Verne Lundquist Tribute Section

30 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION ❘ STREET & SMITH’S SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL AUGUST 22-28, 2016
Verne Lundquist has been the voice of SEC football on
CBS for so long that it is difficult to imagine spending an
autumn Saturday afternoon without him. Lundquist, who has
described his announcing style as minimalist since taking
over SEC duties in 2000, will leave a major legacy when he
steps down from the lead college football role at CBS follow-
ing the 2016 season.
Working with longtime partner Gary Danielson, Lundquist
has been a stalwart presence in the booth while perennially
calling the biggest SEC games on the schedule. He’ll pass
the torch to Brad Nessler after this year’s swan song.
“Verne has set the standard for college football broad-
casting,” CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus said.
“Together with Gary Danielson he has played a key role in
making the SEC on CBS the highest-rated college football
package in America. After an incredible 17 years, he will be
handing the reins off to Brad, who in his own right is highly
acclaimed and respected as one of the premier play-by-
play broadcasters in the business.”
McManus added, “We are fortunate to have one more
football season to appreciate Verne’s one-of-a-kind storytell-
ing as we pave the way for a seamless and smooth transi-
tion.”
Indeed. Clearly, McManus spoke for many when uttering
those words. Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg
Sankey echoed those sentiments during SEC Football Media
Days in July.
“In the season ahead we can say thank you and good-
bye to our friend Verne Lundquist,” Sankey said. “Verne has
been the voice of the SEC during some of the most exciting
times in the history of our conference. We look forward to
hearing him call the games through the coming season. It’s
fitting that Verne’s final game on CBS as the voice of the SEC
will be this December in the Georgia Dome, our final cham-
pionship game in the Georgia Dome.
“In fact, it’s our 25th SEC football championship game.
We’ll relive some memories, we’ll remember great games
and great people.”
All totaled, Lundquist is in his 53rd year of sports broad-
casting, and he has not been going quietly into the great
night of retirement. He continued calling college basketball
games for CBS this year including his work in the NCAA Tour-
nament as well as handling golf duties for the network’s cov-
erage of The Masters and PGA Championship. Lundquist has
broadcast more than 20 different sports for CBS, but more
than anything, it’s been college football that left an indelible
mark on his legendary career.
“Being a part of the SEC on CBS since 2000 has been the
most significant assignment I’ve been given in my more
than five decades in this business,” Lundquist said. “Now, it’s
time to step back and take in the aroma of those tulips,
those roses, and those daffodils that friends have been tell-
SEE LUNDQUIST, PAGE 32
YESSSS!A Broadcasting Legend
Begins His Final Season
VERNE LUNDQUIST: THE FINAL SEASON
DAVIDPATTERSON

31 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION ❘ STREET & SMITH’S SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL OCTOBER 5-11, 2015
THE PUCK DROPS HERE
VERNE LUNDQUIST
SETTING THE STANDARD
FOR SATURDAYS IN THE FALL

SPONSORED FEATURE
ing me about for years.”
For his part, Lundquist has spent those years creating a
lifetime of memories, many of which were spawned on the
gridiron of college football’s most powerful conference on
sun-splashed afternoons from Gainseville, Florida, to Baton
Rouge, Louisiana, to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and all points in
between. From the beginning, his time in the SEC seemed
gilded.
An Auspicious Debut
Flash back to September 2000 when Lundquist was start-
ing his journey and working with Todd Blackledge. He was vis-
iting Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, for the very
first time and mentioned that early in the network debut of
Florida-Tennessee, one of the biggest rivalries in America at
the time. With a raucous Tennessee crowd and the famous
orange and white checkerboard end zones awaiting Florida
and head coach Steve Spurrier, Lundquist seemed to realize
he was in the midst of something special in his on-air com-
ments to Blackledge.
As with many of the contests Lundquist has called
through the years, this one became an instant classic, and
for all the wrong reasons if you were a Volunteers fan. With
Tennessee clinging to a 23-20 lead in the waning stages of
the fourth quarter, Florida drove the ball nearly the length of
the field to win the game on a highly controversial touch-
down pass from Jesse Palmer to Jabar Gaffney at the goal
line with 14 seconds left.
After a game-ending sack of Tennessee QB A.J. Suggs
left the Volunteers faithful crestfallen and on the wrong end
of a 27-23 score, Lundquist captured both the competitive
and human drama that played out in the final seconds dur-
ing his closing remarks of the broadcast.
“This one’s in the history books. And inexplicably the Flor-
ida Gators go 91 yards to come from behind and edge the
Tennessee Volunteers in an ending that will be talked about
for years. Did he or did he not have possession? The story of
redemption, of course, for Jabar Gaffney, who was kicked
off this team and lost his scholarship when charged with
stealing seven months ago. Asked for a chance to come
back, his parents are paying his tuition, and he catches the
winning touchdown.”
After it was over, in a story Lundquist has recalled many
times, he turned to Blackledge and asked if SEC games
were all like this. Enough of them, his new partner said in
response. The essence of SEC football can be found in its
rivalries, none bigger than the one renewed with each play-
ing of the Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn.
Witness to SEC History
Their epic clash in 2013 produced the most memorable
finish in a storied rivalry dating back to the first game in
1893. With the score tied 28-28 and one second left, Ala-
bama set up to try a 57-yard field goal that (if successful)
would give the No. 1 ranked Crimson Tide a thrilling victory
and deal the fourth-ranked Tigers a bitter defeat.
Given the unusually long length of the attempt, Auburn
stationed kick returner Chris Davis in the end zone for a
potential return. What transpired next was something so unex-
pected that words - especially too many - might not have
done the moment justice. Lundquist’s call of the game’s final
play spanned just 28 words and it personified his profession-
alism and self-described minimalist style perfectly.
As the kick sailed toward the uprights, Lundquist intoned:
“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!”
The last three words will linger in the collective conscious-
ness of Alabama, a state annually ripped in two by the out-
come of a college football game, and speak to Lundquist’s
national legacy for years to come. It’s a testament to his
old-school sensibilities in an age when the sports landscape
has become increasingly littered with self-serving commen-
tary and hot takes designed to incite rather than elucidate.
Two weeks prior to the “KickSix” miracle, Lundquist had
called Auburn’s game against Georgia and it ended with
another prayer on a 73-yard touchdown pass that bounded
off Georgia defenders and into the hands of Auburn
receiver Ricardo Louis, who streaked into the end zone to
give the Tigers an unlikely 43-38 victory.
“Lets it go. Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh
no! Ricardo Louis. Talk about a Hail Mary!” Lundquist said in
his description of what became known as The Prayer in Jor-
dan-Hare, in reference and deference to Auburn’s home
stadium. Danielson then called it the play of the year and it
was until the Iron Bowl a fortnight later.
A Fitting Finale
Lundquist and Danielson, who have been witness to so
many salient SEC moments over the years, will make their
final appearance together at the SEC Championship Game
in December. It would be all too fitting if the final play of Lun-
dquist’s career provided yet another unforgettable moment.
“Verne is a legend in this business,” said Danielson, who
along with Lundquist was honored with the Maxwell Football
Club’s Excellence in Broadcasting award in 2015. “I am
extremely thankful to have had the opportunity to sit next to
him for the past decade calling SEC games and so grateful
that Verne gets to finish his football career calling the last
play the way he wanted.”
While awards will never capture the full measure of the
man, the list of Lundquist’s accolades are befitting of some-
one who has performed at the top of his profession for so
many years. Lundquist, who was inducted into the National
Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame in
2007, received the Sports Emmy Award for Lifetime Achieve-
ment at this year’s Sports Emmy Awards ceremony.
“Verne Lundquist is one of the most iconic voices in sports
television,” National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
President Bob Mauro said. “He has delivered some of the
most memorable calls, from ‘Yes Sir’ to an ‘Answered Prayer.’
From his days with the Dallas Cowboys, through many a
Masters golf tournament to Olympic figure-skating competi-
tions not to mention numerous NFL and college football
games, Verne’s educated, entertaining and insightful look
into the world of sports has been a treat for all viewers.”
The Winding Road to Sucess
A native of Duluth, Minnesota, Lundquist traveled a long
and serpentine road to reach the summit of college football
broadcasting. He made an early name for himself in the
Lone Star State after graduating from Texas Lutheran Univer-
sity in 1962. Later, he went on to become the longtime radio
voice of the Dallas Cowboys. A member of both the Texas
Sports Hall of Fame and Texas Radio Hall of Fame, his ulti-
mate transitions from radio to TV and from pro to college
football proved fortuitous on both fronts.
Through the years, though, there were some interesting
detours. Lundquist jokes about doing “Bowling for Dollars” in
the early 1970s back in Dallas. Strangely enough, it wasn’t his
only foray in the sport. When he missed the cut to do the
Olympics for ABC in 1976, at both Innsbruck and Montreal,
and was passed over once again for the 1980 Winter Olym-
pics at Lake Placid, Lundquist was tabbed for duty as a
replacement on the Professional Bowlers Tour. With self-dep-
recation, he’ll recount the story of being in Peoria when Al
Michaels was making his famous, “Do you believe in mira-
From his very first game, Florida vs. Tennessee, Lundquist’s intensity and his talent for spare commentary, proved a perfect match for the week-in, week-out excitement of SEC football.
LUNDQUIST, FROM PAGE 30
SEE LUNDQUIST, PAGE 34
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AUGUST 22-28, 2016 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION ❘ STREET & SMITH’S SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL 33
SPONSORED FEATURE
Verne Lundquist acknowledges that
his assignment to do SEC football on
CBS proved to be the most significant
of his life. When you consider that Lun-
dquist’s career spanned more than
five decades and included coverage
of so many other sports including the
Olympic Games, that puts things into
immediate perspective. With two of his
most memorable calls coming in the
span of two weeks in 2013 — the
“Prayer at Jordan-Hare” and “KickSix”
— it begs the question of which others
belong in the top five. Without ranking
them in particular order, a strong case
can be made for this memorable trio:
1986 Masters — Jack Nicklaus, at
the age of 46, was making a charge
at Augusta National that strained cre-
dulity and kept viewers glued to their
televisions across the country. When
he buried an 18-foot birdie putt on No.
17 that would serve as prelude to his
18th and final major victory, Lundquist
rang out, “Yes, sir!” In true Lundquist
fashion, with minimal words and major
impact, he’d delivered one for the
ages.
1992 NCAA Tournament — Duke’s
Christian Laettner hauled in an
inbounds heave from teammate
Grant Hill and then proceeded to
knock down a turnaround basket at
the buzzer to beat Kentucky. “There’s
the pass to Laettner … puts it up …
Yesssssss!” The win propelled Duke to
the Final Four and Lundquist into the
spotlight for another sparse but power-
ful description that’s stood the test of
time.
2005 Masters — Tiger Woods. The
chip heard ‘round the world. You know
the story and likely remember where
you were while watching that Nike ball
hang on the lip at No. 16 before fall-
ing for the most improbable of birdies.
“Oh, wow! In your life, have you seen
anything like that?” Simply, classic.
Among the many unforgettable sports moments that are synonymous with Lundquist’s call were two “miracle” plays within two weeks of each other in the SEC – the “Prayer at Jordan-Hare” and the KickSix
ending to the 2013 Iron Bowl.
Classic Lundquist
AUBURNUNIVERSITY(2)

cles?” call after the United States hockey
team pulled off its stunning upset of the
Soviet Union in Lake Placid.
Two years later, when his contract was up
and not renewed by ABC, the then 42-year-
old Lundquist had doubts about his profes-
sional future at the network level. CBS was
getting back into the college football busi-
ness and offered him six games and two
college basketball dates. It wasn’t enough
to live on but Lundquist became an inde-
pendent contractor, provided his own
health benefits and found a way to survive
during a time when TV talent didn’t have the
luxury of going from network to network as
freely as they do today.
Lundquist credits an old friend and his
boss at Channel 8 in Dallas at the time,
David Lane, for helping him accept the CBS
work while remaining with the station on a
part-time basis. He toiled in that fashion for
close to two more years before CBS eventu-
ally increased his slate of college football
and basketball games to 10 and eight,
respectively. Lundquist was also asked to join
the network’s golf team and his ascen-
dancy at CBS seemed to culminate with a
move into the network’s NFL booth as Terry
Bradshaw’s first partner.
Lundquist, who would later present Brad-
shaw during his Pro Football Hall of Fame
induction ceremonies in Canton, also
worked with legendary NFL quarterback Dan
Fouts, and occasionally with lead analyst
John Madden, on the CBS NFL broadcasts.
Things were going very well and his future
had appeared to crystallize.
The SEC Comes Calling
Then, over the Christmas holiday in 1999,
came the phone call that would alter his
football career forever. On the other end of
the receiver was McManus telling Lundquist
that he’d be moving from the NFL to the
network’s nascent SEC football coverage.
After the initial disappointment faded, Lun-
dquist would go on to help make it the high-
est rated college football programming in
the country, and also find himself a perma-
nent football home in the process.
Lundquist’s 17-year run in the SEC dove-
tailed with the conference’s rise to suprem-
acy in college football. The nation’s power-
house programs and biggest games
became part of his professional purview
with Lundquist’s down-home mannerisms
and folksy on-air stylings playing nicely to
nationwide audiences and particularly
those in the South. Avuncular is a word often
used to describe Lundquist, who turned 76
this year, and he could fit nicely into the
grandfather category now too.
Whenever you watch Uncle Verne on a
college football Saturday, and invariably
hear that deep distinctive chortle some-
where along the way, you just feel better for
having done so. There is a sense of joy and
genuineness transmitted through your TV
during those telecasts that is palpable. The
task of replacing him next year falls to
Nessler, who will join Danielson to form the
network’s top tandem in the booth.
A Worthy Successor, to
an Irreplacable Voice
“Verne has been a friend for over 30
years and someone I’ve always looked up
to in this business,” Nessler said. “I’m not
replacing him as it would be impossible to
replace Verne. I am truly honored to carry
on where he leaves off and work to main-
tain the standard of excellence he has set
calling the SEC on CBS.”
The time is right for Lundquist to retire and
he believes the booth will be in good hands
following his final season.
“In 2017, I’ll happily step aside from col-
lege football and welcome Brad to the
booth,” he said. “I’ve known Brad for more
than 30 years and have always admired his
work ethic and his on-air presence. He
shares the same passion for college football
that I do. The SEC on CBS is in great hands.
Brad and Gary will form a great partnership
in the years ahead.”
McManus has likened Lundquist’s leg-
acy to Keith Jackson, with both becoming
the most prominent voices during their
respective times in the sport. That compari-
son was also made by noted SEC expert
Paul Finebaum, now with ESPN, in the wake
of CBS’ announcement that Lundquist would
step down from football at year’s end.
“When Keith Jackson retired 15 years
ago, we all felt a loss,” Finebaum told AL.
com at the SEC Spring Meetings in Destin,
Florida. “He was the voice of college foot-
ball for many of us growing up and as we
got a little older. For a younger generation,
Verne has been it, I think because he has
been involved in so many memorable calls.
“We all know, in 2013 in the span of 14
days, he had maybe the two greatest calls
in modern football history with the Prayer at
Jordan-Hare and obviously the KickSix. I think
we will remember those forever.”
Finebaum took it a step further and
added, “I think Verne is one of the most
important and iconic broadcasters of my
lifetime. I think in many ways, he has been
one of the most important and influential
voices in college football history.”
McManus, whose father Jim McKay was
a hero to Lundquist, captured the enduring
spirit of Lundquist’s legacy during his intro-
duction earlier this year at the Sports Emmy
Awards. It’s two-fold in nature and resonant
on both the professional and personal levels.
“How Verne has been able to perfectly
capture these scenes with just a few words is
truly remarkable to say the least,” McManus
said. “And when you hear those phrases,
you instantaneously remember the moment
and exactly where you were when you first
heard them and that is such a rarity in
today’s business.”
As important, and many would say more
so, Lundquist excelled on a human level as
well.
“He is the consummate gentleman in
every sense of the word,” McManus said.
“He treats the broadcast associates exactly
as he does the chairman, always with a wel-
coming smile, always with great stories and
always with a genuineness and warmth not
often seen in our business.”
In closing, McManus offered perhaps the
ultimate tribute to Lundquist.
“People used to say about my dad that
there will never be another Jim McKay and
they were right. There is also no question that
there will never ever be another Verne
Lundquist.”
Through the years, Verne Lundquist’s range of talent was such that he called more than twenty sports
for CBS alone. From top: At Turner, Lundquist played a key role in both PGA and NFL coverage. Below,
Lundquist, along with Clark Kellogg, hosts President Obama at a Duke vs. Georgetown basketball game.
LUNDQUIST, FROM PAGE 32
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The Dallas Cowboys
Congratulate
Verne Lundquist
on a Legendary
Broadcasting Career

Verne Lundquist Tribute Section

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