Jim Nantz has long been one of the voices of March Madness and the NCAA Tournament, but he called his final basketball game on Monday night, and left us with a beautiful send-off.
Since 1990, Nantz has been in the lead role for CBS, doing play-by-play for the Final Four and National Championship game. During that span, he called 354 Tournament games, 64 Final Four games, and 32 National Championship Games in total.
Jim Nantz Called His Final NCAA Game Monday Night
Jim Nantz has been the voice behind countless memories of the men’s NCAA Tournament.
As he takes off the headset for March Madness, several key figures of the game pay their respects. pic.twitter.com/3FICYgfpDx
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 3, 2023
He was the voice of an entire generation. The man that we knew so well from calling NFL games on Sunday afternoons, and from talking softly as players attempted big putts at the Master’s tournament. For those of us that are in our early or mid-30s, we have never known anyone else to cover these events. It has always been Jim Nantz.
Nantz ended the broadcast of last night’s National Championship Game in the most fitting way possible.
One of the many things that Nantz is known for is his catchphrase. “Hello, friends,” has been the way that he has welcomed the audience by opening every broadcast, becoming his staple. But instead of welcoming us as friends on Monday, he left us by letting us know that he appreciated all of us being his friend over all of these years.
"Thank you for being my friend"
One final goodbye from Jim Nantz at the #NationalChampionship 👏 pic.twitter.com/mRgtmyQKU8
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 4, 2023
Nantz Will Still Call NFL Games, Masters
It certainly won’t be the last that we see of Jim Nantz completely. He will still be heading the play-by-play for the number 1 broadcast team on CBS on Sunday afternoons in the Fall, and we’ll hear his familiar voice as early as this weekend as he calls his 34th Master’s tournament.
Behind every great sports moment, there’s a storyteller.
For decades, Jim Nantz has been the storyteller of the Men's Final Four. pic.twitter.com/8DPVx2WZki
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 1, 2023
Things certainly won’t be the same without Nantz next year as we dive into March Madness 2024, but he is leaving the job in the hands of someone who could be capable of filling the shoes. Ian Eagle has been one of CBS’s premier play-by-play commentators for some time now, and has often played second fiddle to Nantz when it comes to the hierarchy in the company. But calling the Final Four and National Championship game will be Eagle’s job starting next season.
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