Ernie Johnson kicked off March Madness coverage with a touching tribute to the late Greg Gumbel
It's finally the men's NCAA tournament, but March Madness won't feel the same this year.
CBS Sports anchor Greg Gumbel died in December at 78 after a battle with cancer, leaving the sports media world without a legend in March.
As studio coverage kicked off ahead of the opening game between Creighton and Louisville, host Ernie Johnson started the broadcast with an emotional tribute to his friend. Clark Kellogg, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith also joined in with kind words about Gumbel.
Gumbel — and the rest of the CBS team — had worked in collaboration with the Turner Sports (Warner Bros. Discovery) crew since the NCAA tournament TV deal that launched in 2011 with the two companies.
Ernie Johnson and company kick off this year's NCAA Tournament with a moving tribute to longtime host Greg Gumbel. pic.twitter.com/ktizs9RDST
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 20, 2025
He'l be missed. That's for sure.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Ernie Johnson kicked off March Madness coverage with a touching tribute to the late Greg Gumbel
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