Brad Nessler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Brad Nessler
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Born |
Bradley Ray Nessler
June 3, 1956 St. Charles, Minnesota, U.S.
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Education | Minnesota State University, Mankato |
Occupation | Sportscaster |
Spouse(s) |
Nancy Wilson
(m. 1978) |
Children | 1 |
Bradley Ray Nessler, born on June 3, 1956, is a well-known American sportscaster. He is famous for calling college football and college basketball games for CBS Sports.
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Brad Nessler's Career
Starting Out in Broadcasting
Brad Nessler began his career in sports broadcasting in the early 1980s. He started by calling Georgia Tech basketball games on the radio from 1980 to 1985. After that, he became the voice for the Atlanta Falcons football team from 1982 to 1988. He then moved on to call games for the Minnesota Vikings in 1988 and 1989. Nessler also worked on preseason TV broadcasts for the Miami Dolphins and called ACC football and basketball games for Jefferson-Pilot.
Working with CBS Sports
From 1990 to 1992, Nessler worked for CBS Sports. During this time, he called NFL games, college football, and both men's and women's college basketball games. He even covered the first part of the NCAA men's basketball tournament in 1991 and 1992. Nessler also had the chance to call speed-skating events at the 1992 Winter Olympics.
Time at ESPN and ABC Sports
Nessler joined ESPN in 1992, where he continued to call college basketball games. He also covered Big Ten and Thursday night football games. His role expanded in 1997 when he started working for ABC Sports as well.
You might have heard his voice in video games! Nessler was a commentator in EA Sports' NCAA Football series alongside Kirk Herbstreit. He also lent his voice to the NCAA March Madness video game series with Dick Vitale.
Calling College Football
When Nessler started calling college football for ABC in 1997, he was one of their top announcers. By 2006, he became the main play-by-play announcer for Saturday afternoon games. In 2009, ESPN announced that Nessler would be the lead play-by-play announcer for their Saturday Primetime college football games.
He worked with different partners over the years. He first teamed up with Gary Danielson. Later, he called games with Bob Griese and sometimes Paul Maguire. From 2009, he worked with former Penn State quarterback Todd Blackledge and sideline reporter Erin Andrews. This team called the Capital One Bowl on ABC in 2010.
NBA and College Basketball
Nessler also broadcast NBA games from 2002 to 2004, including the 2003 NBA Finals.
Starting in 2006, Nessler provided play-by-play for SEC basketball games on Super Tuesday and Thursday Night Showcase. He worked with analysts like Sean Farnham or Dick Vitale and sideline reporter Heather Cox. He also covered Saturday afternoon college basketball games for ESPN and previously for ABC.
Monday Night Football
Nessler had a few chances to call Monday Night Football games for ESPN.
- On September 11, 2006, he called a game between the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders. He worked with Ron Jaworski, Dick Vermeil, and Bonnie Bernstein.
- On September 13, 2010, he called another game, this time with Trent Dilfer and Suzy Kolber, featuring the San Diego Chargers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
- On September 12, 2011, Nessler and Dilfer called the game between the Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos. In that game, Oakland's Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 63-yard field goal, which tied an NFL record at the time.
Working for NFL Network
In May 2011, Nessler was hired by NFL Network to call their Thursday Night Football games. He teamed up with analyst Mike Mayock for an eight-game package. He continued to call these games in 2012 and 2013, as the package expanded to thirteen games.
Back to CBS
On May 31, 2016, CBS Sports announced that Brad Nessler would return to the network. He became the main play-by-play announcer for SEC college football games starting in the 2017 season. He took over from Verne Lundquist. This move reunited him with Gary Danielson, whom he had worked with at ESPN and ABC.
Nessler's first SEC game back with CBS was on November 5, 2016, between Florida and Arkansas. A month later, he became the lead college football announcer for the Sun Bowl.
Since 2022, Nessler and Danielson have been joined weekly by Jenny Dell and former NFL referee Gene Steratore. Nessler also calls college basketball games for CBS, often working with analyst Bill Raftery. In 2018, Nessler called his first NCAA March Madness game on TBS.
Personal Life
Brad Nessler is a graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato. He lives in the Atlanta area with his wife and family.