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Bryant Gumbel

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Bryant Gumbel
Born (1948-09-29) September 29, 1948 (age 76)
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Occupation(s)News and Sports Broadcaster
SpouseHilary Quinlan
ChildrenBradley Christopher and Jillian Beth
Parent(s)Dunbar Gumbel and Rhea Alice LeCesne

Bryant Charles Gumbel (born September 29, 1948), is an American television personality for news and sports programs. He is best known for his 15 years as co-presenter of NBC's The Today Show. He is the younger brother of veteran sports broadcaster Greg Gumbel.

Early life

Gumbel was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the second child of parents Richard Dunbar Gumbel and Rhea Alice LeCesne, and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He is of African-American and Creole descent. He attended Bates College in Lewiston, Maine where he played football and baseball and is a member of the class of 1970. He was a history major and wrote sports columns for the school newspaper, The Bates Student.

Gumbel earned a liberal arts degree from Bates College and has honorary doctorates from Bates, Xavier University of Louisiana, College of the Holy Cross, Providence College and Clark Atlanta University.

Career

Early career

Gumbel began his television career in October 1972, when he was made a sportscaster for KNBC-TV out of Los Angeles.

NBC Sports

Gumbel impressed and surprised NBC with his likable on-air presence and well-considered commentary. He was hired by NBC Sports in the fall of 1975 as co-host of its National Football League pre-game show GrandStand with Jack Buck.

From 1975 until January 1982 (when he left to do The Today Show) Gumbel hosted numerous sporting events for NBC including Major League Baseball, NCAA basketball and the National Football League. Gumbel returned to sportscasting for NBC when he hosted the prime time coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics from Seoul and the PGA Tour in 1990.

One of Gumbel's more memorable moments during his time at NBC Sports occurred in 1982, when he was on site for the now legendary "Epic in Miami" NFL playoff game between the San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins. At the end of the game, Gumbel told the viewing audience "If you didn't like this football game then you didn't like football!"

The Today Show

Gumbel spent 15 years on The Today Show with three co-hosts: Jane Pauley, Deborah Norville and Katie Couric. His work on the Today Show earned him several Emmys and large group of fans. He is the second longest serving co-host of Today, serving 2 months less than Couric. Gumbel stepped down from the show after 15 years in 1997.

The Early Show

After leaving the Today Show and Dateline NBC in 1997, Gumbel moved to CBS, where he hosted various shows before becoming co-host of the network's morning show The Early Show on November 1, 1999. Gumbel left The Early Show (and CBS that same year) in May 2002.

Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel

Gumbel has concentrated most of his energy recently on his duties as host of HBO's acclaimed investigative series Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (a show that he has hosted since 1995). HBO's web page claims that Real Sports has been described as "flat out TV's best sports program" by the Los Angeles Times.[1] Also according to HBO, Real Sports has earned 15 sports Emmys, and a 2006 Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Award for broadcast journalism, the first time in the award's history that it was given to a sports program.[2] The award was for a story called "The Sport of Sheikhs", an investigation into the exploitation of children as camel jockeys in the United Arab Emirates.

The Weather Man

Gumbel made a cameo appearance alongside Nicolas Cage and Michael Caine in The Weather Man, a film directed by Gore Verbinski. In the film, Gumbel co-hosts a morning show entitled Hello America for which Cage's character, a depressed weatherman, auditions.

The NFL Network

Main article: Run to the Playoffs

In April 2006, the NFL Network announced that Gumbel, along with Cris Collinsworth and Dick Vermeil, would commentate on its new package of NFL games. Gumbel had never called play-by-play[3] for live sporting events in his career.[4] Before his first game commentary for the network, Gumbel's status was brought into question after he stirred up controversy in his closing remarks on his HBO program on August 15, 2006, in which he criticized NFL Players Association head Gene Upshaw and outgoing NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. Gumbel would later reconcile with the NFL and has retained his play-by-play job with the NFL Network.[5]. On December 29 2007, Gumbel had a reunion of sorts as he called the Patriots-Giants game on the NFL Network, CBS, and NBC. This is the first 3-network simulcast NFL game and coincidentally Gumbel has worked for all three networks during his career.

Gumbel resigned as play-by-play announcer in April 2008, prior to the 2008 NFL season.

Controversies

Gumbel memo

In 1989, Gumbel wrote a memo to Today Show executive producer Marty Ryan, which was critical of other Today Show personalities. This memo was leaked to the press. In the memo, Gumbel commented that Willard Scott, "holds the show hostage to his assortment of whims, wishes, birthdays and bad taste...This guy is killing us and no one's even trying to rein him in". He commented that Gene Shalit's movie reviews "are often late and his interviews aren't very good."[6]

There was enough negative backlash in regard to Gumbel's comments toward Scott, that Gumbel was shown making up with Scott on The Today Show.[7]

Remarks

On Today on September 5 1988, Gumbel said of a quiz on racial attitudes: "This test is not going to tell you whether you're a racist or a liberal."[8]

A CBS camera caught a disgusted Bryant Gumbel blurting out "What a fucking idiot" just after he finished a hostile interview with Robert Knight of the Family Research Council (FRC). The incident occurred at about 7:15 a.m. ET on Thursday, June 29, 2000 following Knight's appearance to defend the Boy Scout policy of excluding gays from being leaders.

On the February 7, 2006, episode of HBO's Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel, Gumbel made controversial racial remarks about the Winter Olympics: "Count me among those who don't care about them and won't watch them... So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world's greatest athletes, despite a paucity of blacks that makes the winter games look like a GOP convention."

On the August 15, 2006 episode of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, Gumbel made the following remarks about former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Player Union president Gene Upshaw and directed these comments to new commissioner Roger Goodell:

Before he cleans out his office have Paul Tagliabue show you where he keeps Gene Upshaw's leash. By making the docile head of the players union his personal pet, your predecessor has kept the peace without giving players the kind of guarantees other pros take for granted. Try to make sure no one competent ever replaces Upshaw on your watch.

In response, Tagliabue said, "What Gumbel said about Gene Upshaw and our owners is about as irresponsible as anything I've heard in a long time." Gene Upshaw as of August 21, 2006 has not commented.[9] Gumbel's response was "It's a lot like covering any story [...] You see what is front of you and you report on it."[citation needed]

Play-by-play

Gumbel has received criticism for his performance as a play-by-play announcer for the NFL Network. In this role, he has made numerous mistakes, such as incorrect use of football terminology, repeatedly confusing details about which team called a timeout, was called for a penalty, or recently scored and even referred to Dallas Cowboys' quarterback Tony Romo as "Rick Romo" after the Cowboy's win over the Green Bay Packers, saying "We'll try to get a word in with Rick Romo.." He even referred to San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore as "Al Gore". On April 11, 2008, Gumbel and the NFL Network announced a mutual decision to end his play-by-play duties.

Awards

References

  1. ^ HBO: Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel - About the Show
  2. ^ HBO: Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel - Awards
  3. ^ On Sports Media | Gumbel's move to play-by-play was a bad call
  4. ^ [1][dead link‍]
  5. ^ Gumbel, NFL reconcile after ‘leash’ comment - NFL - MSNBC.com
  6. ^ Monica Collins, "Memo to NBC: We Love Scott", USA Today, March 1, 1989.
  7. ^ Brian Donlon, "On Today, it's kiss and make up", USA Today, March 14, 1989.
  8. ^ David Brudnoy, "The great divide", Boston Phoenix, June 20, 2003.
  9. ^ Michael McCarthy, "Gumbel's remarks strike ill chord with Tagliabue", USA Today, 22 August, 2006.
Wikiquote has quotations related to Bryant Gumbel.
Preceded by Today Show Host with Jane Pauley from 1982 to 1989, with Deborah Norville from 1990 to 1991 and with Katie Couric from 1991 to 1997
1982–1997 		Succeeded by
Preceded by American television prime time anchor, Summer Olympic Games
1988 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
First play-by-play commentator
 NFL Network play-by-play commentator
2006-2007 		Succeeded by
Unknown

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