JIM NANTZ
Lead Play-by-Play Announcer
THE NFL ON CBS
Jim Nantz, the 2009 and 2008 Emmy Award winner for “Outstanding Sports Personality – Play-by-Play” and five-time National Sportscaster of the Year, has covered virtually every sport for the CBS Television Network since joining it in 1985. He has been the lead play-by-play voice for THE NFL ON CBS since 2004, teaming up with lead analyst Phil Simms on the Network’s number one NFL announce team. For six years (1998-2003) he anchored the Network's NFL pre-game studio show, THE NFL TODAY. In addition, Nantz is the anchor of CBS's golf coverage, including the Mastersâ and the PGA Championship and lead play-by-play announcer for college basketball, including the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship and Final Four.
In 2010, Nantz repeated a rare broadcasting triple in 63 days beginning with his call of the most-watched program in television history, Super Bowl XLIV on February 7, followed by the NCAA Men’s Final Four and the Masters® in April. During the same time span in 2007, Nantz became the first commentator in history to complete the rare broadcasting three-feat – calling Super Bowl XLI, the NCAA Men’s Final Four and the Masters®.
In April 2010, Nantz was honored with his second consecutive Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Personality – Play-By-Play at the Sports Emmy Awards in New York City. In May 2010, Nantz was honored by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association with the 2009 National Sportscaster of the Year award. This marks the fifth time overall and third consecutive year, having also won it in 2008, 2007, 2005 and 1998. With this fifth honor, Nantz has won this prestigious award more times than any other CBS sportscaster. Nantz also was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as the youngest recipient of the Curt Gowdy Media Award in 2002.
Among his many other credits, Nantz has served as the host of THE SUPERBOWL TODAY, CBS Sports' Super Bowl XXXV and XXXVIII pre-game shows; and was the primetime host of CBS Sports' coverage of the 1998 Olympic Winter Games.
In 2008, Nantz co-authored with Eli Spielman the New York Times bestseller, Always By My Side. The book climbed to No. 3 on the New York Times list making it the highest ranking achieved that year by a sports book. Always By My Side spent seven weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Nantz told his personal stories from football, basketball and golf and how he met people along the way who reminded him of the virtues his father instilled in him. The foreword to the book was written by one of his father figures and dear friend, former President George H.W. Bush. The paperback edition of Always By My Side was released on May 5, 2009 – updated and expanded, including a new afterword.
For Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston, Nantz was the Host and Chairman of the first-ever Super Bowl Opening Ceremony and concert spectacular: Super Bowl XXXVIII: A Houston Salute. Nantz created and organized the event with former President George Bush, the chairman of the event. Along with former President Bush, and 41 of Houston’s sports legends, they welcomed the Super Bowl to the city by officially kicking off Super Bowl week.
Nantz began his tenure at CBS Sports as host of the Network's college football studio show (1985-88). He was lead play-by-play announcer for CBS's coverage of college football (1989-90) and went on to cover the NFL in 1991. By 1993, he was calling play-by-play for the Network's second-team coverage of THE NFL ON CBS and all regular-season and post-season broadcasts. He returned as the lead voice of college football in 1996, calling the National Championship Games for the 1996 and 1997 seasons (Fiesta Bowl; Nebraska vs. Florida and Orange Bowl; Tennessee vs. Nebraska, respectively). In 1997, he returned to the studio to anchor COLLEGE FOOTBALL TODAY. His lead role in college football has included coverage of the Orange, Cotton, Fiesta, Sun, Gator and Blockbuster Bowls.
Nantz joined the CBS Sports golf team in 1985. He became the anchor of the Network's golf coverage in April 1994 and was partnered with Ken Venturi until June 2002, and Lanny Wadkins until 2006, before Nick Faldo assumed the lead analyst role in 2007. Nantz has hosted CBS Sports’ coverage of the Masters® since 1988 and the PGA Championship since 1991, and served as anchor of the biennial Presidents Cup in 1994 and 1996.
Nantz took over as lead play-by-play announcer for college basketball in 1990 where he was teamed with Billy Packer until 2008. In 2009, Clark Kellogg joined Nantz mid-court to call the action of the regular-season and NCAA Men's Basketball Championship games. Nantz has called the play-by-play on more network broadcasts of the Final Four and Championship game than any other announcer in the tournament's history. From 1986 to 1990, he served as host of CBS's coverage of the NCAA tournament and Final Four. Nantz also handled the play-by-play for regular- and post-season coverage of THE NBA ON CBS from 1986 to 1989.
Nantz's myriad assignments for CBS Sports include play-by-play at the U.S. Open Tennis Championships for nine years overall, co-hosting the weekend daytime coverage of the 1992 and 1994 Olympic Winter Games and coverage of NCAA track and field, skiing, speed skating, baseball, swimming and diving, gymnastics, the U.S. Olympic Festival and Pan American Games and even polo. He also served as host of the Network's coverage of the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1994, 1995, 2000 and 2001. In addition, he had a prominent role in Kevin Costner's 1996 hit movie "Tin Cup."
In 2005, Nantz established his own production company, Jim Nantz Productions. As executive producer, Nantz’s company annually produces a Masters Sunday special and to date, the following specials have aired: JIM NANTZ REMEMBERS AUGUSTA: THE 1986 MASTERS (2006); JIM NANTZ REMEMBERS AUGUSTA: THE 1960 MASTERS (2007); JIM NANTZ REMEMBERS AUGUSTA: THE 1978 MASTERS (2008); JIM NANTZ REMEMBERS AUGUSTA: SEVE AT THE MASTERS (2009) and JIM NANTZ REMEMBERS AUGUSTA: THE 1977 MASTERS (2010). THE 1960 MASTERS special made television history by showcasing a sporting event that originally aired live in black and white was re-broadcast in color. This special was nominated for a 2007 George Wensel Technical Achievement Sports Emmy Award.
Nantz was graduated in 1981 with a degree in radio/television from the University of Houston, where he was recruited as a member of the golf team. He received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from his alma mater in May 2001 in recognition of his contributions to his profession and to the university. While a student at Houston, he held a variety of broadcasting jobs, which led to positions at the city's CBS stations KHOU-TV and KTRH Radio. Before joining CBS Sports, Nantz was an anchor at KSL-TV in Salt Lake City, then a CBS affiliate. While at KSL, he also broadcast Utah Jazz basketball games and did play-by-play with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young for BYU football games, including the 1984 National Championship year.
He was born May 17, 1959, in Charlotte, N.C., and grew up in Colts Neck, N.J.
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PHIL SIMMS
Lead Analyst
THE NFL ON CBS
Phil Simms, Super Bowl XXI MVP and 15-year NFL veteran, joined CBS Sports in January 1998 as lead analyst for the CBS Television Network's coverage of the NFL. This season, he and Jim Nantz pair for their seventh season as the Network's lead NFL announce team. Simms, previously teamed with Greg Gumbel for six seasons (1998-2003), called Super Bowl XXXV in 2001, Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004, Super Bowl XLI in 2007 and Super Bowl XLIV in 2010 on the CBS Television Network. This season, Simms once again serves as a host of INSIDE THE NFL on Showtime alongside James Brown, Cris Collinsworth and Warren Sapp.
Simms introduced the "Phil Simms All-Iron Team," which honored NFL players and coaches, in a special Christmas Day broadcast on CBS in 1999. The "All-Iron Team" special aired on Super Bowl XLI Sunday in February 2007 and on Super Bowl XLIV Sunday in February 2010. In 2002, Simms co-hosted the Miss Universe Pageant on CBS, becoming the first athlete ever to do so. He is the author of The New York Times Best Seller Sunday Morning Quarterback: Going Deep on the Strategies, Myths and Mayhem of Football (2004).
Prior to joining CBS Sports, Simms served as a game analyst on NBC's top broadcast team, along with Dick Enberg and Paul Maguire (1995-98). He called Super Bowls XXX and XXXII, announced weightlifting events for NBC Sports' coverage of the 1996 Olympic Summer Games, served as a sideline reporter on "The NBA on NBC" and worked on the "NFL Quarterback Challenge" and "Run to Daylight." He also served as a studio analyst for ESPN.
As an All-Pro quarterback, Simms led the New York Giants to two Super Bowl titles. He completed 22 of 25 passes in Super Bowl XXI as the Giants defeated the Denver Broncos, 39-20, to win their first Super Bowl title. He established team marks for most passes completed and attempted for one game (40 completed, 62 attempted), season (286, 533) and career (2,576, 4,647), most career touchdown passes (199) and most 300-yard games in a career (21). He was the Giants' first selection in the 1979 NFL Draft, was selected for the 1985 and 1993 Pro Bowls and was the 1985 Pro Bowl MVP. He was named All-Pro in 1986.
Simms graduated from Morehead State University in Morehead, KY in 1979. He and his wife, Diana, live in Franklin Lakes, N.J. They have three children, Christopher, a quarterback for the Tennessee Titans, Matthew, a quarterback for The University of Tennessee Vols, and Deirdre. Simms also has two grandchildren, Charlotte and Phillip from their son Christopher and his wife Danielle.
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LANCE BARROW
Coordinating Producer & Lead Game Producer
THE NFL ON CBS
Lance Barrow was promoted to Coordinating Producer of THE NFL ON CBS and lead game producer in May 2004 with the No. 1 NFL announce team of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms. In 2010, he served as coordinating producer and lead game producer for Super Bowl XLIV, which was watched by 106.5 million viewers making it the most-watched program in television history. Barrow served in the same capacity for the first time when CBS Sports broadcast Super Bowl XLI in 2007. Before that he was replay director for CBS Sports’ coverage of Super Bowl XXXV and Super Bowl XXXVIII.
Barrow, a 10-time Emmy Award winner, joined CBS Sports in May 1975 as a spotter/researcher and has served in virtually every capacity of CBS Sports’ golf production. He assumed the position of coordinating producer, CBS Sports golf, in January 1997. Barrow accepted the Sports Emmy for CBS Sports’ coverage of the 2004 Masters®.
Barrow produced the majority of CBS's golf coverage in 1996 and all of it since 1997. He worked his first Masters in 1977 as a spotter for Pat Summerall. Barrow produced CBS Sports' coverage of ski jumping and nordic combined at the 1994 Olympic Winter Games and was the associate director of the primetime broadcasts at the 1992 Olympic Winter Games. He also has served as producer for coverage of NCAA basketball, college football and auto racing. Barrow produced coverage of the 1998 Daytona 500 for which he received an Emmy nomination. As associate producer, his credits include the Masters and PGA Championship; NCAA men's Final Four; Daytona 500; the U.S. Open Tennis Championships; THE NFL TODAY and six Super Bowls.
Barrow has earned Emmy Awards for his work on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, the Daytona 500 and the NFL. He was the recipient of the first Gene Sarazen Spirit Award presented by the Professional Caddie Association in 2007. Barrow was honored by his alma mater, Abilene Christian University, with the naming of the “Lance Barrow Football Film/Editing Classroom” inside ACU’s Teague Special Events Center. And in 2008 he was honored as ACU’s Outstanding Alumnus of the Year.
Barrow attended Abilene Christian University in Texas, where he played football and baseball. He earned a communications degree in 1978. Born Feb. 2, 1955, in Fort Worth, Texas, Barrow lives in Colleyville, Texas.