Verne Lundquist facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Verne Lundquist
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Lundquist at the 2009 NCAA tournament.
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Merton Laverne Lundquist Jr.
July 17, 1940 Duluth, Minnesota, U.S.
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| Other names | The Golden Throat |
| Sports commentary career | |
| Genre(s) | Play-by-play |
| Sports | |
Merton Laverne Lundquist Jr. (born July 17, 1940) is an American former sportscaster. He was famous for his long career with CBS Sports. People often called him "The Golden Throat" because of his distinctive voice.
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Early Life and Education
Verne Lundquist was born in Duluth, Minnesota. He grew up and went to Austin High School in Austin, Texas. After high school, he attended Texas Lutheran University. He graduated from there in 1962. His father was a Lutheran pastor. Verne even attended a seminary for a short time. He also worked as a disc jockey at a radio station in Iowa.
Broadcasting Career Highlights
Verne Lundquist started his career in Austin, Texas, as a sports anchor. He then moved to Dallas. There, he became the radio voice for the Dallas Cowboys football team. He worked with the Cowboys from 1967 to 1984. He was also an announcer for a local sports show called Bowling for Dollars in Dallas.
Working for Big Networks
Lundquist worked for several major TV networks. He was with ABC Sports from 1974 to 1981. Then he joined CBS from 1982 to 1995. After that, he worked for TNT from 1995 to 1997. He returned to CBS in 1998. His cheerful personality and famous laugh made him a very popular announcer.
He called many different sports. These included NFL games, NBA games, and golf tournaments. He also announced figure skating events at the Winter Olympics in 1992, 1994, and 1998. People even made fun of his announcing style on the TV show Saturday Night Live. Lundquist thought the parodies were very funny.
College Sports Announcing
After returning to CBS, Lundquist became a main announcer for college football. He was the voice of the SEC on CBS from 2000 to 2016. He also called many college basketball games.
Lundquist retired from calling college football games in December 2016. His last football game was the Army–Navy Game. He then retired from college basketball in March 2018.
Continuing with Golf
Even after retiring from football and basketball, Lundquist continued to announce golf. He called the PGA Championship for CBS until 2021. He also covered the famous Masters Tournament until 2024. The 2024 Masters was his 40th time covering the event. It was also his final broadcast for CBS.
Verne Lundquist lives in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
Other Appearances
Verne Lundquist also appeared in movies and video games. He played himself as a golf commentator in the 1996 movie Happy Gilmore. He returned for the sequel, Happy Gilmore 2, which is expected in 2025. He was also the play-by-play announcer in the NBA Live 98 and College Hoops 2K8 video games. A picture of him shaking hands with Tiger Woods at the Masters became a popular online image in 2024.
Famous Calls and Moments
Verne Lundquist is known for his exciting and memorable calls. He often used the phrase "How do you DO!" for amazing plays.
- 1979 Super Bowl: When a Dallas Cowboys player dropped an important pass, Lundquist said: "Bless his heart, he's got to be the sickest man in America!"
- 1986 Masters: When Jack Nicklaus made a winning putt, Lundquist exclaimed: "Maybe...YES, SIR!"
- 1992 NCAA Basketball: Christian Laettner made a game-winning shot for Duke. Lundquist shouted: "There's the pass to Laettner...puts it up...YES!!!"
- 1994 Winter Olympics: During a dramatic figure skating moment, he said: "Well, this bizarre real life movie continues."
- 2005 Masters: Tiger Woods made an incredible chip-in shot. Lundquist reacted: "Here it comes...Oh, my goodness!...OH, WOW!! IN YOUR LIFE, have you seen anything like that?"
- 2006 NCAA Basketball: George Mason achieved a big upset. Lundquist declared: "By George, the dream is alive!"
- 2013 College Football (Auburn vs. Georgia): A last-second touchdown pass was thrown. Lundquist yelled: "Fourth-and-18 … lets it GO … OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH! OH NO! Ricardo Louis! Talk about a Hail Mary."
- 2013 College Football (Alabama vs. Auburn): A player returned a missed field goal for a game-winning touchdown. Lundquist described it: "On the way … No, returned by Chris Davis. Davis goes left. Davis gets a block. Davis has another block! Chris Davis! No flags! Touchdown, Auburn! An answered prayer!"
- 2019 Masters: Tiger Woods made a great shot. Lundquist said: "I am compelled to say, Oh my goodness."
- 2024 Masters (Final Broadcast): As he signed off for the last time, he said: "It’s my honor, my privilege."
Honors and Recognition
Verne Lundquist has received many awards for his work.
- In 2005, he was added to the Sun Bowl Hall of Fame.
- He was named Texas Sportscaster of the Year several times.
- In 2007, he was inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame.
- He gave a speech at Hampden–Sydney College in 2012, which he called a "true achievement."
- He was a guest picker on College GameDay in 2016.
Broadcasting Partners
Verne Lundquist worked with many different people during his long career. Some of his broadcasting partners included:
- Clark Kellogg
- Gary Danielson
- Tracy Wolfson
- Bill Raftery
- John Madden
- Billy Packer
- Jim Spanarkel
- Brad Sham
- Jim Nantz
- Scott Hamilton
