Jim Nantz delivers misty-eyed final sendoff as March Madness broadcast run comes to an end

As the University of Connecticut Huskies heard the final buzzer and stormed the court after beating the San Diego State Aztecs to win the NCAA Tournament, CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz was a bit choked up while trying to call the moment.

No, it wasn’t because he was happy for UConn, or sad San Diego State took the loss after a phenomenal run through March Madness. 

It was because, for the final time in his 32 years as the lead voice behind the Final Four and 36 years broadcasting March Madness, he had to sign off. 

“One thing I learned through all of this is everybody has a dream and everybody has a story to tell. Just try to find that story. Be kind. 

“Can I tell you one other thing? I mean this, and not to try to pay off, ‘Hello friends,’ but to you, everybody in the college game. My CBS family, my family, all the viewers. Thank you for being my friend.”

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Nantz isn’t walking away from broadcasting altogether, but college basketball will no longer be in the 63-year-old’s yearly schedule. He will still be the lead play-by-play announcer for CBS during the NFL season, while also broadcasting golf – The Masters, a favorite tournament of his, will be the next time he’s on-air this week. 

But there’s no doubt college basketball made Nantz the broadcast legend he is today. His first game came at 26 years old in January 1986, when he traveled for a USC-Washington showdown in Seattle. 

He then met Bill Raftery, his longtime college basketball partner, who has taken this journey with him. 

Heading into his final broadcast on Monday night, Nantz, despite all the emotions he must’ve been feeling, wanted it to be like any other championship game he’s called in the past. 

“I just want to have a nice, clean, high-camaraderie broadcast. In sync with (producer) Wolfie (Mark Wolff) and (director) Mark Grant, Grant and Raft and Tracy, just want it to be clean. All in sync. Take off the headset, go give the trophy away. It’s their moment, it’s not mine,” he told CBS Sports before the game.

Nantz has been the voice behind some of the best college basketball has given us in March, including the San Diego State buzzer-beater on Saturday night to defeat Florida Atlantic to reach the title game. 

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There are countless more, but the overall body of work that Nantz has put together in his illustrious broadcasting career boils down to one thing he knows well. 

“I got to live out my dream because of college basketball,” Nantz said. “Sure, I was a golfer and I went to Houston to be on the golf team. But, really, [I] went to Houston to study communications and try to figure out a way to get trained to hopefully one day be noticed by CBS. That was what the goal was: to work for CBS.” 

Thanks for being our friend and taking us through all the Madness, Jim.