He and his wife, Lorrie, live in Fairfield County, Conn. They have one daughter, Caroline.