Jim Nantz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jim Nantz
Nantz in 2001
Born	James William Nantz III (1959-05-17) May 17, 1959 (age 66) Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Houston
Occupation	Sports commentator
Years active	1980–present
Spouse(s)	Ann-Lorraine Carlsen ​ ​ (m. 1983; div. 2009)​ Courtney Richards ​ (m. 2012)​
Children	3
Sports commentary career
Genre(s)	Play-by-play
Sports	National Football League NCAA March Madness PGA Tour

Jim Nantz is a famous American sportscaster. He was born on May 17, 1959. For many years, he has worked for CBS Sports, covering major events like the National Football League (NFL), college basketball, and the PGA Tour in golf. He is well-known for being the main announcer for the Masters Tournament golf event since 1989. He has also been the lead play-by-play announcer for CBS's NFL games since 2004. From 1990 to 2023, he was the main voice for the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Early Life and School Days

Jim Nantz grew up in different places, including New Orleans, Louisiana, and Marlboro Township, New Jersey. When he was in high school, he was a co-captain of both the basketball and golf teams. He was even the top player on his golf team.

After high school, Nantz went to the University of Houston. He played on the university's golf team and even shared a room with future professional golfers Fred Couples and Blaine McCallister. He studied Radio and Television Broadcasting and graduated in 1981. During his college years, he got his first taste of sports broadcasting by sending interviews to the CBS Radio Network.

Jim Nantz's Broadcasting Career

Starting Out Before CBS

Jim Nantz began his career in the early 1980s as a news anchor and sportscaster for a TV station in Houston, Texas. Later, he became a weekend sports anchor in Salt Lake City. There, he called games for BYU Cougars football and the Utah Jazz basketball team.

Joining CBS Sports

Nantz joined CBS Sports in 1985. At first, he hosted studio shows for college football and basketball. He also reported from the golf course for the PGA Tour. He even called NFL games on the radio for a few years. In 1989, he started doing play-by-play for college football games.

Since 1989, Nantz has been the main voice for CBS's coverage of the Masters Tournament, which is a very famous golf event. After another announcer left CBS in 1990, Nantz became the lead play-by-play announcer for the NCAA Final Four men's basketball games. He worked with different partners over the years, including Billy Packer and Clark Kellogg. He announced in October 2022 that he would step away from basketball coverage after the 2023 tournament to spend more time with his family.

Jim Nantz often starts his broadcasts by saying, "Hello, friends." He began using this greeting as a special way to connect with his father, who was suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Nantz is known for sharing interesting historical facts or statistics about athletes and games during his broadcasts.

NFL on CBS (1987–Present)

Nantz first appeared on an NFL game broadcast in 1987 as a reporter. In 1988, he started calling NFL games as a play-by-play announcer. He worked with different analysts, including Hank Stram and Dan Fouts.

In 1993, Nantz became a full-time NFL play-by-play announcer with Randy Cross. CBS lost the NFL contract after the 1993 season, so Nantz returned to calling college football games for a few years.

When the NFL games returned to CBS in 1998, Nantz hosted the pre-game show The NFL Today until 2003. In 2004, he became the top play-by-play announcer for The NFL on CBS. He worked in the booth with Phil Simms.

On February 4, 2007, Nantz called Super Bowl XLI. He is one of only a few announcers to have called both a Super Bowl and an NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Game. He is also one of two people to have hosted a Super Bowl, announced an NCAA Men's Basketball Championship game, and hosted coverage of the Masters. During Super Bowl XLVII, Joe Flacco accidentally hit Nantz with the Vince Lombardi Trophy during the celebration, but Nantz just laughed it off.

From 2014 to 2017, Nantz and Phil Simms also called Thursday Night Football games. In 2017, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo replaced Phil Simms as Nantz's partner for CBS's NFL broadcasts. Nantz and Romo have called several Super Bowls together, including Super Bowl LIII in 2019, Super Bowl LV in 2021, and Super Bowl LVIII in 2024.

Media Appearances

Jim Nantz has appeared on TV shows like The Price Is Right to present special prizes related to CBS Sports events. He also appeared as himself in the 1996 movie Tin Cup and has been in episodes of other TV series like Criminal Minds and How I Met Your Mother. His voice has also been used in video games, including the Madden NFL series from 2012 to 2016. He has also been in commercials for companies like Papa John's Pizza and Capital One.

Nantz interviewing Rick Pitino after the 2013 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game.

Career Timeline

• 1985–1988; 1997: NCAA Football on CBS – studio host
• 1986–present: PGA Tour on CBS (since 1994 as host)
• 1986–1990: College Basketball on CBS – studio host
• 1986–1989: NBA on CBS – play-by-play
• 1989–present: The Masters host
• 1989–1991; 1996–1997: NCAA Football on CBS – lead play-by-play
• 1990–2023: College Basketball on CBS/Turner – lead play-by-play
• 1988–1993; 2004–present: NFL on CBS – play-by-play
• 1998–2003: The NFL Today host
• 2014–2017: Thursday Night Football – lead play-by-play

Awards and Honors

Jim Nantz has received many awards for his work:

• He won the Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Personality, Play-by-Play twice (2009 and 2010).
• He was named the NSMA National Sportscaster of the Year five times.
• In 2002, he received the Curt Gowdy Award from the Basketball Hall of Fame.
• In 2011, he received the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
• He was inducted into the NSMA Hall of Fame in 2021.

Famous Quotes and Calls

Jim Nantz is known for many memorable calls during big sports moments.

• "Hello, friends!" (His usual opening line on broadcasts)

1980s

• "And there's no doubt about it, The Bear...has come out of hibernation." (1986 Masters, about Jack Nicklaus)

1990s

• "Arkansas is in Hog Heaven!" (1994 NCAA Basketball Championship Game)
• "Just when everybody says you can't, you can, and U-CONN has won the national championship in its first attempt in a final!" (1999 NCAA Basketball Championship Game)

2000s

• "Is it his time?...Yes!..At long last!" (2004 Masters, when Phil Mickelson won his first major)
• "Gators... as good as it gets!" (2006 NCAA Tournament, when Florida won its first basketball title)
• "A tradition unlike any other, The Masters on CBS." (Used annually for the Masters Tournament)
• "A Kansas comeback for the history books, Rock Chalk, Championship! Kansas takes the title!" (2008 NCAA Tournament)

2010s

• "That's a win for the family." (As Phil Mickelson won the 2010 Masters)
• "Superlatives you can't come up with enough. Absolute, incredible performance. Shock and awe in college basketball! UMBC makes history in Charlotte!" (When UMBC became the first #16 seed to beat a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2018)
• "And Virginia, with the all-time turnaround title!" (Calling the end of the 2019 National Championship game, after Virginia won a year after a big upset loss)
• "Waited for years, many doubted we'd ever see it, but here it is.. the return to glory!" (Calling Tiger Woods' win at the 2019 Masters Tournament, his first major win in many years)

2020s

• "The long journey is over! McIlroy has his Masterpiece!" (Following Rory McIlroy's winning putt to win the 2025 Masters Tournament and complete the career grand slam.)

Personal Life

Jim Nantz wrote a book called Always By My Side – A Father's Grace and a Sports Journey Unlike Any Other, which came out in 2008. In the book, he shares personal stories from his career and how people he met reminded him of the good values his father taught him. His father, Jim Nantz Jr., passed away in 2008 after battling Alzheimer's disease. In 2011, Nantz and Houston Methodist Hospital started the Nantz National Alzheimer Center. This center works to improve care and treatment for patients with Alzheimer's through research.

Nantz was married to Ann-Lorraine Carlsen Nantz for 26 years before they divorced in 2009. They had one daughter, Caroline. In 2012, Nantz married Courtney Richards at the famous Pebble Beach Golf Links in California. Jim and Courtney have two children, a daughter born in 2014 and a son born in 2016. They used to live in a home overlooking the Pebble Beach Links, which had a special feature: a smaller, half-sized copy of the course's famous seventh hole in the backyard! Many famous golfers and celebrities have visited and tried to get a hole-in-one there. If they succeed, their names are carved on a rock. Nantz and his family moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 2021.

Winemaking

Cabernet Sauvignon from the Alexander Valley produced for Nantz's The Calling wine label.

In 2009, Jim Nantz started a wine company called The Calling with a wine producer named Peter Deutsch. The first wines were released in 2012. The name "The Calling" refers to Nantz's passion for announcing the Masters Tournament.

Famous Quotes

Here are some of Jim Nantz's well-known lines from his broadcasts:

• Hello, friends! (Nantz's usual opening line on broadcasts)

• A tradition unlike any other, The Masters on CBS. (Used annually during promos for and coverage of the tournament)

• There it is, a win for the ages! (1997 Masters, referring to Tiger Woods, the first person of color to win)

• Just when everybody says you can't, you can, and U-CONN has won the national championship! (1999 NCAA Basketball Championship Game, Connecticut vs. Duke)

• And you can leave it to Cleaves! He has reinstated the Magic at Michigan State! (2000 NCAA National Championship Game)

• There it is -- as grand as it gets! (2001 Masters)

• Is it his time?...Yes!..At long last! (2004 Masters, as Phil Mickelson made the tournament-winning shot for his first major)

• A Kansas comeback for the history books, Rock Chalk, Championship! Kansas takes the title! (2008 NCAA Tournament)

• Picked off. Look out! Gets past Manning. And it's Tracy Porter taking it all the way! Touchdown New Orleans!" (Nantz calling Tracy Porter's interception return for a touchdown as the New Orleans Saints won Super Bowl XLIV.)

• Villanova trying to go the length of the court, with Arcidiacono. Three seconds at midcourt! Gives it to Jenkins! For the championship... YES! Villanova! Phenomenal! The national champions, with Jenkins hitting the winner at the buzzer! (Nantz calling Kris Jenkins' famous buzzer-beater to win the 2016 NCAA Tournament for the Villanova Wildcats)

• Waited for years, many doubted we'd ever see it, but here it is.. the return to glory! (Nantz calling golf legend Tiger Woods' 15th major win at the 2019 Masters Tournament.)